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).
These initiatives were driven by Liz Saville Roberts, 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.
Liz Saville Roberts has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to devolve management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales to the Welsh Government; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to create offences in relation to the publication of false or misleading statements by elected representatives; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to prevent abuse of process in civil and family courts; to make provision about cooperation between court jurisdictions; to create offences when certain civil and family court orders are breached; to amend the rights and duties of certain parties to prevent abuse of process in civil and family court; and for connected purposes.
To make provision for the circumstances in which the sexual history of a victim of rape or attempted rape may be introduced at a trial; to prohibit in certain circumstances the disclosure by the police of a victim’s identity to an alleged perpetrator of a serious sexual crime; to extend the range of serious offences which may be referred to the Court of Appeal on the grounds of undue leniency of the sentence; to amend the requirements for ground rules hearings; to make provision for the issuing in certain circumstances of guidance on safeguarding to schools; to make provision for training about serious sexual offences; to place a duty on the Secretary of State to provide guidelines for the courts in dealing with cases of serious sexual offences; to require the Secretary of State to report annually on the operation of the Act; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to consolidate offences relating to the misuse of digital devices, technologies, systemsand services for the purposes of committing or preparing to commit or aiding, abetting, facilitating or concealing the commission of a crime or disposal of theproceeds of a crime; to make provision reflecting technological advancements, including the training of criminal justice personnel; to establish a duty for theSecretary of State to provide advice and guidance to the digital andtelecommunications services industry aimed at reducing the misuse of digitaltechnologies for criminal purposes; and for connected purposes.
Wellbeing of Future Generations (No. 2) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (under the Ten Minute Rule)
Sponsor - Caroline Lucas (GRN)
Vagrancy (Repeal) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Layla Moran (LDEM)
Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Afzal Khan (LAB)
Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Geoffrey Robinson (LAB)
European Union (Revocation of Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Geraint Davies (LAB)
Packaging (Extended Producer Responsibility) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (under the Ten Minute Rule)
Sponsor - Anna McMorrin (LAB)
European Union Withdrawal (Evaluation of Effects on Health and Social Care Sectors) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Brendan O'Hara (SNP)
The COP President meets Cabinet colleagues regularly on a wide range of issues.
It has not proved possible to respond to the rt. hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The UK and our international partners stand united in condemning the Russian government’s reprehensible actions, which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter. The world must focus on generating cheaper, cleaner power that is not subject to volatile international markets.
I have regular discussions with my European counterparts on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating a well-managed transition to cleaner, more efficient energy systems to deliver energy security.
COVID-19 has shown the importance of ventilation in reducing the spread of infection. In England, it is through Part F of the Building Regulations that we set minimum ventilation standards for new buildings, or when work is done to an existing building. We have recently published our response to the Future Buildings Standard Consultation which sets out new guidance on Part F, to come into force in June 2022. The new guidance includes measures to mitigate the risks of airborne infection in new buildings, including CO2 monitoring and updated specifications for systems that recirculate air between rooms.
Buildings should be provided with an adequate means of ventilation as a requirement of the Building Regulations. The updated guidance for shared communal rooms (such as laundry rooms or communal gyms) in flats is provided in Approved Document F2. This states that rooms in new buildings where aerobic exercise is likely to take place, such as communal gyms, should have CO2 monitors installed, which allow air quality to be monitored.
Building regulations apply when a new building is erected, or when building work is done to an existing building. They apply equally to buildings irrespective of tenure, including those that are let for short periods of time, such as holiday lets.
COVID-19 has shown the importance of ventilation in reducing the spread of infection. In England, it is through Part F of the Building Regulations that we set minimum ventilation standards for new buildings, or when work is done to an existing building. We have recently published our response to the Future Buildings Standard Consultation which sets out new guidance on Part F, to come into force in June 2022. The new guidance includes measures to mitigate the risks of airborne infection in new buildings, including CO2 monitoring and updated specifications for systems that recirculate air between rooms.
Buildings should be provided with an adequate means of ventilation as a requirement of the Building Regulations. The updated guidance for shared communal rooms (such as laundry rooms or communal gyms) in flats is provided in Approved Document F2. This states that rooms in new buildings where aerobic exercise is likely to take place, such as communal gyms, should have CO2 monitors installed, which allow air quality to be monitored.
Building regulations apply when a new building is erected, or when building work is done to an existing building. They apply equally to buildings irrespective of tenure, including those that are let for short periods of time, such as holiday lets.
The provisions within the Equality Act 2010 protect everyone equally, if they hold a recognised religion or belief or if they have a lack of any such religion or belief. The Act does not list or codify recognised religions or beliefs as this is a matter for the courts. Exceptions in the Act recognise the legitimate requirements of organised religions, such as allowing religions to require that its ministers hold that particular faith. We believe this is an effective legislative approach.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
The Government Communication Service is a cross-government function with teams embedded in departments. Departments are responsible for their own advertising spend across all communication channels.
Cabinet Office publishes expenditure on government communication spend, including our national campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk as part of routine government transparency arrangements at the link below: www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-spend-data.
We work closely across the United Kingdom to ensure that government communication activity reaches the intended audiences effectively.
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and health departments in the devolved administrations to take forward the actions necessary to address these disparities and Cabinet Office officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the progress of this work. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of such discussions are not normally disclosed.
The Government is aware that there remains significant disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood products across the UK. I am working with HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and health departments in the devolved administrations to take forward the actions necessary to address these disparities and Cabinet Office officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the progress of this work. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of such discussions are not normally disclosed.
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 46692 on 29 May 2020.
The Tribunal is resourced to deal with these cases as quickly as due process allows. The parties before the Tribunal need time to prepare for the hearing, and the Tribunal will set a timetable for this taking account of the parties' resources, the need for a fair hearing and the need to resolve cases as expeditiously as possible.
Further detail covering the period October 2010 to October 2020 was set out in the Call for Evidence for the recent post-implementation review of the Competition Appeal Tribunal Rules published in May 2021.
The Post Implementation Review of the Competition Appeal Tribunal Rules 2015 was published in April 2022. This sets out that the intended objectives of the Rules, that is, to streamline procedures in the CAT and minimise the length and cost of CAT cases while ensuring access to recourse for affected parties, have largely been achieved.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal reports on all of their cases in their annual report and they provide regular updates on the case pages on their website.
The Warm Home Discount is a key policy in the Government’s strategy for tackling fuel poverty. The Government consulted on reforming the Warm Home Discount scheme to better target fuel poverty and to provide the rebates automatically to households, as announced in the Energy White Paper. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published in the coming weeks.
The reforms include focusing support on households on the lowest incomes who are struggling to heat their homes. Eligibility would therefore be linked to receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit and having high energy costs. Unpaid carers in receipt of one of the qualifying means-tested benefits and with high energy costs would therefore be eligible for a rebate.
Ofgem, the independent regulator for the UK’s energy networks, sets service levels which Distribution Network Operators must meet, with rules on how and when compensation payments are issued to consumers if the standards are not met. This is set out in the Quality of Service Guaranteed Standards.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Rt. Hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton on 14th December 2021 to Question 87565.
As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government is supporting industry to deliver community trials of 100% hydrogen heating. BEIS and Ofgem have invited the Gas Distribution Network Operators to submit outline proposals for village trials by December 2021. The Government expect that one or more of these will then be selected to be developed into detailed proposals. Final decisions on where the trials will take place are expected to be taken in 2023.
The organisation design of Ofgem is a matter for Ofgem. BEIS will continue to work closely with Ofgem on delivering the government’s ambitions for a hydrogen economy as set out in the Hydrogen Strategy.
The Government has no plans to control prices or set a price-cap for liquified petroleum gas (LPG).
The LPG market operates under normal competition and consumer protection law supplemented by the Domestic Bulk LPG Market Investigation Orders (which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-market-orders-and-calculator). The Orders enable easier switching of domestic bulk LPG supplier by domestic customers.
Fuel poverty is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government.
Officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy engage with counterparts at the Welsh Government regularly, to ensure the safety of the public across the UK. This has included discussion of the House of Commons Petitions Committee Report and the steps the Government has taken to address their recommendations.
The Government has now implemented the recommendations it accepted following the Petition Committee’s report, complementing the ongoing programme of action which continues to tackle the key issues associated with fireworks. This includes the 2021 fireworks public safety information programme, with all campaign materials translated into Welsh.
Officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy engage with counterparts at the Welsh Government regularly, to ensure the safety of the public across the UK. This has included discussion of the House of Commons Petitions Committee Report and the steps the Government has taken to address their recommendations.
The Government has now implemented the recommendations it accepted following the Petition Committee’s report, complementing the ongoing programme of action which continues to tackle the key issues associated with fireworks. This includes the 2021 fireworks public safety information programme, with all campaign materials translated into Welsh.
The Government has now implemented the recommendations it accepted following the Petition Committee’s report on fireworks. We have no current plans to introduce further restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks to the public but we continue to monitor the situation.
Earlier this year, the UK purchased some Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured at the Serum Institute of India, which form part of the UK's agreement for 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
The following table shows estimated greenhouse gas emission from the domestic combustion of oil in the UK in 2019 by country, measured in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), from the UK’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Greenhouse gas emission from the domestic combustion of oil in the UK in 2019 (MtCO2e)
England | 3.1 |
Northern Ireland | 1.8 |
Scotland | 0.6 |
Wales | 0.6 |
UK total | 6.2 |
Source: UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, BEIS |
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Officials are working with the Department of International Trade to ensure that our international agreements are consistent with and support our ambitious domestic policy agenda. The Government is committed to upholding all its international obligations, including those on subsidy control. We do not anticipate any incompatibility issues with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which does not contain any commitments on subsidies that conflict with the proposals in the Subsidy Control Bill.
An Impact Assessment was published alongside the Subsidy Control Bill , which gives an overarching assessment of the impact the measures in the Bill will have on public institutions and business. It focuses on the subsidy control regime’s framework, rather than the individual subsidies that may be awarded under it.
An Impact Assessment was published alongside the Subsidy Control Bill , which gives an overarching assessment of the impact the measures in the Bill will have on public institutions and business. It focuses on the subsidy control regime’s framework, rather than the individual subsidies that may be awarded under it.
Cambo is not a new oilfield, it was licensed in 2001. The development proposal from Cambo is being scrutinised in line with robust regulatory procedures and no decision has yet been taken.
Oil and natural gas are still required for heating, cooking and transport, and are vital to the production of many everyday essentials like medicines, plastics, cosmetics and household appliances. While we are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years, as recognised by the independent Climate Change Committee, with the UK as net importers of both oil and gas.
Looking forward, the Government will introduce a climate compatibility checkpoint which will be used to assess whether any future licensing rounds remain in keeping with our climate goals. We have committed to launching the checkpoint by the end of 2021.
The Government recognises the importance of investing in electricity transmission network infrastructure to enable renewable generation to build and connect to the grid. The electricity transmission network in Wales and across Great Britain is regulated via a price control, set and administered by Ofgem, as the independent regulator. The current price control commenced on 1 April this year, and it includes £8.7bn of upfront funding for electricity transmission across Great Britain, £5.4bn (2018/19 prices) of which is allocated to National Grid Electricity Transmission which owns and operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales. Further funding of up to £10bn for future projects to enable net zero is also available across the next price control (electricity transmission and gas), including readying the network for further renewable generation.
The UK Government remains firmly committed to the renewables industry across the UK, including in Wales. To date, Contracts for Difference (CfD) have been awarded to 5 projects in Wales, totalling around 200MW of capacity. Future CfD auctions will provide further opportunities for developers of renewable electricity projects in Wales to secure contracts and expand the amount of capacity supported by the scheme in Wales.
We expect deliveries of the vaccines from CureVac later this year, if required. This will be subject to successful clinical trials and regulatory approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Smart meters are replacing traditional gas and electricity meters in Great Britain as part of an essential infrastructure upgrade to make the energy system more efficient and flexible, enabling the cost-effective delivery of net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
All smart meters are capable of recording electricity that is exported to the grid from onsite renewable generation sources, such as solar panels.
The rollout is making good progress, with 23.6 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain, as of the end of December 2020.
The latest data on the rollout of smart meters is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics.
The Government’s ambitions are for a world-leading system that unlocks innovation and growth throughout all parts of the economy across the UK. Research and development are central to igniting the UK’s economic recovery, boosting productivity, creating new jobs and improving people’s quality of life.
Last Summer, we published the R&D Roadmap which outlines our plan to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs to live and work. Through our R&D Places Strategy, we will ensure research and development benefits the economies in places across the UK, including Wales, as part of our wider commitment to levelling up.
In November 2020, the Spending Review set out the government’s plan to cement the UK’s status as a global leader in science and innovation by investing £14.6bn in R&D in 2021-22. We will increase public R&D investment to £22bn per year by 2024-25. This investment supports our commitments set out in the R&D Roadmap and helps consolidate our position as a science superpower.
We are continuing to work with devolved administrations and other Government departments on delivering the R&D Roadmap.
The Government remains committed to securing UK gigafactories.
Ministers and Officials in the Department are regularly engaging with potential investors. These discussions are ongoing, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific cases.
There are a range of factors that will influence the location of any UK gigafactory investment, and ultimately this decision will be a commercial matter. There are several locations across the UK that may meet the requirements of investors, including in Wales.
As we deliver our 10 point plan, we recognise it is important to ensure that our ambitious policy interventions do not lead to increased emissions elsewhere. We are working across government to better understand this potential issue, known as carbon leakage, including the impact it could have on the UK.
As set out in the interim report of the Net Zero Review published in December, a range of approaches could potentially help to address carbon leakage. The EU’s proposed carbon border levy is one policy option, which we are monitoring closely.
The UK will continue working closely with all our international partners to address climate change across the economy, using our G7 and COP26 Presidencies to ensure that we build back better following the coronavirus pandemic.
All children’s toys on the UK market, whether sold or supplied individually or along with children’s magazines, must meet the safety requirements set out in the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 (‘The Regulations’). Under the Regulations, any toys distributed in the UK must not jeopardise the safety or health of users or third parties when they are used as intended or in a foreseeable way, bearing in mind the behaviour of children. The Regulations also set out requirements for warnings and safe use labels on toys and other safety obligations that must be met by manufacturers, importers and distributors; again, these apply however the toys are supplied.
Any toys distributed along with children’s magazines must be safe and meet the requirements of the Regulations. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and local authority Trading Standards have powers to enforce the Regulations.
The Government has introduced a UK Emissions Trading Scheme, enabling steelmakers, and others in industry, to use markets to decarbonise in a cost-effective way. The Department works closely with both HM Treasury and the Devolved Administrations on this Scheme. The Government recognises the important role that the UK steel industry plays in keeping our economy moving and growing post COVID-19, and has therefore put in place a package of ongoing measures to support it during this challenging time and beyond. This includes more than £500 million in relief since 2013 to make the sector’s electricity costs more competitive.
The Government has introduced a UK Emissions Trading Scheme, enabling steelmakers, and others in industry, to use markets to decarbonise in a cost-effective way. The Department works closely with both HM Treasury and the Devolved Administrations on this Scheme. The Government recognises the important role that the UK steel industry plays in keeping our economy moving and growing post COVID-19, and has therefore put in place a package of ongoing measures to support it during this challenging time and beyond. This includes more than £500 million in relief since 2013 to make the sector’s electricity costs more competitive.
I welcome Britishvolt’s announcement. As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister set out recently in his 10 Point Plan, manufacturing electric vehicles and developing the required supply chain right here in the UK is a key part of building back better and greener. A Gigafactory will support industry, provide high quality jobs and help the automotive sector transform over the coming decade - as we make strides towards our world-beating net zero goals.
The Government has announced nearly £500m of support through the Automotive Transformation Fund to drive the electrification of the UK automotive sector. This is part of the up to £1 billion that this government previously committed to these efforts. The application process is managed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre on behalf of BEIS and funding will be allocated on a competitive basis, dependent on a full assessment of the relative value for money of any request received.
I welcome Britishvolt’s announcement. As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister set out recently in his 10 Point Plan, manufacturing electric vehicles and developing the required supply chain right here in the UK is a key part of building back better and greener. A Gigafactory will support industry, provide high quality jobs and help the automotive sector transform over the coming decade - as we make strides towards our world-beating net zero goals.
The Government has announced nearly £500m of support through the Automotive Transformation Fund to drive the electrification of the UK automotive sector. This is part of the up to £1 billion that this government previously committed to these efforts. The application process is managed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre on behalf of BEIS and funding will be allocated on a competitive basis, dependent on a full assessment of the relative value for money of any request received.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is planning to release in spring 2021 estimates of gross domestic expenditure on research and development in 2019 including estimates of R&D performed in different parts of the United Kingdom.
The latest available figures are for 2018: the ONS has estimated R&D performed was £786m in Wales, £2,706m in Scotland, £715m in Northern Ireland, and £32,862m in England. Dividing by the ONS mid-year population estimates would give figures of about £250 for Wales, £498 for Scotland, £380 for Northern Ireland, and £587 for England.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is developing plans to run a pilot public awareness campaign focussing on counterfeit goods in the beauty and hygiene sector in 2021. If successful, the IPO will consider further campaigns for other product sectors such as counterfeit electrical products.
The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Distributors, including those selling online, have legal responsibilities under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 to ensure that equipment has the required labelling and that they do not make equipment available on the market where they know or suspect it to be unsafe. Manufacturers and importers must ensure that only safe electrical products are placed on the market, monitor the safety of their products in use and keep distributors informed of the monitoring.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) are conducting a review of the Product Safety framework to ensure it remains one of the best in the world in both protecting consumers and enabling businesses to innovate and grow. The review will consider the impact on product safety of new technologies and new business models, including e-commerce.
The Energy White Paper is a priority and it will be published this Autumn.
The inaugural meeting of the Hydrogen Advisory Council (HAC) was on 20 July 2020. It is expected to meet quarterly for at least the next two years with the next meeting scheduled on 14 October 2020.
Hydrogen is one potential option for decarbonising heating, alongside other solutions, including heat pumps and heat networks. The Government is therefore supporting a range of research, development and testing projects involving hydrogen to help determine the feasibility of using low carbon hydrogen as an alternative to the use of natural gas for heating in homes.
The Government is working closely with industry and other stakeholders to identify further testing and trials needed to provide evidence on issues including safety, feasibility, costs and benefits and the overall consumer experience.
We are exploring ways to promote UK hydrogen activity and enhance international cooperation at COP26.
COP provides an ideal platform to showcase UK's unique hydrogen opportunities. Harnessing UK geographical advantages such as offshore wind resource and potential CO2 storage for low carbon hydrogen production, with deployment across the energy system to enable deep decarbonisation in line with our net zero commitment.
Options under discussion include demonstration of hydrogen appliances developed under the Hy4Heat programme, as part of the BEIS Energy Innovation Portfolio; representation from leading UK hydrogen companies and projects; and discussion of international cooperation to accelerate clean energy innovation, including hydrogen. We will continue to develop this thinking in the coming months.
The Government is committed to the development of hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier for the UK and we are currently developing our strategic approach to hydrogen. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is Chair of the Climate Action Implementation Cabinet Committee (CAI) which covers topics including hydrogen. BEIS officials and I also continue to work across government departments, including an on-going review of governance arrangements, to ensure we work effectively to develop new policy to help bring forward the technologies and supply chain we will need to grow the UK hydrogen economy.
Currently, we are seeing an increase in flexible working with many businesses rapidly adapting to remote working, using new technology and finding new ways of working. As we move beyond the current situation, and the economy begins to reopen, we are very keen to do more to promote flexible working in all its forms.
This Government is clear about the benefits of flexible working for employers and for their employees. In our manifesto we said that, subject to consultation, we would introduce measures to make flexible working the default.
Currently there are no plans to change the bank holiday dates.
The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to commemorate a variety of occasions. The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and acknowledged within the country.
Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday is considerable. The estimated cost to the economy of the one-off bank holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was £1.2 billion.
No discussions have taken place with the Welsh Government on the deployment or promotion of wooden wind turbines. We welcome innovation in this area, provided the appropriate construction and safety standards are met.
No discussions have taken place with the Welsh Government on the deployment or promotion of wooden wind turbines. We welcome innovation in this area, provided the appropriate construction and safety standards are met.
To date, the Government has committed up to £3.08 billion to City and Growth Deals across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This includes Deals already agreed in Cardiff, Swansea Bay, and North Wales.
These Deals are an important part of our approach to driving growth, attracting long-term investment, and creating sustainable, high-quality jobs in Wales.
Regions need to regularly assess the benefits and deliverability of their individual programmes in light of changing local circumstances. We will work with all areas to ensure City and Growth Deals respond are responsive, so they can continue to deliver maximum impact for their local area.
At at 2018, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) data shows that China had the following FDI positions in UK sectors:
| China Inward FDI Position (£m) | Global Inward FDI Position (£m) | China as % of Total Global FDI to UK |
Manufacturing and Production | 325 | 368,718 | 0.1% |
Information and Communication | 28 | 140,695 | 0.02% |
Retail and Wholesale | 230 | 125,302 | 0.2% |
Total Economy | 1,775 | 1,520,603 | 0.1% |
Estimates of FDI that are based on the UK regional location of such investments are not available.
The Coronavirus outbreak is the biggest public health emergency in a generation and every part of the Government is being mobilised to protect our public health. While civil service capabilities and resources are being redeployed accordingly, supporting industry onto a pathway consistent with net zero remains a key priority and work continues to ensure we meet our commitments.
Steel is a key industrial sector of strategic importance to the UK economy, and we remain committed to designing and delivering the £250 million Clean Steel Fund as planned. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders to develop the scheme, ensuring that it meets their interests.
The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest public health emergency in a generation and Government is being mobilised to protect public health - with Civil Service capabilities and resources being redeployed accordingly. Nonetheless, supporting industry onto a pathway consistent with Net Zero remains a key Government priority and work continues at pace to ensure we meet our commitments.
We remain committed to engaging with industry to design and deliver the £100 million Low Carbon Hydrogen Fund as planned.
In August 2019, the Government announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The Fund will help the sector towards achieving our target of net zero emissions by 2050 , by maximising longevity and resilience while harnessing clean growth opportunities.
Steel industry stakeholders provided positive responses to our recent Call for Evidence, which closed in November 2019. The Department is currently analysing responses to inform the scheme’s design, and as we develop the scheme, we will continue to engage closely with the sector to ensure that it meets the needs of businesses.
The Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund (LCHF) was announced in August 2019. The fund is intended to support the development of technology to produce hydrogen at scale, as a decarbonised energy carrier alongside other decarbonised gases. Formal engagement has yet to begin, but we will be discussing the design of the fund with stakeholders throughout 2020, with a view to making a call for bids in 2021. This will involve engagement with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.
The Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund (LCHF) was announced in August 2019. The fund is intended to support the development of technology to produce hydrogen at scale, as a decarbonised energy carrier alongside other decarbonised gases. Formal engagement has yet to begin, but we will be discussing the design of the fund with stakeholders throughout 2020, with a view to making a call for bids in 2021.
The Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund (LCHF) was announced in August 2019. The fund is intended to support the development of technology to produce hydrogen at scale, as a decarbonised energy carrier alongside other decarbonised gases. Formal engagement has yet to begin, but we will be discussing the design of the fund with stakeholders throughout 2020, with a view to making a call for bids in 2021. This will involve engagement with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.
Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion (AD) using biomass feedstocks such as food and on-farm waste (e.g. manure and slurries). Biogas can be used to generate electricity?or?heat (or both?outputs?in a CHP?system).?The Government supports AD as an effective treatment for organic waste that produces renewable fuel, heat or energy and a nutrient rich by-product, digestate, which can be used as a fertiliser.
The Government regularly engages with the Welsh Government, at both ministerial and official level, on a range of issues including biogas.
The Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund is still under development, and no funds have been allocated to date. The Government is working with industry to inform design of the scheme, and further details will be available later in 2020. We welcome ongoing engagement with stakeholders in the region on a range of industrial decarbonisation options including low carbon hydrogen.
Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion (AD) using biomass feedstocks such as food and on-farm waste (e.g. manure and slurries). Biogas can be used to generate electricity?or?heat (or both?outputs?in a CHP?system).?Alternatively, it can be upgraded into biomethane to directly replace natural gas in the gas grid. The Government supports AD as an effective treatment for organic waste that produces renewable fuel, heat or energy and a nutrient rich by-product, digestate, which can be used as a fertiliser.
Currently, biogas and biomethane produced by AD are supported by the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI). The RHI has funding confirmed for new deployment of renewable heat technologies until 31 March 2021. The Budget on 11 March confirmed a new allocation of flexible tariff guarantees on the non-domestic RHI and announced a new support scheme for biomethane production to increase the proportion of green gas in the grid, funded by a Green Gas Levy.
The Department engages regularly with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at both ministerial and official level, on a range of issues including biogas.
Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion (AD) using biomass feedstocks such as food and on-farm waste (e.g. manure and slurries). Biogas can be used to generate electricity?or?heat (or both?outputs?in a CHP?system).?Alternatively, it can be upgraded into biomethane to directly replace natural gas in the gas grid. The Government supports AD as an effective treatment for organic waste that produces renewable fuel, heat or energy and a nutrient rich by-product, digestate, which can be used as a fertiliser.
Currently, biogas and biomethane produced by AD are supported by the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI). The RHI has funding confirmed for new deployment of renewable heat technologies until 31 March 2021. The Budget on 11 March confirmed a new allocation of flexible tariff guarantees on the non-domestic RHI and announced a new support scheme for biomethane production to increase the proportion of green gas in the grid, funded by a Green Gas Levy.
The Department engages regularly with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at both ministerial and official level, on a range of issues including biogas.
Ministers and officials regularly speak with the Welsh Government on issues such as the transition to zero emission vehicles and the impact on the wider supply chain, including batteries, to support vehicle electrification.
Through the Advanced Propulsion Centre programme, BEIS is providing CNH Industrial project funding to develop an advanced engine, fuelling system and composite gas storage tanks to enable tractors to run on compressed natural gas. This technology is designed to utilise bio-methane production on farms, harnessing the bio-digestion of farm waste. This project addresses a key supply chain gap for high performance gas storage and aims to help revolutionise the farming industry and the supply of farm machinery including utility vehicles.
Ministers and officials are in regular contact with DIT counterparts and Welsh Government officials on this matter.
We are exploring hydrogen’s potential to deliver against our clean growth goals – meeting our decarbonisation needs and capturing the commercial opportunities of the global low carbon shift.
There is tremendous opportunity for the UK to build both internal capacity and export potential for low carbon hydrogen. The future market for all?hydrogen?technologies could yield around £5.3bn of GVA and create nearly 50,000 jobs to meet demand in export and domestic markets[1].
With South Wales housing being one of the UK’s key industrial clusters, we will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government and local stakeholders on a range of decarbonisation options including low carbon hydrogen.
[1] Energy Innovation Needs Assessment, Sub-theme report – Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, October 2019 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-innovation-needs-assessments.
While I have not had any direct discussions on this, BEIS officials are in regular contact with DIT counterparts and Welsh Government officials on this matter.
We are exploring hydrogen’s potential to deliver against our clean growth goals – meeting our decarbonisation needs and capturing the commercial opportunities of the global low carbon shift.
There is tremendous opportunity for the UK to build both internal capacity and export potential for low carbon hydrogen. The future market for all?hydrogen?technologies could yield around £5.3bn of GVA and create nearly 50,000 jobs to meet demand in export and domestic markets[1].
With South Wales being one of the UK’s key industrial clusters, we will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government and local stakeholders on a range of decarbonisation options including low carbon hydrogen.
[1] Energy Innovation Needs Assessment, Sub-theme report – Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, October 2019 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-innovation-needs-assessments.
The Government is committed to exploring the option of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, alongside electricity and other decarbonised gases to support the UK’s net zero target. We are investing up to £121m in hydrogen innovation across the value chain and have announced a £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund which will support deployment of low carbon hydrogen production facilities. Hydrogen could play a key role in decarbonising parts of the transport network that are currently hard to electrify, including on the rail network. The Government welcomes the development of viable hydrogen-powered rolling stock by Alstom working with rolling stock owners Eversholt and Porterbrook Leasing with Birmingham University, and recognises the opportunity to build a distinctive UK capability.
The UK Government is committed to working with the Welsh Government as well as with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK.
The Business Secretary is committed to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government on common portfolio areas including Energy and Climate Change. This collaborative engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government will support the successful delivery of COP26.
Officials from the UK and Welsh Governments are in regular dialogue about COP, and met again at senior level this week.
The UK Government is committed to working with the Welsh Government as well as with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK.
The Business Secretary is committed to working collaboratively with the Welsh Government on common portfolio areas including Energy and Climate Change. UK Government officials are routinely engaging with officials in the Welsh Government on the organisation of COP26. This collaborative engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government will support the successful delivery of COP26.
Officials from the UK and Welsh Governments are in regular dialogue about COP, and met again at senior level this week.
We are committed to exploring the option of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, alongside electricity and other decarbonised gases. This includes exploring the role of electrolytic hydrogen production.
In the UK we are investing £33 million in innovation for hydrogen production, including support to accelerate the development of electrolytic hydrogen generation through our Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply competition. One of the projects funded will develop larger capacity, lower cost electrolysers. Another is developing an innovative green hydrogen production solution, combining floating offshore wind farm with offshore electrolysis.
We also announced our £100m Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund which aims to deploy low carbon hydrogen production capacity to enable greater use of hydrogen as a decarbonisation option across the energy system.
The Government is committed to exploring the development of hydrogen as a strategic decarbonised energy carrier, which has potential to support the UK’s efforts to decarbonise transport and meet the 2050 Net Zero target. The UK is well placed to be a leader in hydrogen and fuel-cell powered transportation due to our high-quality engineering and manufacturing capability and we are investing in innovation within the hydrogen supply chain from production to end use.
The Government’s £23 million Hydrogen for Transport programme aims to increase the uptake of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) and grow the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations. We are delivering nine new refuelling stations, upgrading five existing stations, and deploying hundreds of new hydrogen vehicles. Alongside this, the £2 million FCEV Fleet Support Scheme is supporting public and private sector fleets to become early adopters of hydrogen fuel-cell cars and vans.
The Government has a long-standing programme of support to maintain the competitiveness of the UK automotive sector. Through the Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with the industry to develop world-leading battery technologies.
We have already invested £274 million in the Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Faraday is a cutting-edge programme, helping UK businesses to lead the world in the design, development, and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. Under the FBC, we have invested £120 million in the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) which will open in 2020 and provide a state-of-the-art pilot facility to test new cell technology. UKBIC will play a key role in laying the groundwork to secure a battery Gigafactory in the UK.
In October 2019, the Government announced up to £1 billion of additional funding to develop UK supply chains for the large-scale production of, and research and development for, electric vehicles.
The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK.
The Business Secretary and Welsh Government ministers have instructed officials to work collaboratively across a number of common portfolio areas, including climate change. This is part of the ongoing engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government to support the successful delivery of COP26.
The Department has not assessed kaolinite-rich clay deposits in Wales, though I would encourage my officials, alongside Welsh Government representatives, to meet with private sector investors who have commercially viable proposals for such activity. This is the case for any investment proposition in the UK, including Wales.
The Department is aware that some BT quotations for connection under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) are significantly above the Reasonable Cost Threshold of £3,400 per premise. In September 2020, I wrote to Ofcom’s Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes to outline my concerns with some of the quotes and how BT was aggregating demand from USO eligible premises.
In October 2020, Ofcom opened an investigation into BT’s compliance with its obligations as a Universal Service Provider. In January 2021, Ofcom issued a statement, stating that they had completed their initial information gathering, would be gathering additional evidence and expected to provide an update by the end of March.
Alongside the USO, the government is investing £5 billion to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest to reach 20% of premises in the UK. The government recognises that the UK has some very remote places - around 0.3% of the country or less than 100,000 premises - that may be too expensive to build a gigabit-capable broadband network to, even with substantial public subsidy. These premises are also likely to be significantly above the USO’s Reasonable Cost Threshold. On 19 March, the government launched a call for evidence to explore the barriers to improving the broadband of these premises and how innovative new technologies could help.
Building Digital UK has regular discussions with all Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Top-Up partners, including the Welsh Government, and during the development of the UK Gigabit Voucher these discussions have included options for topping up the new voucher.
The UK’s heritage assets are important to tourism and are internationally admired, but any change in the current Sideways Loss Relief system, such as an increase in the cap to £100,000, must be thoroughly considered and protected against abuse.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been working hard to support our sectors through this period of uncertainty, including the heritage sector. DCMS will continue to explore this proposal with HMT as we move forward into future fiscal events.
My officials are in contact with Her Majesty's Treasury regarding cutting VAT to repairs and maintenance to Listed Buildings. I understand that many in the heritage sector regard the current system as a negative incentive to demolish existing buildings entirely and start again. As with all tax matters, this is something which HMT keeps under regular review. My officials and I will continue to engage with the heritage sector to build a robust evidence base and develop targeted interventions that might benefit listed buildings in this space.
The release of information regarding cabinets is a matter for Openreach due to commercial sensitivity. However, Open Market Review data suggests that in Dwyfor Meirionnydd there are 38,285 properties which can either access superfast broadband speeds or are in plans to receive it within the next two years. These may be commercial or public sector plans. There are 4,439 properties which both cannot receive superfast broadband speeds and are not in any plans to receive it. Although not a devolved matter, this specific data is captured by Welsh Government and can be found at https://gov.wales/next-generation-access-broadband-2019.
For queries about coverage, please refer to Ofcom Connected Nations data. Ofcom published the Connected Nations 2020 data on 17 December, which includes a table of data aggregated to parliamentary constituency level - Dwyfor Meirionnydd: 82.9% of premises have at least Superfast, of which 16.4% have full fibre. Constituency data is available from the HoC library, that does some constituency level aggregations: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-broadband-coverage-and-speeds/
We would also draw your attention to this web site. Whilst the “official data” is the Ofcom Connected Nations report, the ThinkBroadband data tends to be slightly more up to date and is easier to search at National or Constituency level.https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/W07000061
It also has a useful map facility so you can see geographical information about speeds and not-spots in your area. We have centered this map over your constituency and turned on the layers for BT Openreach connectivity https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/broadband-map#10/52.8152/-3.9970/openreach/adsl/geafttp/virgin/gfast/
The media landscape has changed significantly since the Leveson Inquiry, and with it, the system of press self-regulation. We now have a stronger system through The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
The government is committed to independent self regulation of the press, and does not intervene in or oversee the work of IPSO.
In 2016 IPSO commissioned its own external review which found it had made some important achievements in demonstrating it was an independent and effective regulator, and that it was largely compliant with the recommendations of the Leveson Report.
The media landscape has changed significantly since the Leveson Inquiry, and with it, the system of press self-regulation. We now have a stronger system through The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
The government is committed to independent self regulation of the press, and does not intervene in or oversee the work of IPSO.
In 2016 IPSO commissioned its own external review which found it had made some important achievements in demonstrating it was an independent and effective regulator, and that it was largely compliant with the recommendations of the Leveson Report.
Although sport is a devolved matter, the Government continues to liaise closely with its counterparts in the Welsh Government.
As part of a promotional deal with the Football Association (FA), the National Lottery has provided a total of £10m in funding for the 66 clubs in the National Football League. This is a promotional deal led by the National Lottery and the Football Association. The National League is responsible for distributing funds and determining how and when the clubs receive this funding.
The National Lottery is now working with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland FAs to explore similar initiatives.
Media outlets across the UK are facing existential pressures due to the impacts of Covid-19. The government remains in regular dialogue with stakeholders across the media sectors regarding ways in which this can be mitigated, in addition to the unprecedented package of nationwide support announced by the Chancellor.
In terms of newspapers in particular, the government has provided specific support to publishers during the crisis. The government has clarified that all journalists, including broadcast journalists, and other ancillary staff, are ‘key workers’ for the purposes of access to childcare and educational places. The government also issued guidance to local authorities on the importance of newspaper delivery, which has been critical to the continued dissemination of public interest news.
The government has also sought to maximise newspapers’ advertising opportunities by implementing a public information campaign to ensure the distribution of authoritative, up-to-date information about Covid-19, while also alleviating publishers’ financial pressures. The current partnership brings together over 600 titles across the UK, the vast majority of which are local papers. As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level and to ensure value for money, reach and targeting efficacy.
For online media outlets, the government has taken steps to ensure the use of ‘keyword blocklisting’ technology is not inadvertently damaging any news publishers’ online advertising revenues for Covid-19 related stories. Additionally, the Chancellor brought forward the commencement of zero-rating of VAT on all e-newspapers in order to bring savings to readers and support digital publishing.
The department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is in regular dialogue with stakeholders about ensuring the support offered is as effective and fair as it can be. Ministers are engaging with broadcasters (both TV and radio) and news publishers on a regular basis to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on their day to day operations, and how the government can support them. The government will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism.
We recognise the extremely difficult circumstances which heritage and tourism businesses, including heritage railways, are currently facing across the country as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. To assist in mitigating this impact, the Chancellor has announced an extensive financial support package for business and workers in the current economic emergency. The Heritage Alliance, of which the Heritage Railway Association is a member, is represented at weekly Ministerial teleconferences with DCMS, in order to communicate members’ issues and concerns to Government to help us to seek solutions and mitigations.
Heritage railways may wish to apply for further support from the Heritage Emergency Fund, a £50million scheme launched by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the heritage sector through the Covid-19 pandemic. They may also want to approach Historic England, who have announced a £2million programme of grants for smaller, specialist organisations and projects.
Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the information for England only. The government is committed to increasing the number of pupils studying languages at GCSE, including languages that are reflected in modern Britain. That is why the teaching of languages is in the national curriculum for pupils from age 7 to 14, and why GCSE languages were included as part of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects in 2010. There are eighteen GCSEs in modern languages that are recognised in the EBacc, including Arabic, Polish, Punjabi, and Urdu.
The department also remains committed to reforming the subject content for French, German and Spanish GCSEs in order to make them more well-rounded for both teachers and pupils, focusing on the foundational building blocks of language education, namely vocabulary, phonics and grammar. We will publish this new content shortly.
In addition, the department continues to work on developing a GCSE in British Sign Language and aim to consult publicly on draft subject content next year.
It is ultimately for schools to decide which languages they wish to teach, and the department does not specify which languages should be taught or how to teach them.
This Government wants people at home and abroad to be lining up to Buy British. We will always champion our farmers and producers, supporting them to grow more of our great British food, and to provide a reliable and sustainable food supply to the British public. The recently published Government food strategy sets out our aim to broadly maintain domestic food production at current levels as we deliver our climate and environmental aims.
We work closely with industry and trade associations to engage with and support initiatives that highlight the qualities of British meat, dairy, seafood and fruit and vegetable products. During the pandemic we worked with industry to promote fish caught in UK waters, seasonal veg, and supported the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s campaign on milk and dairy to the British public. To support producers in promoting their products we hosted a Regional Food and Drink Summit in March 2022. The Summit brought together SMEs and regional organisations to share best practice and access support to grow their business. Building on the success of the Summit we will continue to offer specialised regional support and engagement with food and drink SMEs.
We welcome efforts from all parts of the food chain to promote and source British products. We will lead by example in the public sector, using our purchasing power to champion local, healthy, sustainable, and high-quality food. The consultation on public sector food and catering policy, launched alongside our food strategy, proposes a mandatory standard on menu cycles and seasonality. In this consultation we propose that public sector menus must vary throughout the year to reflect the natural growing or production period for the UK, such as cauliflower and butternut squash in the winter, and new potatoes, berries and lamb in the summer.
Due to the UK-wide and international nature of the food system, we have maintained regular engagement with the Devolved Administrations during the development of the food strategy. Responsibility for public sector food procurement is devolved to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the proposed changes therefore apply to England only. However, we work closely across the Devolved Administrations to share best practice and ensure public sector food policy is complimentary.
Microbeads have been banned in rinse-off personal care and cleaning products since 2018. We encourage businesses not to add them into any products that are out of scope of the ban.
The Government’s Resources & Waste Strategy for England (2018) identified textiles as one of five priority sectors for consideration of an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and product standards. Our draft Waste Prevention Programme for England, consulted on in March 2021, affirms this commitment and sets out our approach to develop policy options.
We are working closely with industry via Textiles 2030, an industry-led voluntary agreement (managed by WRAP), which is underpinned by ambitious science-based targets, including halving the carbon footprint of new products by 50% by 2030 and reducing the water footprint by 30% by 2030. The Microfibre Consortium is a signatory to the initiative and WRAP is working with the Consortium on the Textiles 2030 Roadmap.
We take our trade and international obligations for human health and the environment seriously and continue to monitor action in other countries and learn from their experiences.
In Great Britain, the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime. Companies intending to export any substances present on the PIC list from GB must notify the importing country via the exporter's Designated National Authority. For GB, the Designated National Authority is the Health and Safety Executive. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. This process is kept under review.
We believe it is essential that the use of active substances that are known to be hazardous to human health or the environment should be subject to scientific risk assessment and regulatory protections.
We are progressing projects assessing the impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment in developing countries. We will continue to support developing countries to use pest management techniques which are most beneficial for them based on evidence and the expressed desires of the countries
Additionally, the UK is committed to working internationally including through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management and United Nations Environment Assembly to support other nations to manage pesticides safely. We also believe in evidence-based international policymaking through the use of scientific committees, such as the Chemical Review Committee, and strengthening of the international 'science-policy interface' for chemicals and pesticides to support global decision-making.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June and is progressing through Parliament. The Bill includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. The number of non-compliant cats seized at the border is much lower than for dogs, for example, in 2020 we seized and detained 17 kittens (under 15 weeks) compared to 543 puppies.
The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy.
We will continue to work closely with stakeholders prior to the introduction of the legislation, to ensure that our final measures are well considered and led by the latest evidence.
The information that we provide is a true reflection of the information that we have access to.
The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals.
Every month carriers complete and submit spreadsheets detailing their throughput broken down by species, document type, non-compliance data and whether or not it is an assistance animal. This is the data recorded on the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) system. Where necessary APHA ensures that carriers provide this information in a timely manner.
As an independent coastal state, the UK has full responsibility over how it ensures compliance in its fisheries. It is for each Devolved Administration to decide how best to control its waters. Defra and the Marine Management Organisation continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations to ensure a coordinated approach to fisheries control and enforcement.
It is a legal requirement for all licensed fishing vessels over 12m in length operating within UK waters to be fitted with a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) device which reports their position at least once every two hours. In line with the conditions set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK will notify the EU Commission of any new VMS requirements that apply to EU vessels in UK waters, should any be brought forward. It will be the responsibility of those vessels to ensure they have a functioning VMS device on board that meets the requirements.
Assessment of the impacts of any potential fisheries management measures in Welsh waters is the responsibility of the Welsh Government, as UK fisheries management is devolved.
UK Fisheries Administrations are working closely together on the development of future plans, including for non-quota fisheries, to ensure we secure sustainability of our stocks, the environment and a thriving industry.
Discussions with UK Fisheries Administrations, including the Welsh Government, on non-quota fisheries management have focused on implementing the provisions of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement in relation to applying a tonnage limit to fishing of non-quota species in UK and EU waters. Longer term management of non-quota species will be reflected in Fisheries Management Plans and in discussions on shared stocks with the EU.
Whilst it is for the Welsh Government to develop and implement measures in Welsh waters, all UK Fisheries Administrations are part of a Fisheries Management Plan Working Group to collaborate on the development of future plans.
In response to difficulties with exporting to the EU, Defra established the Seafood Exports Working Group in January to monitor live, immediate operational issues across the UK and work with industry on responses to minimise disruption to trade flows of seafood. The last group meeting was held on 25 March, when it was paused to allow officials to focus on developing longer-term system improvements with industry, which the group had identified as a priority. There are no current plans to publish an update on the group’s work.
In response to difficulties with exporting to the EU, Defra established the Seafood Exports Working Group in January to monitor live, immediate operational issues across the UK and work with industry on responses to minimise disruption to trade flows of seafood. The last group meeting was held on 25 March, when it was paused to allow officials to focus on developing longer-term system improvements with industry, which the group had identified as a priority. There are no current plans to publish an update on the group’s work.
The Environment Bill’s explanatory notes have been updated with relevant examples to clarify that the legislation will enable us to work towards reducing the environmental impact of nappies. The notes set out that the resource efficiency powers in the Bill would enable us to make the provision of information about the environmental impact of nappies mandatory, which would be subject to conditions on assessing impact and consultation.
The explanatory notes will be published when the Bill is introduced into the Lords in the next Parliamentary session.
We have had no discussions on the proposals to create a new offence of ecocide.
We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are in a continuing dialogue with Guide Dogs UK and meet with them on a regular basis. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.
After the end of the transition period the UK became a third country in relation to the EU Pet Travel Scheme. In February 2020 we submitted an application to allow the UK to become a Part 1 listed third country, this status would mean similar animal health and documentary requirements to pet movements between Member States. On 3 December 2020 the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed of the EU voted in favour of giving the United Kingdom Part 2 listed status for the purposes of non-commercial pet travel after the Transition Period. This listed status has been formally adopted by the EU.
We will continue to press the EU Commission in relation to securing Part 1 listed status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for assistance dog users travelling to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are clear that we meet all the animal health requirements for this and we have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity.
Regarding pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government is working with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on a long term solution which respects the rights of assistance dog users and pet owners to travel with the minimum of friction. Guidance on pet travel to Northern Ireland is available on the DAERA’s NIDirect website.
We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are in a continuing dialogue with Guide Dogs UK and meet with them on a regular basis. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.
After the end of the transition period the UK became a third country in relation to the EU Pet Travel Scheme. In February 2020 we submitted an application to allow the UK to become a Part 1 listed third country, this status would mean similar animal health and documentary requirements to pet movements between Member States. On 3 December 2020 the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed of the EU voted in favour of giving the United Kingdom Part 2 listed status for the purposes of non-commercial pet travel after the Transition Period. This listed status has been formally adopted by the EU.
We will continue to press the EU Commission in relation to securing Part 1 listed status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for assistance dog users travelling to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are clear that we meet all the animal health requirements for this and we have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity.
Regarding pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government is working with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on a long term solution which respects the rights of assistance dog users and pet owners to travel with the minimum of friction. Guidance on pet travel to Northern Ireland is available on the DAERA’s NIDirect website.
In 2019, the UK imported soya and soybean products equivalent to 3.5 million tonnes of soybeans. When combined with the volume of embedded soya imported into the UK, for example in animals fed on soya, the total consumption is equivalent to the import of around 4.2 million tonnes of soybean.
In 2018, the Government convened the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya for industry actors to work together towards the common goal of legal and sustainable soya. Since the Roundtable’s inception, the UK has doubled the proportion of soya imports which are certified as sustainable in a two-year period, from 15% in 2017 to 32% (1.12 million tonnes) in 2019. If we also include soya sourced from areas that are considered at low risk of tropical deforestation, such as North America, and soya covered by the Amazon Soy Moratorium contract, we calculate that 62% of soya (2.17 million tonnes) consumed in the UK is either covered by a deforestation and conversion free standard or comes from an area where there is a low risk of deforestation linked to production.
The Government recognises that voluntary commitments by businesses have not been sufficient to tackle deforestation and is committed to ensuring there is no place for illegally produced commodities on our supermarket shelves. That is why we have introduced a world-leading due diligence law through the Environment Bill. The law will prohibit larger businesses from using commodities produced on land occupied or used illegally and make it mandatory for businesses to conduct due diligence on their supply chains. Once operational, it will help to eradicate illegal deforestation from our supply chains.
In our 2019 manifesto we promised to maintain the current annual budget to farmers for the lifetime of this parliament. At the recently concluded Spending Review the UK Government met this commitment by providing new exchequer funding on top of the remaining EU funding in each nation to ensure that farmers receive the same total funding next year as they received in 2019 when the manifesto commitment was made.
The Government has been working closely with supermarkets to ensure that disabled people have access to the food and essential goods that they need.
We have published guidance online that explains what steps people can take if they are unable to access food. This guidance has been shared with local authorities, retailers and charities to help them respond to enquiries from those seeking help. The guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-food-and-essential-supplies.
Supermarkets have been working at pace to expand the total number of delivery and click and collect slots. We have secured a limited number of supermarket delivery slots for the dedicated use of vulnerable people who are having difficulties in securing access to food and who have no other options available to them. We are working closely with local authorities and charities to help make sure these delivery slots are made available to those who need them most. We have built a bespoke digital service to enable local authorities and a number of charities to directly refer individuals for access to the prioritised slots.
Most supermarkets also offer protected in-store shopping hours to the disabled and their carers.
All major supermarkets have introduced cashless volunteer shopping cards that can be purchased online and used by volunteers to purchase foods on behalf of those self-isolating or in vulnerable groups.
The Agriculture Bill gives the Secretary of State powers to provide financial assistance for particular listed purposes, including: managing land or water to protect or improve the environment; protecting or improving the health and welfare of livestock; supporting public access to and enjoyment of the countryside, farmland or woodland; protecting or improving the health of plants; and protecting or improving the quality of soil. Funding such purposes will enable the delivery of a number of Defra’s future policies, including the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, which will be the cornerstone of our future agricultural policy.
Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero emissions. Land managers will be paid for delivering the following public goods set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan:
We are working closely with a range of environmental and agricultural stakeholders to collaboratively design the new scheme so that it is fit for purpose. We are currently running a programme of Tests and Trials, the priorities for which are the building blocks we will need for the National Pilot. The National Pilot will provide a critical opportunity to test and refine the scheme design prior to full rollout of the ELM scheme across England.
We are also working closely with stakeholders to inform the design of other future financial assistance schemes which we intend to introduce using the financial assistance powers during the seven-year agricultural transition period from 2021 to 2028.
Flood Re (FR) covers the UK, including Wales. It is available through more than 85 insurance brands representing 94% of the home insurance market. FR does not deal directly with homeowners, but instead allows insurance companies to choose whether to pass the flood risk element over to them for a set, below market-cost, premium.
As of 30 September 2019, there were 12,567 policies in Wales backed by FR. In Dwyfor Meirionnydd, there were 388 policies. The lowest granularity FR can provide figures for is at a constituency level so FR cannot provide a number for Fairbourne, Gwynedd.
The UK has so far pledged up to £764 million of UK aid and we are at the forefront of the global response. This includes £296 million to support resilience in vulnerable countries, as well as support to UK charities and international organisations to help reduce mass infections in developing countries.
We are leading the way by pushing for coordinated international action to open fiscal space in vulnerable countries, allowing them to increase the resources available to respond to the crisis. We are providing support through our Rapid Response Facility in numerous Fragile and Conflict Affected States to reduce the spread of the pandemic, protect vulnerable communities, provide livelihoods support, assist those with disabilities, and address gender-based violence.
It is absolutely in Britain’s interest to use ODA to make the world a healthier, safer and more prosperous place. We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction.
The Secretary of State has not recently discussed new trading arrangements for chemical products with her counterpart from the Republic of Ireland, as the United Kingdom-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the United Kingdom’s exit from the Transition Period is a matter led by the Cabinet Office. However, HM Government recognises the importance of the chemicals industry and is working to mitigate issues with regulatory compliance, such as phasing-in compliance with British Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) obligations.
As the Trade and Cooperation Agreement is the first trade deal that the EU has ever reached based on zero tariffs and zero quotas, it is fantastic news for businesses in the chemical sector, who exported £13 billion worth of goods to the EU in 2019. The Department for International Trade is clear that the chemicals sector has a key role to play in helping the United Kingdom achieve her net zero goal, and is exploring ways to support businesses.
In November, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) tabled a new ‘due diligence’ requirement under the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation.
This would require certain businesses to only source legally produced commodities where there is “forest risk” (those commodities that can lead to deforestation), conduct due diligence on their supply chains and report on it annually.
Whether specific commodities, including soya, are in scope will be determined through secondary legislation, on which DEFRA will consult further.
Some initial research has been undertaken by the Department relating to availability of equipment for checks of functioning diesel particulate filters. Where emissions control equipment fitted by a vehicle manufacturer is missing, obviously modified, or defective, the vehicle will not pass its annual MOT test. The Department for Transport keeps the requirements of the MOT test under review and we note with interest the developments that have taken place in parts of Europe.
The changes to BE licensing rules are amongst 32 different actions the Government is taking to increase the number of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and the number of tests available.
All car drivers wishing to tow a trailer or caravan for leisure or business are still encouraged to undertake voluntary training through an accreditation scheme the trailer industry and training providers are developing with support from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. This will include training for those who tow for leisure and for business requirements.
Responses from the consultation indicated that many drivers who are required to tow as part of the work they do, will continue to take training, and that employers, as part of their corporate responsibility, insurance requirements and health and safety compliance, will also require their employees to undertake appropriate training. As such there will continue to be a market for trailer towing training.
Businesses that have been affected by the BE changes are advised to seek further advice and support from the Business Support Line at www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline.
Officials from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) have worked closely with counterparts in Welsh Government throughout the development of The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. I wrote to all Devolved Administrations, including the Welsh Government ahead of announcing our commitment to legislate. We will continue to work with the Welsh Government as we develop further smart charging policy in the future.
Government works closely with the devolved administrations on supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles across the whole of the UK. Regular discussions about rapid chargepoints as well as other measures to support electric vehicles are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government. Officials have been working together to align the upcoming electric vehicle infrastructure strategy from UK government with the approach set out in the Welsh government’s electric vehicle charging strategy for Wales.
By improving regional connectivity, the Integrated Rail Plan will unify labour markets, so that people can access a much wider range of jobs; bring businesses closer together; and improve access to key international gateways and markets so they become even more attractive locations for business investment. Crewe Northern Connection would improve connections from North Wales to the HS2 network, potentially bringing many passengers within 2 hours 15 minutes of London. Work to progress options on completing the Midlands Rail Hub could give passengers from South Wales easy access to the HS2 network at Birmingham Curzon Street.
Officials from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) have worked closely with counterparts in Welsh Government throughout the development of The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to all Devolved Administrations, including the Welsh Government ahead of announcing our commitment to legislate. We will continue to work with the Welsh Government as we develop further smart charging policy in the future.
The Driver and Vehicle Services Agency (DVSA) offers driving tests in Welsh at all 24 practical driving test centres (DTC) in Wales, as well as those outside Wales whose catchment area includes part of Wales. Customers can choose to take a practical test in Welsh at the time of booking. The DVSA has 13 Welsh speaking driving examiners (DE) who will be deployed to meet requests to deliver Welsh language driving tests.
The DVSA has a number of measures in place to increase practical driving tests, including North Wales. These include offering a national recovery allowance 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 and weekends). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners and will shortly launch a specific recruitment campaign to increase the number of Welsh speaking examiners.
The Driver and Vehicle Services Agency (DVSA) offers driving tests in Welsh at all 24 practical driving test centres (DTC) in Wales, as well as those outside Wales whose catchment area includes part of Wales. Customers can choose to take a practical test in Welsh at the time of booking. The DVSA has 13 Welsh speaking driving examiners (DE) who will be deployed to meet requests to deliver Welsh language driving tests.
The DVSA has a number of measures in place to increase practical driving tests, including North Wales. These include offering a national recovery allowance 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 and weekends). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners and will shortly launch a specific recruitment campaign to increase the number of Welsh speaking examiners.
The Government takes road safety very seriously and the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. Therefore, the Government will explore options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory training approach. We plan to meet with key stakeholders including trainers and insurers to discuss this idea.
Whilst HS2 presents a significant opportunity for businesses of all sizes across the UK, HS2 Ltd does not track the proportion of HS2 jobs and apprenticeships that are located in Wales. As HS2 Ltd’s supply chain will consist of up to 400,000 contract opportunities, a smaller number of critical contracts are monitored and so far, there are 27 suppliers based in Wales delivering work on critical contracts. It is likely there will be many more jobs and apprenticeships created in factories and businesses in Wales from the HS2 project within the supply chain.
Ministers and officials have engaged with their Welsh counterparts throughout the global pandemic on a wide range of issues. While financial support for the maritime sector in Wales is predominantly a matter for the Welsh Assembly, particularly where it relates to non-reserved harbours and ports, the financial support that the Chancellor has announced, including business support loans and the job retention scheme, is in place to support all parts of the economy including the maritime sector. My officials and I have worked closely throughout the pandemic with all parts of the maritime sector on the challenges they have faced and the support that they need.
The Department for Transport is also supporting Cabinet Office in the delivery of the £200 million Port Infrastructure Fund, helping ports to build and enhance vital import facilities. The Welsh ports of Fishguard, Holyhead, and Pembroke have been awarded grants totalling £2.8 million.
Department of Transport officials have met with their Welsh Government counterparts on several occasions to discuss e-scooter regulations, both prior to national trials commencing and subsequently. Meetings at a Ministerial level have not taken place.
Accelerating the shift to public and active transport was one of the six strategic priorities identified for the development of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The Plan is due for publication in Spring 2021 and will set out a holistic and cross-modal approach to decarbonising the entire transport system.
Last year, the Prime Minister also launched ambitious plans to boost cycling and walking in England, so that half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked by 2030. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over the next 5 years. Additionally, in England, our long-term National Bus Strategy, to be published in the coming months, will provide the right, accessible services for people and communities in ways that meet their needs and provide positive encouragement to use the bus instead of the car.
Transport policy in Wales is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Welsh Government.
Decarbonising transport, including sports utility vehicles, is a key priority for the Government’s forthcoming Transport Decarbonisation Plan. It will set out how we are taking decisive action to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and also investing £5 billion to increase the share of journeys taken by public transport, cycling and walking. A green paper on the UK’s post-EU CO2 emissions regulations on new vehicles and the first-ever National Bus Strategy will be published shortly.
A candidate whose theory test certificate expires will have received the service for which they paid the fee.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) pays its contractor, Pearson, per theory test delivered. If candidates were exempted from having to pay for a retake, then the DVSA and in turn the taxpayer would incur these costs. In addition, applications for a re-test would need to be validated and systems amended to remove the requirement for payment in these cases. The DVSA’s focus should rightly be on developing solutions to address the backlog of practical driving tests that has arisen as a result of the pandemic.
HM Treasury publish an annual ‘Country and Regional Analysis’, which presents statistical estimates for the allocation of identifiable expenditure between the UK’s countries and regions. For 2018-2019 the analysis shows that transport spend per capita in 2018-2019 was £474 in England, £642 in Scotland, £395 in Wales and £354 in Northern Ireland.
Data for vehicle purchases are not available. However, the following table shows the number of battery electric cars registered for the first time in the UK, by NUTS 1 region, during the first 6 months of 2020.
Data covering all of 2020 are scheduled to be published in April 2021.
NUTS 1 Code | NUTS 1 Region | New registrations of battery electric cars |
UK | United Kingdom* | 31,047 |
UKC | North East | 427 |
UKD | North West | 1,250 |
UKE | Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,617 |
UKF | East Midlands | 1,318 |
UKG | West Midlands | 3,983 |
UKH | East of England | 2,901 |
UKI | London | 2,398 |
UKJ | South East | 7,165 |
UKK | South West | 5,041 |
UKL | Wales | 946 |
UKM | Scotland | 1,658 |
UKN | Northern Ireland | 339 |
* The UK total includes 4 new registrations that could not be assigned a region due to an incomplete or invalid postcode.
Regulations on the use and ownership of jet skis and other personal water craft is a reserved matter for the UK Parliament. This is because they are within the scope of shipping, technical and safety standards of vessels that are not ships for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006.
Although the vast majority of personal watercraft users operate their craft responsibly, the Department for Transport are currently considering how to ensure that any who willfully or neglectfully cause accidents or endanger the safety of others can be prosecuted.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working closely with the Department for Transport to prepare for a safe return to driver testing. It will announce details of resumption in due course.
Before practical driving tests are reintroduced, the DVSA will inform the driver training industry, which will help candidates to prepare and reach the standard of driving needed to pass their test.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology could play a role in supporting the transition to zero emissions transport, as long as it is produced in a sustainable way. The £23 million Hydrogen for Transport programme will support the rollout of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, which is expected to help reduce barriers to the deployment of hydrogen heavy duty vehicles.
The Government is also supporting the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s Decarbonising Transport Networks+, which are removing barriers to low carbon transport. This includes a hydrogen trial and a decarbonisation of freight trial. Furthermore, the £20 million government Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, which concludes this year, includes lorries running on hydrogen dual-fuel.
The Department has been in regular consultation with officials from the Welsh Government in developing our biofuels policy, including on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO has been successful in promoting a market for sustainable renewable fuels across the United Kingdom since 2008.
In July 2018 the Department for Transport published the Transport Energy Model1. This was developed to provide an objective assessment of the relative environmental performance of the powertrain technologies and fuel choices for different vehicle types.
This assessment concluded compressed natural gas (CNG) vans are estimated to reduce CO2 tailpipe emissions by between 6-9% compared to diesel and between 22-25% for equivalent petrol models. Tailpipe emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) are estimated to be approximately equivalent to petrol models.
Government collaboration with the devolved administrations and local authorities is crucial to facilitating the transition to zero emission vehicles and addressing local air quality issues. Regular discussions about rapid chargepoints, as well as other measures to support electric vehicles, are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) had a Devolved Authority (DA) Roundtable in November 2019 with officials from all DAs, where we discussed progress and shared lessons, including around rapid chargepoint rollout.
OLEV are working with Welsh officials to organise a workshop in Wales, where local authorities can hear about and discuss best practice to supporting Zero Emission Vehicle uptake in their areas.
The Secretary of State has written to OFGEM to express her concern. Energy suppliers have a duty to support customers in payment difficulty. OFGEM have noted the concerns raised and will work with DWP to ensure benefit claimants receive the support they need.
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits.
DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about the option of paying towards energy bills directly out of a range of benefits if the claimant is in debt and is having difficulties budgeting for these costs, as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits.
DWP staff will discuss the option of Fuel Direct and third-party deductions with claimants and handle any applications they receive. The scheme is not intended to be an alternative to energy prepayment meters, which may be appropriate for the claimant depending on their circumstances.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist debt and money management support.
The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Modification) Regulations 2022 are a temporary modification to legislation which means that only claimants will be able to make new requests to pay for their ongoing energy consumption directly from their benefit or request an increase or decrease to existing arrangements. Requests for fixed-rate deductions towards fuel arrears remain unchanged. These regulations will expire on 06/04/2023 and legislation will revert unless a further legislative change is made.
Record energy prices are just one of a range of cost-of-living pressures that DWP claimants are facing. Given the increased proportion of income that energy bills are likely to represent in coming months, the Department is not content to continue to prioritise this particular need to the potential detriment of other essential needs - unless this is the express wish of a claimant.
DWP collaborate with Ofgem and Energy UK on any changes to energy deductions from benefits, most recently to gauge their thoughts on the temporary changes to be made regarding ongoing consumption payments. They both supported DWP in communicating to energy suppliers why a change was required, how it operates and when it is effective.
Statutory Maternity Payment caseload is a different measure to the number of grants of Maternity Allowance.
Both the number of women on the caseload for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance has decreased from 2016/17 to 2020/21. The reason for this has not been fully assessed.
However, the date shows a larger decrease in the Maternity Allowance caseload, than the Statutory Maternity Pay caseload. A likely contributor to the fall is the decrease in the UK’s total fertility rate
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about Fuel Direct as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits. DWP staff will discuss this option with claimants and handle any applications they receive.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations, who provide specialist debt and money management support.
Whilst we can identify the number of claims on Universal Credit with a deduction for energy arrears or energy ongoing consumption in the Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituency we cannot release this data as the numbers are so small that releasing these could potentially identify individuals and risk claimant confidentiality.
The Department does not keep this information centrally for legacy benefits and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
The Government's website, GOV.UK provides information about Fuel Direct as well as advice on extra help with fuel bills for people in receipt of benefits. DWP staff will discuss this option with claimants and handle any applications they receive.
In addition, Jobcentre staff have access to information on services and support available in their local area and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations, who provide specialist debt and money management support.
Whilst we can identify the number of claims on Universal Credit with a deduction for energy arrears or energy ongoing consumption in the Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituency we cannot release this data as the numbers are so small that releasing these could potentially identify individuals and risk claimant confidentiality.
The Department does not keep this information centrally for legacy benefits and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
Fewer Maternity Allowance claims were started in the year up to 31 August 2021, compared to the year up to 31 May 2016. This decrease is particularly evident in claims by employed women. A likely contributor to this is the decrease in the UK’s total fertility rate. This has fallen year-on-year from 1.92 in 2012, to 1.56 in 2020. Population projections continue to anticipate a decrease in 2021 and 2022.
National population projections, fertility assumptions: 2020-based interim - Office for National Statistics [Figure 2]
We will continue to monitor fertility rates, as well as changes in the employment status and income of the female population over time, which impact on the number of MA claims.
No estimation has been made.
No assessment has been made. However, any change will be contributed to by the total fertility rate, which has decreased in recent years.
Births in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
It remains our intention to take forward a Remedial Order that will extend eligibility for Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Support Payment to cohabitees with children.
We intend to take forward a Remedial Order to remove the incompatibilities from the legislation governing Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Support Payment by extending these benefits to cohabitees with children. The Order will be laid before the House in due course.
We recognise that the changing nature of primary care services and the associated workforce means that there are professionals other than GPs who are well placed to have work and health conversations and issue statements of Fitness for Work.
We have assessed the benefits of extending certification to other healthcare professionals by carrying out research and consultation with key stakeholders including professional bodies.
We have also worked closely with our stakeholders to ensure that we have considered a range of options and that any changes to the operation of the fit note will meet the needs of healthcare services, their workforce and their patients.
We have provided guidance for claimants, including useful step-by-step process maps, on the Understanding Universal Credit website at https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/self-employment/. It is also made very clear in a claimant’s journal that they should report SEISS payments as self-employed income when they are received, as normal, and an additional field in their journal has been provided for claimants to do this easily.
Additionally, internal guidance has been drafted and circulated to ensure our work coaches are aware of how to treat SEISS payments, along with other Coronavirus grants and schemes.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. For SSP purposes, any periods of sickness which last for four or more days in a row, and are less than 8 weeks apart, are treated as linked and therefore count as one period of sickness. Once waiting days have been served, SSP is paid for all days of work missed because of sickness in any linked periods. The current definition supports employees who have fluctuating conditions who may take frequent, shorter absences from work as part of managing their health condition, such as endometriosis.
The government recently published a consultation in which we sought views on a range of proposals to reform SSP. Reform to SSP forms part of a wider package of proposals which seek to reduce ill-health related job loss and support disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in and thrive in work.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. It is paid by employers at £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks in any one period of entitlement.
SSP is designed to balance support for an individual when they are unable to work because of sickness with the costs to employers of providing such support. SSP is paid from the fourth day of sickness for absences not related to COVID-19 to avoid an employer facing the burden of paying for all minor absences. The rules apply to all employees where they meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of the nature of their health condition.
For SSP purposes, periods of sickness for four or more days in a row are known as a Period of Incapacity for Work. Periods of Incapacity for Work are linked and treated as one period of sickness, if the gap between them is not more than eight weeks. Where an employee has two or more linked periods, SSP is paid from the first day in the linked period. This is because waiting days will have been served in the earlier period. The linking rules add protections to both employers, by imposing limits on their liability to make payments, and to employees by not penalising those who suffer from reoccurring health problems, such as endometriosis.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. For SSP purposes, any periods of sickness which last for four or more days in a row, and are less than 8 weeks apart, are treated as linked and therefore count as one period of sickness. Once waiting days have been served, SSP is paid for all days of work missed because of sickness in any linked periods. The current definition supports employees who have fluctuating conditions who may take frequent, shorter absences from work as part of managing their health condition, such as endometriosis.
The government recently published a consultation in which we sought views on a range of proposals to reform SSP. Reform to SSP forms part of a wider package of proposals which seek to reduce ill-health related job loss and support disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in and thrive in work.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable for up to 28 weeks per sickness absence. Sickness absences which are less than 8 weeks apart count as the same period of sickness. This supports employees who have fluctuating conditions, such as endometriosis, who may take frequent, shorter absences from work as part of managing their health condition. Individuals will no longer be eligible for SSP after a continuous series of linked periods which lasts more than 3 years. In a new period of sickness, employees are eligible for 28 weeks of SSP.
Where an individual’s SSP entitlement has ended, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance when their SSP ends, depending on individual circumstances.
Currently, while preparing to undertake an assessment, Healthcare Professionals can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. This includes a learning module on chronic pain that contains a section on endometriosis. Current guidance enables Healthcare Professionals to have a satisfactory understanding of endometriosis and how it can affect an individual’s ability to work. Experienced clinicians can also support them in assessing individuals with conditions that they may not be familiar with.
As previously advised, Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) plans to develop and deliver a learning module on endometriosis as part of their upcoming Continuous Professional Development schedule. As agreed with the department, this training module is scheduled for delivery in July 2021. Once delivered all Healthcare Professionals will be expected to complete the module as part of their Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme
Currently, while preparing to undertake an assessment, Healthcare Professionals can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. This includes a learning module on chronic pain that contains a section on endometriosis. Current guidance enables Healthcare Professionals to have a satisfactory understanding of endometriosis and how it can affect an individual’s ability to work. Experienced clinicians can also support them in assessing individuals with conditions that they may not be familiar with.
As previously advised, Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) plans to develop and deliver a learning module on endometriosis as part of their upcoming Continuous Professional Development schedule. As agreed with the department, this training module is scheduled for delivery in July 2021. Once delivered all Healthcare Professionals will be expected to complete the module as part of their Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and the level at which it can be paid, is based on the daily living and mobility needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, rather than being based on the condition or disability itself. People with endometriosis are able to access PIP in the same way as other people with long-term health conditions or disabilities.
Universal Credit (UC) claimants with endometriosis are able to access UC in the same way as other people with long-term health conditions or disabilities.
A Work Capability Assessment is used to determine someone’s capacity to work or engage in work-related activity, rather than their specific health condition
In the PIP application process, claimants’ main disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. It is not recorded at the point of application. The Department does not therefore hold data on the number of applicants to PIP with particular conditions. Only those who have a disability assessment determination decision will have a main disabling condition recorded for them.
In respect of the second part of your question, I would like to refer you to the detailed statistics for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that can be found in Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
We collect data on the main disability condition for those who have had a PIP clearance. This includes those awarded and disallowed at assessment and can be broken down by disability. ‘Endometriosis’ is found under ‘Diseases of the ovary, uterus, cervix, vagina and vulva’ which is under the main disability group of ‘Genitourinary disease’
Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.
The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Between the 16th March and the end of April, we received over 1.8 million claims for Universal Credit. Overall, that is six times the volume that we would typically experience, and in one week we had a tenfold increase. DWP is standing up to this challenge and payment timeliness for Universal Credit remains high.
We have re-deployed around 10,000 staff to critical frontline services and made important changes to processes.
The Department is continually impacting and assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market.
Throughout this period, we have collected insight from DWP colleagues on their experiences. We have also refreshed and developed a wide range of wellbeing resources to support our people and will continue to do so.
The Department is continually assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. We have already committed to increasing the number of Work Coaches and Case Managers and recruitment is already underway.
These pauses were brought in to safeguard the public and staff and because we recognised the need for our staff to focus on the processing of new claims.
We are currently reviewing these measures in light of the latest public health advice and will confirm next steps as soon as possible.
DWP has no plans to increase Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support. These benefits were increased by 1.7% in April 2020 as part of the annual up-rating exercise.
There has not been a temporary change to the length of the Initial Assessment Period during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure are fundamental parts of the design. The assessment period runs for a full calendar month from the date of entitlement and the Universal Credit pay date will be within seven calendar days after the end of the initial assessment period. Subsequent pay dates will be the same each month. It is not possible to award a Universal Credit payment as soon as a claim is made, as the assessment period must run its course before the award of Universal Credit can be calculated.
No claimant in need of support has to wait 5 weeks for payment under Universal Credit. New Claim Advances of up to 100% of a claimant’s estimated award are available within a few days if claimants need support during their first assessment period.
We do not systematically collect data on the employment sector background of UC claimants because this does not affect entitlement to UC.
There have not been any occasions reported in the last two, five and ten years where Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspectors have been denied full access to workplaces within prisons.
There have not been any occasions in the last 12, 24 and 36 months where Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspectors have been denied full access to workplaces within prisons.
No such assessment has been made. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). However, the NIHR does not categorise research in the format requested. Additionally, not all studies focus on a specific condition and aim to prevent or improve outcomes for multiple conditions.
The NIHR’s expenditure on cancer research has increased from £101 million in 2010/11 to £138 million in 2019/20 and the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer.
An applicant cannot apply for the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) in Welsh. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who are responsible for issuing the cards, are only able to accept applications in English. If a Welsh speaking customer wishes to contact the NHSBSA in relation to an EHIC or GHIC application a translation service is available.
The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is available in English and Welsh. Cardholders applying in Wales automatically receive the Welsh version of the GHIC card and accompanying letter which has a separate English translation.
Veterans in England can access mental health support through Operation Courage Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS), the veteran’s specialist mental health service and the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service. The data for veterans accessing TILS and IAPT in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
Financial year | Number of TILS assessments | Total number in receipt of TILS/ IAPT treatment |
2017/2018 | 1,649 | 17,271 |
2018/2019 | 2,120 | 18,033 |
2019/2020 | 2,569 | 18,375 |
2020/2021 | 2,391 | 10,793 |
April to August 2021 | 1,052 | 4,294 |
It should be noted that IAPT data reports veterans who received treatment and declared their veteran status.
The Department has had regular engagement with the Developed Administrations, including the Welsh Government, throughout our shared response to the global pandemic. This has included policy development with my officials and Ministers also meet regularly with Welsh Government Ministers at the United Kingdom Health Ministers’ Forum. This forum discusses a range of topics, including managed quarantine.
We are currently exploring the policy options for international students travelling to the UK for Red-List countries. These discussions have included ensuring the system has the necessary capacity to respond to the potential increased demand from arrivals to the UK, including international students arriving from red-list countries. As we have done throughout this global health emergency, we will continue to take all steps necessary to protect the public and help prevent the spread of the virus.
Vitamin B12 is only available as an injection and therefore must be classified as prescription only under the regulations as suitable training needs to be given for its administration. The condition for which it is prescribed also means the product must be classified as a prescription only medicine and therefore no further assessment has been made of the potential merits of making these products available over the counter. Patients are prescribed vitamin B12 for pernicious anaemia and need medical input to diagnose, monitor their condition and treat it appropriately.
Formal discussions have therefore not been held with the Welsh Government or NHS England on the reclassification of vitamin B12. Officials have responded to patient enquiries to explain the rationale for the classification of this medicine as they have arisen.
Vitamin B12 is only available as an injection and therefore must be classified as prescription only under the regulations as suitable training needs to be given for its administration. The condition for which it is prescribed also means the product must be classified as a prescription only medicine and therefore no further assessment has been made of the potential merits of making these products available over the counter. Patients are prescribed vitamin B12 for pernicious anaemia and need medical input to diagnose, monitor their condition and treat it appropriately.
Formal discussions have therefore not been held with the Welsh Government or NHS England on the reclassification of vitamin B12. Officials have responded to patient enquiries to explain the rationale for the classification of this medicine as they have arisen.
Our priority is to ensure that patients continue to have access to the medicines they need. We continue to work closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to deliver the shared goal of continuity of safe patient care by mitigating any potential disruption to supply into the United Kingdom of medicines at the end of the transition period.
As set out in a letter from the Department to industry of 3 August, we are implementing a multi-layered approach, that involves asking suppliers of medicines and medical products to the UK from or via the European Union to get trader ready, reroute their supply chains away from any potential disruption and stockpile to a target level of six weeks on UK soil where this is possible. The letter is available at the following link:
The Vaccine Taskforce is procuring vaccines for the whole of the United Kingdom, including Wales. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets weekly with counterparts in the devolved administrations for discussions of key COVID-19 issues across all four nations. The Government is working closely with the devolved administrations to ensure successful delivery across the whole of the UK.
Estimates using the latest data from Apple and Google show that 87% of iOS smartphone users and 93% of Android smartphone users in the United Kingdom can install a version of the operating system with the contact tracing technology the National Health Service app uses.
This means over 33.5 million people in England and Wales can download and use the NHS app.
Estimates using the latest data from Apple and Google show that 87% of iOS smartphone users and 93% of Android smartphone users in the United Kingdom can install a version of the operating system with the contact tracing technology the National Health Service app uses.
This means over 33.5 million people in England and Wales can download and use the NHS app.
Estimates using the latest data from Apple and Google show that 87% of iOS smartphone users and 93% of Android smartphone users in the United Kingdom can install a version of the operating system with the contact tracing technology the National Health Service app uses.
This means over 33.5 million people in England and Wales can download and use the NHS app.
Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines for severe treatment resistant epilepsy and other conditions. We are working hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the knowledge base available. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng144
With regard to Government financial support for vulnerable children with intractable epilepsy who are reliant on privately-paid for medical cannabis, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Rt. hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on 15 May 2020 to Question 43850.
No assessment has been made.
We have provided £9.2 million of additional funding for mental health charities including charities like Young Minds to support adults and children struggling with their mental wellbeing during this time.
We are taking action to ensure that children and young people have access to support in schools. Our £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return programme will provide schools and colleges all over England with the knowledge and access to resources they need to support children and young people, teachers and parents.
On 8 September, the Government launched a mental wellbeing campaign for children and young people. This involves an extension of Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters webpage with content specifically for children and young people and their parents and carers. The campaign will raise awareness of the guidance and tools available to support mental wellbeing and ensure children and young people who need urgent support are directed towards the right services.
The preferred route to enable deployment of a new vaccine for COVID-19 is through the usual marketing authorisation (product licensing) process. If a suitable COVID-19 vaccine candidate, with strong supporting evidence of safety, quality and efficacy, becomes available, we will seek to license that vaccine through the usual route. Any temporary authorisation of the supply of an unlicensed vaccine would be by exception and the timing of this would depend on the public health need.
All vaccines will undergo a thorough assessment of quality, safety and efficacy before being licenced. The preferred route to enable deployment of a new vaccine for COVID-19 is through the usual marketing authorisation (product licensing) process. If a suitable COVID-19 vaccine candidate, with strong supporting evidence of safety, quality and efficacy, becomes available, we will seek to license that vaccine through the usual route. Until the end of December 2020, European Union legislation requires biotechnological medicines (which would include candidate COVID-19 vaccines) to be authorised via the European Medicines Agency, and a marketing authorisation granted by them would automatically be valid in the United Kingdom. From January 2021, the UK’s licensing authority the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will have new powers to license all medicines, including vaccines. Following vaccine deployment, safety will be proactively and continuously monitored.
NHS England and NHS Improvement produced a list at the beginning of the pandemic of those who were at higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they contracted COVID-19. This list has two levels of higher risk:
- High risk (clinically extremely vulnerable); and
- Moderate risk (clinically vulnerable).
People who were high risk included those who have blood or bone marrow cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
It is advised that those with blood cancers follow the NHS England and NHS Improvement advice that is regularly updated on their website. This can be found at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
We are continuing to work across Government to ensure that clinically extremely vulnerable people can return to work safely. Further guidance will be issued on 1 August 2020.
The figure provided in response to Question 62541 was for general practitioners located in England only. This figure does not include dental practices.
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These four schemes are devolved, and each nation has made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are aware that there are disparities between the schemes, and we are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support for all beneficiaries across the United Kingdom.
14 million items of personal protective equipment have been sold to wholesalers who supply general practitioners located in England only.
Our personal protective equipment (PPE) strategy is United Kingdom-wide, making sure that frontline workers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have the PPE they need to stay protected while taking care of patients. We are working closely with the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the distribution of PPE across the UK.
We are working to agree a protocol between the four nations of the UK to underpin our approach to PPE sourcing and supply. The stock positions in each of the four nations is changing rapidly, which means on some occasions other nations, including Scotland, have been able to restock from their own sources more quickly. Representatives from the four nations are in touch regularly and there is an established system of mutual aid to make sure PPE gets to the frontline across the whole of the UK.
Current clinical advice is that testing of individuals without symptoms should be used where clinically appropriate, predominantly for outbreak investigation and infection control. We continue to use the latest science and clinical advice to inform our approach. Our primary focus is symptomatic people to ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one. On that basis, we are not currently using our testing capacity to provide asymptomatic testing to support exit health monitoring for persons departing the United Kingdom for international travel.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel, with the exemption of a number of countries and territories which have been assessed as no longer presenting an unacceptably high risk to British people travelling abroad. The list of exempted destinations is under constant review.
New and Emerging Respiratory Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) subcommittees do not usually have observers like the main committee meetings. Subcommittees usually only consist of a subgroup of NERVTAG committee members and may recruit temporary co-opted specialists if this is relevant and important to the subject matter. Subcommittees always report back to the main committee.
The New and Emerging Respiratory Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) secretariat does not routinely circulate the minutes of meetings or reports to anyone outside of the list of members and observers, unless they are specifically requested. However, all minutes and reports are published online and are freely accessible.
The Chief Medical Officers from all devolved administrations have a delegate that attends the New and Emerging Respiratory Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) meetings in an observer capacity. Thus, the Welsh Government does have representation at the NERVTAG meetings, as do all devolved administrations.
The recommendations of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) on personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement are publicly available and can be accessed online.
The contents of the pandemic influenza stockpile were based on the recommendations of NERVTAG. Following advice from the NERVTAG committee on the inclusion of gowns in the stockpile, the NERVTAG sub-committee for PPE was asked to confirm the specification (sterile non/sterile) for the market analysis. This was received by Public Health England in November 2019 and the market analysis was being finalised prior to seeking policy and financial approval from the Department, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Assembly. Once approval was received the procurement exercise would have commenced in early 2020. However, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak the focus shifted to procuring gowns for immediate distribution to the National Health Service and social care.
The overall number of tests for COVID-19 is published daily by the Government and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
However, the information is not broken down to the level of detail being requested.
Data on those infected with COVID-19 are collected by Public Health England (PHE) for new diagnoses and hospitalised patients. Standard recording practice across laboratory systems requires recording of only minimal data (such as date of birth and name) as these records are not intended for disease surveillance purposes.
PHE has begun a rapid review to better understand how COVID-19 may be having an impact on different ethnic groups. As part of this review, PHE is matching thousands of laboratory records of COVID-19 cases to other health records to draw down accurate data on ethnicity, age, sex and geographical region. The first results will be published by the end of May.
NHS England and NHS Improvement lead on reporting deaths with confirmed COVID-19 in hospital. They publish a daily summary that includes a breakdown by ethnicity which can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/
The Office for National Statistics publishes provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales, including deaths involving COVID-19, by age, sex and region, in the latest weeks for which data are available. These data can be viewed at the following link:
The Public Health England COVID-19 dashboard shows the number of cases confirmed by NHS/PHE labs for each region and upper tier local authority in England. The dashboard can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-track-coronavirus-cases
Public Health England (PHE) has been asked by the Chief Medical Officer to review the potential that some ethnic minority groups are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. PHE is hosting a series of stakeholder events in the coming weeks, which will involve the devolved administrations and opportunities to collaborate and share learning will be part of the discussion.
Trevor Phillips is not leading or running the review. The review is being led by Public Health England (PHE). Mr Phillips and his company will be but one source of intelligence alongside the National Institute for Health Research research call and PHE’s own surveillance expertise. Their input will be specific and time limited.
PHE is hosting a series of stakeholder events in the coming weeks and these discussions will include government and public health specialists from the devolved administrations, community and faith groups, voluntary sector leads, organisations that represent migrant populations, local government leaders and public health specialists, academics and researchers, Royal Colleges and other Government departments.
We are very concerned by the apparent disproportionate number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds who have died, both within the National Health Service and overall. We have asked Public Health England to complete a rapid review to understand how COVID-19 may be having an impact on different ethnic groups, and other groups of concern. The Terms of Reference will be announced in due course.
To complement this rapid review, the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation issued a joint call on 22 April for research proposals to investigate emerging evidence of an association between ethnicity and COVID-19 incidence and adverse health outcomes.
Information on the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in immigration removal centres is not held.
FCDO and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) are engaging with a range of stakeholders during the development of the proposed new pandemic instrument. Consultations with civil society organisations have already taken place and we are committed to further consultations in the future. An effective instrument for pandemic prevention and preparedness will require a whole-of-society approach and non-state actors are vital to ensure countries are protected from health threats. We welcome public interest, and will continue to respond to the queries and ideas raised by the public.
The FCDO is currently exploring options on how best to identify suitably qualified, independent candidates for the process of appointing a UK expert to the ECRML Committee of Experts (COMEX). We remain committed to ensuring the position is filled by an appropriate expert in due course.
The funding for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda is not from the Official Development Assistance budget.
We are aware of no countries or territories with border requirements which differentiate between vaccines administered in the UK. Where there have been a few instances of confusion, they have been swiftly resolved. Border regulations remain the prerogative of the receiving country and travellers should always check FCDO Travel Advice to ensure they are familiar with entry restrictions - including any self-isolation or testing requirements - prior to travel.
In its first year, the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme will welcome up to 5,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK who have been forced to flee the country, with up to a total of 20,000 over a five-year period. The Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme (ACRS) will provide protection for people at risk identified as in need. We will work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify those we should help. The scheme is not yet open and further details will be announced in due course by the Home Office. For further information on the scheme can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.
In its first year, the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will welcome up to 5,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK who have been forced to flee the country, with up to a total of 20,000 over a five-year period. The ACRS will provide protection for people at risk identified as in need. The Government will use available information and knowledge, including relevant information provided to emergency public numbers and email mailboxes, and will work with international partners and NGOs in the region, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to implement a fair referral process.
All doses used in the UK have been subject to rigorous safety and quality checks, including individual batch testing and physical site inspections, by the medicines regulator, the MHRA. 5 million doses of AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria deployed in the UK were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. There have been incorrect reports that this is Covishield. This is untrue. No Covishield vaccines have been administered in the UK. All AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria deployed in the UK - regardless of site of manufacture - is the same product and appears on the NHS COVID Pass as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and we are confident travel should not be affected.
Where there have been isolated instances of confusion about what vaccines have been deployed in the UK, officials have worked closely with other departments and international partners to clarify what vaccines have been deployed in the UK.
The UK strongly supports human rights defenders (HRDs) worldwide to enable them to carry out their work safely and without fear. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon is the Minister responsible for Human Rights at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2019, Lord Ahmad launched the document 'UK support for Human Rights Defenders' which was drawn up with significant and important input from relevant stakeholders, including Amnesty International, and sets out how HMG engages with HRDs, and how we work with them to further human rights globally. Lord Ahmad is listening closely to Amnesty and other NGOs on their request for an HMG strategy on HRDs. In the context of the establishment of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, we will be considering what more the UK can do to support HRDs going forward.
Between April 2015 and March 2020, the UK reached 55.1 million young children, women and adolescent girls through our nutrition programmes.
We remain committed to the Nutrition for Growth process and will continue to work closely on preparations for the 2021 Summit with the Government of Japan. Options for any new Nutrition for Growth commitment will be reviewed once the internal business planning process is complete.
The UK Government recognises that countries with ongoing humanitarian crises can be particularly affected by COVID-19 and that access to drinking water can be reduced. In the first response phase to COVID-19 we provided £20 million of finance to UNICEF for urgent COVID-19 support including for water, sanitation and hygiene. We also supported the provision of emergency drinking water in a number of humanitarian contexts, including to nineteen Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Yemen, through our support to the Hygiene and Behaviour-change Coalition (HBCC), working with Unilever during the pandemic. As a longer-term effort, the UK Government met its 2015 - 2020 target of 60 million people with improved water or sanitation, of which 26.2 million people were based in fragile states. Going forward, the UK will continue to work with the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, which includes 69 partner governments, to increase political commitment to improving access to clean water and sanitation in the context of COVID-19 response and recovery.
The FCDO is committed to working with others to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children by 2030. Our steps to deliver this commitment include: Support for efforts to protect children in low income countries through our commitment of up to £1.65 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Over 2021-2025, Gavi will support the roll-out of the most comprehensive package of vaccines to the world's poorest countries, focusing the hardest to reach children. This will include immunising 490 million children against measles, averting approximately 1.4 million preventable deaths; Support for delivery of quality antenatal and post-natal care, including through the Global Financing Facility in 36 countries, which is helping countries challenged by service disruptions due to the pandemic; and; Promotion of a highly cost-effective set of nutrition services for women and children, including breastfeeding support, provision of nutritional supplements and treatment for acute malnutrition. Between April 2015 and March 2020, we reached 55.1 million young children, women and adolescent girls through our nutrition programmes.
Leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics is a priority for our G7 Presidency. We are using our G7 Presidency to champion support for vulnerable countries and to promote global health and development. This will include strengthening global and national health systems, as we pursue our vision for a safer, healthier and more prosperous world.
A due diligence obligation set out in the Environment Bill will make it illegal for UK businesses to use agricultural commodities if they have not been produced in line with local laws protecting forests. This will help to ensure that UK imports of soya come from sustainable sources, and the Government is working to encourage other major markets to take a similar position.
As President of the COP26 climate change conference, the UK is also working to establish a new partnership between consumer and producer countries of agricultural commodities. The partnership will promote collaboration between governments and accelerate action to stop deforestation caused by agricultural commodities, including soya, and encourage trade in commodities that have been grown sustainably.
This political engagement complements UK International Climate Finance for forest protection and sustainable agriculture in key regions, including soya-producing regions of Brazil.
We are closely monitoring the situation in Western Sahara and are in regular contact with the parties, including the Government of Morocco. We are also in close contact with the UN, both in New York and in the region. We continue to urge the parties to avoid further escalation, return to the ceasefire agreement, and re-engage with the UN-led political process. We strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts to appoint a Personal Envoy as soon as possible.
We are closely monitoring the situation in Western Sahara and are in regular contact with the parties, including the Government of Morocco. We are also in close contact with the UN, both in New York and in the region. We continue to urge the parties to avoid further escalation, return to the ceasefire agreement, and re-engage with the UN-led political process. We strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts to appoint a Personal Envoy as soon as possible.
The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We have regular exchanges with the parties to the Western Sahara dispute, including Morocco. Association Agreements, including the UK-Morocco Association Agreement, include provisions for political dialogue.
The Government remains extremely concerned about all dual British nationals detained in Iran, including Anoosheh Ashoori. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does not permit access to British-Iranian detainees. We continue to urge the Iranian Government to immediately release all British-Iranian nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran to enable them to return to their families in the UK. The welfare of British-Iranian citizens in Iran is also of paramount importance, and we call on Iran to uphold its commitments under international law to treat all detainees in line with international standards. We have continued to raise the cases of British-Iranian nationals detained in Iran at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts.
COVID-19 is a compound and protracted crisis, where the impacts on health, economies, food security, stability and society will hit the world's poorest and most fragile countries hardest. As a leading donor to the global COVID-19 response and one of the biggest humanitarian donors globally, we are ensuring that our support goes to those who need it the most, including refugees and other forcibly displaced populations.
We have so far pledged up to £790 million of UK aid to counter the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, and to further the search for vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. In addition, we have pivoted over 200 bilateral programmes towards addressing direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 response.
We are paying particular attention to the needs of the most vulnerable. Our funding for UNHCR is focused on supporting refugees. Our support to UNFPA and UNICEF will protect the rights of women and girls, including addressing gender-based violence and ensuring continued access to sexual and reproductive health care. We have also recently announced a package of £119 million to provide relief to over six million people and help prevent famine in countries hit by conflict and COVID-19.
The UK Government works to ensure that recipients of UK Aid, including minority religious communities, are not discriminated against because of their faith. The UK is committed to delivering its aid according to internationally-recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity. This includes minority religious communities, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.
The FCDO's use of country context analysis has increased the understanding of how religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. The FCDO undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country's politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and discrimination of religious minorities.
The Government has discussed mobility arrangements across a number of areas as part of negotiations on our future relationship with the EU. The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This will apply from the end of the transition period to all UK nationals travelling to and within the Schengen area for purposes such as tourism. This is the standard length of stay that the EU provides to the nationals of eligible third countries that offer visa-free travel access for EU citizens, in line with existing EU legislation.
As things stand, stays beyond the EU's 90/180 day visa-free allocation from 1 January 2021 onwards will be for individual Member States to decide and implement through domestic entry rules and visa arrangements for non-EU citizens. UK nationals will need to discuss the specifics of their situation with the relevant Member State authorities and should be prepared to provide any extra documentation that may be required. Under the UK's new immigration system, EU citizens will be treated as non-visa nationals for the purposes of tourism after the end of the transition period. EU citizens will be able to come to the UK as visitors for six months without the need to obtain a visa. This length of stay is the standard visitor provision for the nationals of all other non-visa countries.
Advancing gender equality and women's rights are a core part of the UK Government's mission, and Global Britain's role as a force for good in the world, including fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.
Substantial progress has been made since the launch of the Strategic Vision in 2018. Highlights include announcing the biggest ever donor commitment to support and accelerate the Africa-led movement to end female genital mutilation (£50 million), securing unilateral agreement by the 53 Commonwealth Leaders to work to ensure 12 years of quality education for all girls by 2030, and generating world-leading evidence on how to drive down global rates of violence against women and girls through our What Works to Prevent Violence programme. Between 2019-20 alone UKaid supported 25.4 million women to access modern methods of family planning, helping to save thousands of lives.
As part of the launch of the new FCDO, we will refresh and build on existing strategies, as well as develop new approaches, but we do not see the core ambitions of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality changing.
We are concerned by the death sentences handed to Mohammed Ramadhan and Hussain Moosa. We continue to raise both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. The Bahraini Government is fully aware that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We continue to monitor their case, as it is taken to the Court of Cassation for final review.
HMRC has opened approximately 25,000 enquiries into individuals who are subject to the Loan Charge. As part of its overall compliance processes and its commitment to update taxpayers at least annually, all of these taxpayers should have received correspondence from HMRC in the last 12 months, either to open the enquiry or to update them on their position.
The Government takes tax avoidance seriously. The Loan Charge was announced at Budget 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle Disguised Remuneration (DR) tax avoidance. The forecast was last revised at Spring Statement 2022, with the latest estimated overall Exchequer yield of £3.4 billion for the entire package, which includes the Loan Charge.
Individuals are personally responsible for paying the right tax under UK law. Where a taxpayer has outstanding tax on DR loans, HMRC is working to bring these cases to conclusion.
However, HMRC is also committed to ensuring that anyone with concerns about paying what they owe has access to payment support options, including the ability to pay in instalments based on what they can afford and over any length of time needed. HMRC only petitions for bankruptcy as a last resort in a small minority of cases where all other avenues have been exhausted.
The Government knows that some taxpayers need extra help to resolve their DR use at what can be a difficult time for them. All HMRC DR and Debt Management teams are trained to identify and support taxpayers who need extra help. HMRC also signposts organisations such as MIND and Samaritans to help support taxpayers who have mental health issues or who are demonstrating emotional distress.
HMRC published the ‘HMRC issue briefing: settling disguised remuneration scheme use and/or paying the loan charge’ on 11 April 2022. This includes further information about support to help taxpayers settle their outstanding tax liabilities.
There is no requirement to use an ATA Carnet for the temporary movement of leisure boats from the UK to the EU. The use of an ATA Carnet is optional and is a commercial decision depending on an individual or business’s specific circumstances.
ATA Carnets are generally an option for temporarily moving boats that are participating in an official event, such as a race or a trade fair, between the UK and EU. An ATA Carnet can help simplify customs formalities by allowing a single document to be used for clearing goods through customs in the countries that are part of the ATA Carnet system. In the UK, ATA Carnets are administered by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). Individuals and businesses wishing to use ATA Carnets are advised to contact the LCCI directly to discuss their needs.
Boats for personal use may not require an ATA Carnet as the EU’s Temporary Admission (TA) procedure offers an alternative means to import goods temporarily into the EU, provided the relevant conditions are met. TA is a customs facilitation which allows temporary imports without payment of EU import duties, including VAT. The management of EU import and export procedures is the responsibility of the customs authorities of the EU Member States, so businesses and individuals should confirm the processes at their port of arrival.
Individuals or businesses re-importing goods into the UK can claim relief from import VAT, and any customs duty under Returned Goods Relief (RGR), provided specific conditions are met. RGR applies to goods exported from the UK and re-imported within three years in an unaltered state and can be claimed for goods which are imported into the UK following their export from the UK under TA or with an ATA Carnet. The Government recently legislated to make it clear that personal effects, such as leisure boats, returning to the UK with the original owner will be granted a waiver of the three-year rule.
The UK is a signatory to the Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet and the Istanbul Convention on Temporary Admission. Approximately 80 countries around the world (including all EU member states) accept ATA Carnets. ATA Carnets are an option for moving goods temporarily between the UK and EU. During negotiations on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU, both parties proposed text on the temporary admission of goods, which reflect practices set out in the ATA Carnet and Istanbul Conventions. These proposals are reflected in the final Trade and Cooperation Agreement text.
There is no requirement to use an ATA Carnet for the temporary movement of leisure boats from the UK to the EU. The use of an ATA Carnet is optional and is a commercial decision depending on an individual or business’s specific circumstances.
The government understands the pressures that many households are facing with the cost of living and is monitoring the situation closely. These are global challenges, but the government is providing support worth over £22 billion in 2022-2023 to help families with these pressures, much of which will help carers on low incomes. This includes providing millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills and helping people keep more of what they earn. The government has cut the Universal Credit taper rate and increased work allowances, frozen alcohol duty as well as announcing a further rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour from April 2022.
The Spring Statement went further, with the government announcing an increase to the annual National Insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profits Limit to £12,570, a cut to fuel duty by 5 pence per litre, and an additional £500m to help with the cost of essentials such as food, clothing and utilities through the Household Support Fund.
Carers and their vital contribution to society are also recognised within the welfare system. Carers can receive additional support through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Uni versal Credit and through Pension Credit. The weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance will increase to £69.70 in April 2022. Around 360,000 carer households on Universal Credit can receive an additional £1,965 a year through the Carer Element, ensuring that extra support is focused on those carers who need it most. This amount will increase from April 2022 and will benefit carers across the country.
The Treasury has not prepared an economic Impact Assessment on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and it does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy and public finances, as this is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The latest forecasts from the OBR were published alongside the Budget on 27 October 2021:
https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2021/
The OBR’s analysis used a range of external studies to predict the long term impact on UK GDP.
As of 26 October 2021, there has been a total of 4,268 payments made to 4,163 unique businesses, amounting to £6,682,367.
As of 26 October 2021, 11,138 SMEs expressed an interest in applying for funding through the SME Brexit Support Fund, and 5088 grant offers were made.
There were 6050 applications that did not progress to the grant offer stage. This was for a variety of reasons, primarily that 4461 did not finalise their applications. The remaining 1589 applications were not offered grants as they did not meet the eligibility criteria.
The Government announced at Budget 2021 that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens and means the SEISS will continue to be one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world.
There is no legal right to appeal either eligibility for a SEISS grant or the amount of the grant. These decisions are based on information from tax returns provided to HMRC by the self-employed. Anyone who believes that information is wrong can ask HMRC to review the position. If someone was eligible for earlier SEISS grants (SEISS 1-3) but has not been invited to claim the fourth grant, they can access the SEISS service to find out why they are considered ineligible for the fourth SEISS grant, and again can ask HMRC to review this decision
Individuals asking for a review need to tell HMRC the reason for the request and be prepared to provide evidence where necessary.
Freeports will be national hubs for international trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK by attracting new businesses, spreading jobs, investment and opportunity to towns and cities up and down the country.
We want to ensure that the whole of the UK can benefit, not just England. We are having ongoing discussions with the Welsh government to establish at least one Freeport in Wales as soon as possible.
As manager of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, The Crown Estate is responsible for the award of leases for new and existing offshore wind projects, including the current Round 4 exercise. The Crown Estate works independently of government under the mandate set out in the Crown Estate Act 1961.
The Crown Estate has committed to optimise the green energy potential of the nation’s world-class offshore resources in supporting the nation’s 2050 net zero ambition. On 8 February 2021, The Crown Estate announced six proposed new offshore wind projects, including one in the north Wales region. These will all now progress to environmental assessment known as a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). These projects together represent just under 8 GW of potential new offshore wind capacity with the opportunity to deliver clean electricity for more than seven million homes and create employment opportunities across the country.
At present, the law provides for Child Benefit to be paid to one parent only. The parent who claims Child Benefit can voluntarily choose to pay an agreed proportion to the other parent. Where parents separate and both have care of their child, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) encourage them to agree who should claim Child Benefit. Where they cannot reach an agreement, the law allows HMRC to decide, at their discretion, who should receive the payment based on information from both parents, including the number of days the child lives with them, and the actual costs incurred by each of them on things such as clothing, food and accommodation.
Currently there are no plans to change the law to split payments of Child Benefit where parents have separated and share care of their children. The Government believes that directing payment to the person mainly responsible for the child best ensures that the money goes to the person most likely to bear the weight of everyday care and expenditure.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) has been, and continues to be, one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world.
The SEISS is not intended to provide a month-by-month replacement of income. Due to the volatility of self-employed income and the lack of granular data that HMRC hold on self-employed trading profits, precise mapping of income replacement month by month is not possible. Instead, the SEISS provides a lump sum payment to support eligible self-employed individuals whose businesses have been affected by coronavirus.
The UK government has supported businesses across the UK through a range of schemes this year, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
As business rates is a devolved tax it is for the devolved administrations to determine reliefs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the UK government has already guaranteed the devolved administrations an additional £16 billion of resource funding to provide support to people, businesses and public services this year. This comprises £8.2 billion for the Scottish Government, £5.0 billion for the Welsh Government and £2.8 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive.
The UK government has supported businesses across the UK through a range of schemes this year, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
As business rates is a devolved tax it is for the devolved administrations to determine reliefs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the UK government has already guaranteed the devolved administrations an additional £16 billion of resource funding to provide support to people, businesses and public services this year. This comprises £8.2 billion for the Scottish Government, £5.0 billion for the Welsh Government and £2.8 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive.
The UK government has supported businesses across the UK through a range of schemes this year, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
As business rates is a devolved tax it is for the devolved administrations to determine reliefs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the UK government has already guaranteed the devolved administrations an additional £16 billion of resource funding to provide support to people, businesses and public services this year. This comprises £8.2 billion for the Scottish Government, £5.0 billion for the Welsh Government and £2.8 billion for the Northern Ireland Executive.
For mortgage payers, the Government has worked with mortgage lenders and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure the financial sector provides access to mortgage payment holidays. In addition, support for Mortgage Interest provides qualifying borrowers who cannot afford their mortgage interest with financial help, enabling them to stay in their homes.
The Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support for tenants. This includes providing nearly £1 billion of additional support for private renters claiming Universal Credit or Housing Benefit by increasing the Local Housing Allowance rate in 2020-21. The Government paused possession proceedings over the summer and now, to ensure that renters served notice can stay in their homes over winter, has extended notice periods to six months in all but the most egregious cases. And there will be no enforcement of evictions in areas of local lockdown, where access to premises is restricted, or over the Christmas period in England and Wales.
To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, the budget for free debt advice in England has been increased to over £100 million this financial year. And from May 2021 the Breathing Space scheme will offer people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges.
As part of the Plan for Jobs, the Chancellor announced over £3 billion of new funding for green buildings. This funding is subject to the Barnett formula. We are working closely with the devolved administrations to ensure they have the best information about likely changes in Barnett funding to facilitate their financial planning.
The Government remains committed to helping businesses and workers through the present very difficult time, and has announced unprecedented support, including a range of grant and tax deferral schemes, and £300 billion of guarantees, equivalent to 15 per cent of UK GDP. For voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, the government has pledged £750 million to ensure they can continue their vital work supporting the country during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Government remains closely engaged with the financial regulators to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. In order to help control the virus, all businesses and individuals have been encouraged to follow the latest Government advice. To work safely during Coronavirus, retailers have been recommended to minimise contact around transactions, for example, considering using contactless payments. However, it remains the individual retailer’s choice as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card.
Some acquirers (the financial services firms which enable retailers to process card payments) are taking voluntary measures to support their business customers, for example through waiving fees, and the Government welcomes such action.
Furthermore, the Payment Systems Regulator is currently carrying out a market review into card-acquiring services. Its review is examining how competition is working, including looking at the fees retailers pay for card-acquiring services and the quality of service they receive. The interim findings will be published in Q3 2020.
The Treasury’s priority is to support the whole UK economy through Covid-19. IT HAS taken unprecedented steps to support viable businesses to stay afloat and protect the incomes of the most vulnerable.
The Welsh Government and Office of the Secretary of State for Wales play a key part in these discussions, and there is regular engagement on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the Welsh Government’s plans to protect jobs and support key sectors in Wales.
In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has introduced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates at a cost of more than £300 billion.
Property agencies are included in the temporary reduced rate provided that the contract is between the customer and the agent, and that the agent has the power to grant someone a licence to occupy holiday accommodation. Passenger transport for more than 10 people is ordinarily zero-rated for VAT purposes.
Expanding the scope of the temporary VAT reduction would come at a considerable cost to the Exchequer. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.
The Government has announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will continue until 31 October. This Scheme must be temporary, and we must ensure people can get back to work when it is safe to do so and get the UK economy up and running again.
Many charities and social enterprises have benefitted from existing measures to support employers and businesses. Under these measures, charities have deferred VAT bills and will pay no business rates for their shops next year. In April the Government announced a £750 million support package for charities. £360 million of funding will be allocated directly to charities providing essential services and supporting vulnerable people including children and young people, while £370 million will be available to local charities including through the National Lottery Community Fund.
In addition, the Government has announced a £1 billion catch-up package to help teachers support those who have fallen behind while out of school and over £100 million to support remote learning.
On 22 June, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will relax the current public health guidance for those identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) to shield at home. This means from 1 August they will be able to return to work if they are unable to work from home, provided their workplace is COVID-safe.
It is important that this group continue to take careful precautions, and employers should do all they can to enable them to work from home where this is possible, including moving them to another role if required. Where this is not possible, the CEV should be provided with the safest on-site roles that enable them to maintain social distancing from others.
If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, the CEV will continue to have access to an unprecedented package of financial support. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes the introduction of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £8bn.
Current guidance for those who live with the shielded, including those in multi-generational households, is that they do not need to shield themselves but must carefully follow guidance on social distancing.
The Government takes care to pay due regard to the equality impacts of its policy decisions relating to the Covid-19 outbreak, including the equality impacts of the SEISS, in line with all legal requirements and the Government’s commitment to promoting equality.
It is not possible for HMRC to know the reasons why an individual’s profits may have dropped in earlier years from income tax self-assessment returns. However, by calculating the grant on a three-year average of profits, the SEISS supports people who saw a dip in profits for parental/sickness leave.
HMRC have published statistics about the number and value of SEISS claims made by 31 May, including a breakdown by gender. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/self-employment-income-support-scheme-statistics-june-2020
The Government takes care to pay due regard to the equality impacts of its policy decisions relating to the Covid-19 outbreak, including the equality impacts of the SEISS, in line with all legal requirements and the Government’s commitment to promoting equality.
It is not possible for HMRC to know the reasons why an individual’s profits may have dropped in earlier years from income tax self-assessment returns. However, by calculating the grant on a three-year average of profits, the SEISS supports people who saw a dip in profits for parental/sickness leave.
HMRC have published statistics about the number and value of SEISS claims made by 31 May, including a breakdown by gender. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/self-employment-income-support-scheme-statistics-june-2020
Travel insurance typically applies only for losses that cannot be recovered from elsewhere. Customers should therefore first contact travel providers or accommodation providers for reimbursement. In the next instance, credit card providers would provide a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 if the payment was made by credit card and cost was over £100 per unit. However, travel insurance policies differ so customers should check the terms and conditions of their policy or speak to their insurer.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published guidance for firms handling consumer claims during the Covid-19 crisis. Where consumers have two potentially valid avenues of redress against regulated firms (for example, from an insurer and credit provider) there is nothing in their rules that stops an insurer, credit provider or other regulated firm settling the claim in full (so long as there is no disadvantage to the consumer in this) and, where appropriate, seeking to claim back from the other firm involved.
The FCA will be consulting in the coming weeks on guidelines so that in future their expectations of firms and the choices for consumers will be clearer. More broadly, the FCA has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.
The UK Government values the contribution of care workers greatly, particularly during the current COVID-19 crisis.
HM Revenue and Customs are working with the Welsh Government to understand the nature of the payments. Under the longstanding rules of income tax, any payments made in connection with an employment are chargeable to income tax and National Insurance contributions.
This is consistent with the Government’s approach across different forms of financial support during COVID-19, including payments made under the Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which are liable to tax.
The Welsh Government have been provided with over £1.6bn to support people, businesses and public services through COVID-19.
HMPPS is working closely with Public Health Wales, Welsh Government, Public Health England, the NHS and the Department for Health and Social Care to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Alongside existing procedures to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases, HMPPS are ensuring that staff have access to personal protective equipment where necessary and have introduced a procedure for the protective isolation of individuals in custody when it is considered that they may be infected with the virus. HMPPS are also working with prison health teams in Wales to ensure that there is a joint approach to any incidents.
Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with all of the devolved administrations on matters of importance to the economy across the UK, including Environment policy. Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management policy is devolved. It is for the devolved administrations to set their own priorities and determine the allocation of funds as they choose.
Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with all of the devolved administrations on matters of importance to the economy across the UK, including Environment policy. Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management policy is devolved. It is for the devolved administrations to set their own priorities and determine the allocation of funds as they choose.
Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are given the same access to work, benefits and public services as those coming here under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:
Those sponsoring under the Ukraine Family Scheme are not required to provide accommodation. Therefore, the Government has not extended the £350 per month ‘thank you’ payment offered to those providing a home to refugees arriving in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine and Super Sponsor Schemes.
Sponsoring family members able to provide appropriate accommodation can choose to sponsor their family members under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme or Super Sponsor Schemes in order to become eligible for the ‘thank you’ payment.
For applications not lodged under the Ukraine schemes, UKVI offers a range of service levels for applications which include Standard service (15 working days), Priority service (5 working days), and Super Priority service (next day) after a customer has provided their biometrics.
UKVI made a decision to prioritise the Ukraine Schemes following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Resources are now being returned to focus on visa routes impacted by these prioritisation decisions which should reduce the average processing times in due course. We continue to prioritise any urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams and are working to reduce the current processing times as quickly as possible.
For Standard applications lodged outside the UK, the current average processing time is as follows:
Further information can be found at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and this is regularly updated.
For Standard applications lodged inside the UK, the current average processing times are not published though all routes are currently within the published service standards which are:
Further information is published at Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Each establishment licence holder has the responsibility at all times for the welfare of the animals within their establishment.
Establishment licence holders are required to have governance systems in place to ensure all Personal and Project Licence Holders comply with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and to maintain compliance with the conditions on their own establishment licence. These requirements are defined in the Standard Conditions of licences.
In July 2021 the regulator initiated a new operating model that delivers a structured and integrated framework aligned with leading regulatory practice. In October of this year the regulator commenced a new system of full system audits that form part of an integrated system to assess compliance across the regulated community.
The audit process and the evidence for assessment of compliance against the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and associated licence conditions, are available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#process-and-standards-for-establishment-full-system-audits
Decisions around equipping police officers, including the specific arrangements for carrying and storing equipment while off-duty and on call, are for operationally independent Chief Constables.
The Home Office has not issued guidance to police officers on the possession of PAVa and Conducted Energy Devices.
Guidance for police on operational matters, including equipment, is for Chief officers and/or the College of Policing to issue.
The Home Office does not collect figures for the number of people who have been spiked through the use of injection needles.
However, following the concerns raised about this new phenomenon last year, the Home Secretary has been receiving regular reports from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC). The NPCC has established a reporting mechanism to enable forces to report any reported incidences of needle-spiking to help us to gain a better understanding of the scale and nature of the problem.
Activation of all EAS sites is dependent on securing a transmission solution with a supplier. This is currently in progress and we expect to make this award towards the end of this year. Thereafter, we anticipate that all EAS sites will commence in April 2022 with all sites activated by the end of 2024. In Wales there are 86 EAS sites of which 35 are passive build complete and awaiting transmission and activation. These 35 sites will be part of the priority sites once the transmission contract has been secured. We need to follow government procurement processes fully in this award and are unable to accelerate this aspect of the process.
The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.
The Home Office will maintain sufficient capacity to support the removal of the men and women it proves necessary to detain for the purposes of removal. In order to meet operational needs and demands, we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention on the last day of each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people in detention under immigration powers are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets. The data can be broken down by place of detention. The latest data release relates to the number of people in detention at the end of June 2021.The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.
To respond to your question we have interpreted it as requiring this information for supported asylum seekers, resettled refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and have provided information on that basis.
The Home Office do not routinely publish the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, or what hotels are used for accommodation, however we do publish information on the numbers of people accommodated in each local authority, which includes hotel accommodation at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021
The Home Office considers the cost of accommodation to be commercially confidential and does not publish this information.
Staff employed by our providers working within hotels are required to have security clearance (SC) and a DBS check. Those staff who are employed by the hotel do not require security clearance unless their employers have clearance within their terms & conditions.
To respond to your question we have interpreted it as requiring this information for supported asylum seekers, resettled refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and have provided information on that basis.
The Home Office do not routinely publish the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, or what hotels are used for accommodation, however we do publish information on the numbers of people accommodated in each local authority, which includes hotel accommodation at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021
The Home Office considers the cost of accommodation to be commercially confidential and does not publish this information.
Staff employed by our providers working within hotels are required to have security clearance (SC) and a DBS check. Those staff who are employed by the hotel do not require security clearance unless their employers have clearance within their terms & conditions.
To respond to your question we have interpreted it as requiring this information for supported asylum seekers, resettled refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and have provided information on that basis.
The Home Office do not routinely publish the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, or what hotels are used for accommodation, however we do publish information on the numbers of people accommodated in each local authority, which includes hotel accommodation at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021
The Home Office considers the cost of accommodation to be commercially confidential and does not publish this information.
Staff employed by our providers working within hotels are required to have security clearance (SC) and a DBS check. Those staff who are employed by the hotel do not require security clearance unless their employers have clearance within their terms & conditions.
To respond to your question we have interpreted it as requiring this information for supported asylum seekers, resettled refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and have provided information on that basis.
The Home Office do not routinely publish the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, or what hotels are used for accommodation, however we do publish information on the numbers of people accommodated in each local authority, which includes hotel accommodation at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021
The Home Office considers the cost of accommodation to be commercially confidential and does not publish this information.
Staff employed by our providers working within hotels are required to have security clearance (SC) and a DBS check. Those staff who are employed by the hotel do not require security clearance unless their employers have clearance within their terms & conditions.
All passengers must complete the Passenger Locator Form online, however, once completed they can print off their finished form to show carriers before departing to the UK.
Passengers may seek assistance, from family, friends or another third party, to complete on their behalf.
There are dedicated helplines for members of the public who are encountering issues with completing the PLF form. Whilst these helplines can provide advice, they cannot complete the form on behalf of the passenger.
The contact telephone number from within the UK is 0800 678 1767 and is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm. These calls are free of charge.
The contact telephone number when outside the UK is 0044 207 113 0371 and is open Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm. These calls are charged dependant on the network provider.
The latest published information of applications and concluded applications by UK country to 31 March 2021 are published in Tables EUSS_01 and EUSS_03_WAL of the quarterly EUSS statistics tables (EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office has so far invested nearly £8 million in marketing campaigns to encourage eligible EEA nationals and their family members to apply to the EUSS, and provided grant funding of £22 million through to 30 September 2021 to a network of now 72 organisations across the UK working to help vulnerable groups to apply.
Plans have been shared with communication colleagues in the Devolved Administrations throughout to align and support respective efforts; and core assets have consistently been produced in Welsh translation and shared widely. We will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations, local authorities, community organisations and others to encourage remaining EEA nationals and their family members eligible for the EUSS to apply and secure their rights in the UK.
We have made clear we will take a pragmatic and flexible approach to dealing with late applications and have already published non-exhaustive guidance on what will be considered reasonable grounds for making one.
The latest published information of applications and concluded applications by UK country to 31 March 2021 are published in Tables EUSS_01 and EUSS_03_WAL of the quarterly EUSS statistics tables (EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office has so far invested nearly £8 million in marketing campaigns to encourage eligible EEA nationals and their family members to apply to the EUSS, and provided grant funding of £22 million through to 30 September 2021 to a network of now 72 organisations across the UK working to help vulnerable groups to apply.
Plans have been shared with communication colleagues in the Devolved Administrations throughout to align and support respective efforts; and core assets have consistently been produced in Welsh translation and shared widely. We will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations, local authorities, community organisations and others to encourage remaining EEA nationals and their family members eligible for the EUSS to apply and secure their rights in the UK.
We have made clear we will take a pragmatic and flexible approach to dealing with late applications and have already published non-exhaustive guidance on what will be considered reasonable grounds for making one.
The latest published information of applications and concluded applications by UK country to 31 March 2021 are published in Tables EUSS_01 and EUSS_03_WAL of the quarterly EUSS statistics tables (EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office has so far invested nearly £8 million in marketing campaigns to encourage eligible EEA nationals and their family members to apply to the EUSS, and provided grant funding of £22 million through to 30 September 2021 to a network of now 72 organisations across the UK working to help vulnerable groups to apply.
Plans have been shared with communication colleagues in the Devolved Administrations throughout to align and support respective efforts; and core assets have consistently been produced in Welsh translation and shared widely. We will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations, local authorities, community organisations and others to encourage remaining EEA nationals and their family members eligible for the EUSS to apply and secure their rights in the UK.
We have made clear we will take a pragmatic and flexible approach to dealing with late applications and have already published non-exhaustive guidance on what will be considered reasonable grounds for making one.
We are continuing to explore the role of the Welsh language in our immigration system, reflecting its importance to both the communities where it is spoken and to the UK as a whole. Language skills are an important part of integration for those coming to work, study or settle in the UK.
The UK’s policy for confirmed victims of modern slavery is to consider granting discretionary leave to remain on a case-by-case basis, based on the individual’s circumstances. The published policy can be found on gov.uk Discretionary leave for victims of modern slavery casework guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk) and gives a number of examples in which a grant of discretionary leave is appropriate.
Confirmed victims of modern slavery who are also asylum seekers are eligible for a grant of leave under the same policy, but this usually only needs to be considered if the asylum claim is refused.
As part of the New Plan for Immigration announced on 24 March 2021, we are consulting on a proposal that confirmed victims with long-term recovery needs linked to their modern slavery exploitation can be considered for a grant of temporary leave to remain to assist their recovery. This builds on our end-to-end needs-based approach to supporting victims. We also make clear that temporary leave to remain may be available to victims who are helping the police with prosecutions and bringing their exploiters to justice.
The Home Office keeps all fees under review.
The Home Office has acknowledged the judgment given in the recent court case on child registration fees, where the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s decision the Home Office had not demonstrated compliance with its duties under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 in setting the child registration fee
A Section 55 assessment of the child registration fee is currently being carried out.
The Home Office publishes data on citizenship applications and grants at:
An incomplete payment is just one of a number of reasons which could lead to an application being rejected and included under the ‘rejected applications’ heading in Table 4.
The Home Office does not have accessible management information on applications rejected in Wales specifically, as a result of being unable to pay the non-administrative costs of citizenship fees. Fees are set according to section 68 of the Immigration Act 2014 and are set within parameters agreed by Parliament.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced an inspection of contingency asylum accommodation on 25 January 2021.
The department acknowledges the ICIBI’s decision to publish on 8 March the initial findings from site visits to Napier Barracks and Penally.
The ICIBI’s inspection continues and a full inspection report will follow.
The duration of the inspection is a matter for the ICIBI and upon its conclusion, following standard procedure set out in the UK Borders Act 2007, the Department will issue a formal response alongside the inspection report as it is laid before Parliament and published on Gov.UK.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced an inspection of contingency asylum accommodation on 25 January 2021.
The department acknowledges the ICIBI’s decision to publish on 8 March the initial findings from site visits to Napier Barracks and Penally.
The ICIBI’s inspection continues and a full inspection report will follow.
The duration of the inspection is a matter for the ICIBI and upon its conclusion, following standard procedure set out in the UK Borders Act 2007, the Department will issue a formal response alongside the inspection report as it is laid before Parliament and published on Gov.UK.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced an inspection of contingency asylum accommodation on 25 January 2021.
The department acknowledges the ICIBI’s decision to publish on 8 March the initial findings from site visits to Napier Barracks and Penally.
The ICIBI’s inspection continues and a full inspection report will follow.
The duration of the inspection is a matter for the ICIBI and upon its conclusion, following standard procedure set out in the UK Borders Act 2007, the Department will issue a formal response alongside the inspection report as it is laid before Parliament and published on Gov.UK.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced an inspection of contingency asylum accommodation on 25 January 2021.
The department acknowledges the ICIBI’s decision to publish on 8 March the initial findings from site visits to Napier Barracks and Penally.
The ICIBI’s inspection continues and a full inspection report will follow.
The duration of the inspection is a matter for the ICIBI and upon its conclusion, following standard procedure set out in the UK Borders Act 2007, the Department will issue a formal response alongside the inspection report as it is laid before Parliament and published on Gov.UK.
The Home Office secured use of the site for six months under emergency provisions within the Town and Country Planning regulations, Part 37 of which can be used for Crown emergency development. We are aware of the need for further planning consent for use of the site beyond March 2021.
Any further planning application will be made in line with the legal requirements and in consultation with the County Council local planning authority and other statutory bodies
There have been no confirmed cases of Covid at the Penally Training camp since September 2020.
The Home Office secured use of the site for six months under emergency provisions within the Town and Country Planning regulations, Part 37 of which can be used for Crown emergency development. We are aware of the need for further planning consent for use of the site beyond March 2021.
Any further planning application will be made in line with the legal requirements and in consultation with the County Council local planning authority and other statutory bodies
There have been no confirmed cases of Covid at the Penally Training camp since September 2020.
It is illegal to use privately owned e-scooters on the roads and the pavements. How the police enforce road traffic laws is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers who will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.
We do not publish the costs of our accommodation & support contracts as they are considered commercially sensitive.
The use of MoD sites lessens our reliance on hotels and provides savings for the taxpayer of approximately 50 per cent.
We are working to reduce the cost of the asylum system, which is under significant pressure, and are considering a number of accommodation options while we fix the broken asylum system to make it firmer and fairer.
The Government is committed to ensuring all communities are treated fairly. We are equally clear that we will not tolerate law breaking.
That is why we set out in the Queen’s Speech in December 2019 our firm aim to bring forward legislation this session to strengthen the powers available to the police to tackle unauthorised encampments.
Legislation will target those causing harm and disruption, rather than those simply wanting to enjoy the countryside
We are not able to provide the information requested.
We have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Due to the unpredictable nature of asylum intake we are unable to forecast the number of people to be accommodated at Penally over the next four weeks.
Transfer out of Penally is dependant on the amount of dispersed accommodation being available through people being granted asylum and moving on and the procurement of additional dispersal properties. We are unable to predict the number of people who will be dispersed from Penally camp in the next four weeks.
We are not able to provide the information requested.
We have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Due to the unpredictable nature of asylum intake we are unable to forecast the number of people to be accommodated at Penally over the next four weeks.
Transfer out of Penally is dependant on the amount of dispersed accommodation being available through people being granted asylum and moving on and the procurement of additional dispersal properties. We are unable to predict the number of people who will be dispersed from Penally camp in the next four weeks.
There are currently 118 asylum seekers accommodated at Penally training camp, Pembrokeshire.
The Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes have worked intensively with Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Dyfed, Powys police and other partners as we have stood up and are now operating on the site.
The Penally training camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation. The MOD has given permission to use the site for 12 months.
At present the Home Office will continue to regularly move small numbers of people out of Penally into Dispersal Accommodation in line with business as usual processes and will continue to route new people into Penally in line with public health guidance.
Those asylum seekers being moved to Dispersal Accommodation will not be moved to the other Ministry of Defence site currently in use; Napier Barracks. This site is also providing temporary contingency accommodation for asylum seekers whilst their claims are examined.
Accommodation for supported asylum seekers is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. Dispersal Accommodation is a mixture of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s), flats, houses or hostel-based properties. Location will be based on the availability of properties suitable for each asylum seekers needs.
Our accommodation providers are also working to maximise accommodation procurement opportunities throughout the UK, however they can only do so with local authority agreement. It is our intention to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable dispersed accommodation dependent upon it becoming available.
There are currently 118 asylum seekers accommodated at Penally training camp, Pembrokeshire.
The Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes have worked intensively with Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Dyfed, Powys police and other partners as we have stood up and are now operating on the site.
The Penally training camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation. The MOD has given permission to use the site for 12 months.
At present the Home Office will continue to regularly move small numbers of people out of Penally into Dispersal Accommodation in line with business as usual processes and will continue to route new people into Penally in line with public health guidance.
Those asylum seekers being moved to Dispersal Accommodation will not be moved to the other Ministry of Defence site currently in use; Napier Barracks. This site is also providing temporary contingency accommodation for asylum seekers whilst their claims are examined.
Accommodation for supported asylum seekers is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. Dispersal Accommodation is a mixture of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s), flats, houses or hostel-based properties. Location will be based on the availability of properties suitable for each asylum seekers needs.
Our accommodation providers are also working to maximise accommodation procurement opportunities throughout the UK, however they can only do so with local authority agreement. It is our intention to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable dispersed accommodation dependent upon it becoming available.
There are currently 118 asylum seekers accommodated at Penally training camp, Pembrokeshire.
The Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes have worked intensively with Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Dyfed, Powys police and other partners as we have stood up and are now operating on the site.
The Penally training camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation. The MOD has given permission to use the site for 12 months.
At present the Home Office will continue to regularly move small numbers of people out of Penally into Dispersal Accommodation in line with business as usual processes and will continue to route new people into Penally in line with public health guidance.
Those asylum seekers being moved to Dispersal Accommodation will not be moved to the other Ministry of Defence site currently in use; Napier Barracks. This site is also providing temporary contingency accommodation for asylum seekers whilst their claims are examined.
Accommodation for supported asylum seekers is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. Dispersal Accommodation is a mixture of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s), flats, houses or hostel-based properties. Location will be based on the availability of properties suitable for each asylum seekers needs.
Our accommodation providers are also working to maximise accommodation procurement opportunities throughout the UK, however they can only do so with local authority agreement. It is our intention to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable dispersed accommodation dependent upon it becoming available.
There are currently 118 asylum seekers accommodated at Penally training camp, Pembrokeshire.
The Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes have worked intensively with Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Dyfed, Powys police and other partners as we have stood up and are now operating on the site.
The Penally training camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation. The MOD has given permission to use the site for 12 months.
At present the Home Office will continue to regularly move small numbers of people out of Penally into Dispersal Accommodation in line with business as usual processes and will continue to route new people into Penally in line with public health guidance.
Those asylum seekers being moved to Dispersal Accommodation will not be moved to the other Ministry of Defence site currently in use; Napier Barracks. This site is also providing temporary contingency accommodation for asylum seekers whilst their claims are examined.
Accommodation for supported asylum seekers is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. Dispersal Accommodation is a mixture of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s), flats, houses or hostel-based properties. Location will be based on the availability of properties suitable for each asylum seekers needs.
Our accommodation providers are also working to maximise accommodation procurement opportunities throughout the UK, however they can only do so with local authority agreement. It is our intention to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable dispersed accommodation dependent upon it becoming available.
There are currently 118 asylum seekers accommodated at Penally training camp, Pembrokeshire.
The Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes have worked intensively with Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Dyfed, Powys police and other partners as we have stood up and are now operating on the site.
The Penally training camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation. The MOD has given permission to use the site for 12 months.
At present the Home Office will continue to regularly move small numbers of people out of Penally into Dispersal Accommodation in line with business as usual processes and will continue to route new people into Penally in line with public health guidance.
Those asylum seekers being moved to Dispersal Accommodation will not be moved to the other Ministry of Defence site currently in use; Napier Barracks. This site is also providing temporary contingency accommodation for asylum seekers whilst their claims are examined.
Accommodation for supported asylum seekers is arranged by private sector providers through contractual arrangements with the Home Office. Dispersal Accommodation is a mixture of Homes of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s), flats, houses or hostel-based properties. Location will be based on the availability of properties suitable for each asylum seekers needs.
Our accommodation providers are also working to maximise accommodation procurement opportunities throughout the UK, however they can only do so with local authority agreement. It is our intention to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable dispersed accommodation dependent upon it becoming available.
As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, paid for by the taxpayer.
We welcome independent scrutiny and routinely facilitate inspections by the ICIBI or another relevant body.
The Department is responding to further preliminary enquiries made by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration but has not yet received a formal notice of inspection. Preliminary correspondence is not routinely published but the ICIBI may include relevant information in any final inspection report that is published on gov.uk.
The Home Office is currently reviewing the recommendations of the rapid review and, as previously stated, will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
Our ambition is to house asylum seekers within the asylum estate without the need for contingency accommodation. We are working to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation.
As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, paid for by the taxpayer.
We welcome independent scrutiny and routinely facilitate inspections by the ICIBI or another relevant body.
The Department is responding to further preliminary enquiries made by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration but has not yet received a formal notice of inspection. Preliminary correspondence is not routinely published but the ICIBI may include relevant information in any final inspection report that is published on gov.uk.
The Home Office is currently reviewing the recommendations of the rapid review and, as previously stated, will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
Our ambition is to house asylum seekers within the asylum estate without the need for contingency accommodation. We are working to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation.
As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, paid for by the taxpayer.
We welcome independent scrutiny and routinely facilitate inspections by the ICIBI or another relevant body.
The Department is responding to further preliminary enquiries made by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration but has not yet received a formal notice of inspection. Preliminary correspondence is not routinely published but the ICIBI may include relevant information in any final inspection report that is published on gov.uk.
The Home Office is currently reviewing the recommendations of the rapid review and, as previously stated, will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
Our ambition is to house asylum seekers within the asylum estate without the need for contingency accommodation. We are working to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation.
As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with accommodation, paid for by the taxpayer.
We welcome independent scrutiny and routinely facilitate inspections by the ICIBI or another relevant body.
The Department is responding to further preliminary enquiries made by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration but has not yet received a formal notice of inspection. Preliminary correspondence is not routinely published but the ICIBI may include relevant information in any final inspection report that is published on gov.uk.
The Home Office is currently reviewing the recommendations of the rapid review and, as previously stated, will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations.
Our ambition is to house asylum seekers within the asylum estate without the need for contingency accommodation. We are working to address the issues putting pressure on our asylum accommodation.
The Home Office is working closely with Policing/National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to assess the scale and impact of the incident. This includes undertaking a robust and detailed assessment and verification of all affected records. Once complete we will develop and implement a plan to recover as many lost records as is possible over the next few weeks.
There are currently 116 pharmacies (101 Boots pharmacies and 15 independent community pharmacies) participating in the Ask for ANI codeword scheme in Wales. There is an on-going sign-up process open to all pharmacies to join the scheme, so the total number of pharmacies involved in the scheme is increasing each week.
Those accommodated at Penally training camp and Napier barracks have access to medical professionals and mental health support.
Our providers are trained to identify vulnerabilities and where safeguarding issues are identified the first responder will make an assessment to the level of risk and the next appropriate response to provide support.
Regular welfare checks are conducted on all service users, including behavioural monitoring of those who show signs of vulnerability and are not engaging with fellow service users and staff.
We work closely with our accommodation providers to ensure that all service users are aware of, and have access to, Migrant Help’s helpline. This is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, if they need help, advice or guidance, including signposting to wider mental and medical health services.
The Home Office do not publish a breakdown of self-harm incidents relating to service users.
Work to explore further options to accommodate asylum seekers in line with the Government’s statutory obligations included examining the potential to utilise MOD sites at short notice after engagement with officials from MOD. This scoping process identified?Penally?Training Camp and Napier Barracks.
The basic requirements for the Home Office were that the sites were capable of housing, safely and securely, on a temporary basis, large numbers of single adult male asylum seekers, that the sites were either available or could be vacated by the MOD at short notice, and that the accommodation provider, Clearsprings Ready Homes, could operate the sites safely and securely, providing for asylum seeker needs.
There are no records available regarding potential use of the site in 2015 – 2016. There are no plans to publish the scoping exercise.
Work to explore further options to accommodate asylum seekers in line with the Government’s statutory obligations included examining the potential to utilise MOD sites at short notice after engagement with officials from MOD. This scoping process identified?Penally?Training Camp and Napier Barracks.
The basic requirements for the Home Office were that the sites were capable of housing, safely and securely, on a temporary basis, large numbers of single adult male asylum seekers, that the sites were either available or could be vacated by the MOD at short notice, and that the accommodation provider, Clearsprings Ready Homes, could operate the sites safely and securely, providing for asylum seeker needs.
There are no records available regarding potential use of the site in 2015 – 2016. There are no plans to publish the scoping exercise.
Asylum seekers have been transferred to Penally from tier 2 regions. Transfers have not been made in areas where tier 3 restrictions are in place.
All movements of asylum seekers are undertaken with due regard to regulations in place in both England and Wales.
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide support including accommodation to destitute asylum seekers whilst their claims are being considered.
In recent months, the asylum system has faced significant pressures and it has become necessary to source, and use, additional temporary accommodation, such as hotels, to ensure the Home Office can continue to meet its statutory obligations towards destitute asylum seekers.
Following an urgent scoping exercise, we identified further suitable and available accommodation and put it to use quickly. This now includes the use of two MOD sites in Kent and Pembrokeshire. The sites are being run by Clearsprings Ready Homes, one of the Home Office’s Accommodation Providers under our Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts.
The number of asylum applicants transferred out of Napier barracks and Penally training camp are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
However, the latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, which includes those in hotel and wider government facilities. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.
Medical practitioners with an asylum claim who have been waiting 12 months or more for a decision on that claim can already apply to work in the many important medical practitioner roles included on the Shortage Occupation List.
Medical practitioners with an asylum claim who have been waiting 12 months or more for a decision on that claim can already apply to work in the many important medical practitioner roles included on the Shortage Occupation List.
We are fixing a broken asylum system and creating a new one which will be fairer and firmer and compassionate towards those who need our help.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the length of time to process and asylum claim but we are determined to clear the backlog to help speed up decisions and prevent people becoming stuck in the system for long periods of time.
We are working to streamline cases and have already made significant progress in prioritising cases with acute vulnerability, those in receipt of the greatest level of support including, UASCs, and those that require a reconsideration.
Asylum Operations has developed a recovery plan focused on returning interviews and decisions back to pre-COVID-19 levels as soon as possible. We are also seeking to secure temporary resources to assist from within the Home Office and other government departments, along with other potential options.
The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide support including accommodation to destitute asylum seekers whilst their claims are being considered.
In recent months, the asylum system has faced significant pressures and it has become necessary to source, and use, additional temporary accommodation, such as hotels, to ensure the Home Office can continue to meet its statutory obligations towards destitute asylum seekers.
Following an urgent scoping exercise, we identified further suitable and available accommodation and put it to use quickly. This now includes the use of two MOD sites in Kent and Pembrokeshire. The sites are being run by Clearsprings Ready Homes, one of the Home Office’s Accommodation Providers under our Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts.
The number of asylum applicants transferred out of Napier barracks and Penally training camp are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
However, the latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, which includes those in hotel and wider government facilities. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.
Work to explore further options to accommodate asylum seekers in line with the Government’s statutory obligations included examining the potential to utilise MOD sites at short notice. This scoping process identified Penally Training Camp and Napier Barracks.
The basic requirements for the Home Office were that the sites were capable of housing, safely and securely, on a temporary basis, large numbers of single adult male asylum seekers, that the sites were either available or could be vacated by the MOD at short notice, and that the accommodation provider, Clearsprings Ready Homes, could operate the sites safely and securely, providing for asylum seeker needs.
There are no plans to publish the scoping exercise.
There are several different types of accommodation blocks at Penally.
The beds in the accommodation blocks consist of either a single bed or a sole use pod within a block. A pod comprises of 2 bunks (4 beds) separated by a lockable cabinet. Only 1 of the 4 beds in a pod is in use at any time.
The number of people varies according to block size and type however the numbers in each room is calculated to ensure that it is possible to adhere to COVID rules.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has stated his intention to conduct an inspection in this area, but the timings are yet to be confirmed and formally notified to the Department.
All accommodation provided is required to be safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped, and to comply with relevant national or local housing legislation. These standards apply to all accommodation used by the Home Office including the Ministry of Defence site in Pembrokeshire.
There are electric wall heaters in place in all accommodation blocks and communal areas within Penally.
All accommodation provided is required to be safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped, and to comply with relevant national or local housing legislation. These standards apply to all accommodation used by the Home Office including the Ministry of Defence site in Pembrokeshire.
There are electric wall heaters in place in all accommodation blocks and communal areas within Penally.
The Home Office has sought Public Health advice on how we can make best use of this accommodation, working within the constraints of the configuration, whilst minimising risks from Covid-19.
Risk mitigations include limiting occupancy in dormitories ensuring a minimum distance between beds of at least 2 metres. This is complemented by a range of additional safety measures including increased cleaning of surfaces, availability of hand sanitisers, a track and trace system and communications with residents around covid-19 control measures. Asylum seekers will have the same access to testing as the general population.
The Home Office’s contractor?has an outbreak management plan which will be enacted if we experience an outbreak.?
The Government demands the highest standards from contractors and their accommodation and monitor them closely to ensure this is maintained. All accommodation provided is required to be safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped, and to comply with relevant national or local housing legislation. These standards apply to all accommodation used by the Home Office including the Ministry of Defence sites in Pembrokeshire and Folkestone.
The Home Office has sought Public Health advice on how we can make best use of this accommodation, working within the constraints of the configuration, whilst minimising risks from Covid-19.
Risk mitigations include limiting occupancy in dormitories ensuring a minimum distance between beds of at least 2 metres. This is complemented by a range of additional safety measures including increased cleaning of surfaces, availability of hand sanitisers, a track and trace system and communications with residents around covid-19 control measures. Asylum seekers will have the same access to testing as the general population.
The Home Office’s contractor?has an outbreak management plan which will be enacted if we experience an outbreak.?
The Government demands the highest standards from contractors and their accommodation and monitor them closely to ensure this is maintained. All accommodation provided is required to be safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped, and to comply with relevant national or local housing legislation. These standards apply to all accommodation used by the Home Office including the Ministry of Defence sites in Pembrokeshire and Folkestone.
All asylum seekers are subject to an initial screening process by UK Visas and Immigration, which includes health and safeguarding checks. Further checks are also made, to confirm suitability for transfer to the accommodation. On site, accommodation provider staff are available at all times should health concerns arise, with healthcare arrangements in place, linked to local NHS provision.
Additionally, all asylum seekers have access to the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help offers support and guidance to vulnerable migrants.
AIRE asylum services provide free independent advice, guidance and information on the asylum process, accommodation, financial support, finding legal representation and any other asylum related matters. AIRE run a national helpline that is free and accessible to all asylum seekers in the UK.
We remain in regular contact and committed to working with the Welsh Government and relevant health bodies in respect of the accommodation of asylum seekers at Penally.
It is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases.
The Home Office has no published data to answer this question. The information is not readily available nor held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The National Automatic Number Plate Recognition Service (NAS) is a national system replacing the current National ANPR Data Centre (NADC), used by Police Forces to interrogate ANPR data.
The department has submitted a bid to HMT as part of the spending review process and we are in active discussions about the amount of money that we should be investing in the National ANPR Service (NAS), both centrally and out to individual forces. We have shared with the Treasury the full cost of NAS and its potential replacement for the forthcoming year and for subsequent years, including what will flow centrally and what will flow through individual forces. We expect a decision on the funding settlement from HMT this month.
Programme costs are separated into 3 categories; first the cost of building and rolling out the NAS infrastructure, software and any related changes to the force systems; second costs for the programme team and; third the cost to maintain NAS system and its legacy system, National ANPR data centre (NADC). The costs for delivering the new NAS system is by far the most significant and, subject to commercial negotiation, the annual cost of NAS service following the commercial negotiations is likely to amount to c. £15 million per year and takes into account the costs of keeping legacy systems in place until the Minimal viable product (MVP) is delivered in Spring 2021 and programme costs. The negotiation has achieved future years reduction on service costs which benefit policing long term.
The current programme overspend is approximately £6.9m for this financial year and considers the costs of delivering the MVP and any programme costs. The additional in year costs are to focus on delivering the critical MVP, but an overall reduction in service costs has been achieved over the lifetime of the new contract presently being negotiated.
The programme set itself an original target of transitioning all users from the current NADC system and legacy local systems by Autumn 2020. We are now targeting a MVP in Spring 2021 with the legacy NADC system being retired in Spring 2022 once all forces have been transitioned across to NAS. Since the award of the G-Cloud contact in 2018 to the current delivery partner there have been 3 key releases to date. The current release is forecast to be 7 months later than originally planned.
Both during and since the programme reset in May 2016, where a review of the critical objectives of the programme that were set April 2015, it has undergone extensive assurance both internally within the department and externally through Cabinet Office, GDS and HMT.
The programme continues to build confidence in the delivery of the NAS through regular engagement with our Programme User Group and it’s subgroups, as well as, weekly update meetings with the NPCC ANPR Portfolio Change Lead. Programme teams also manage regular contact with forces and LEAS to provide updates in addition to weekly briefing notes to provide updates and progress. The SRO is in discussion with the ANPR Portfolio Lead about establishing a group of senior police representatives to manage the NAS roadmap into the future.
The Department remains committed to completing the delivery of NAS, realising the benefits of NAS and delivering police effectiveness and operational efficiency savings. These include cashable reduction in running costs through the decommissioning of legacy systems and a wide range of broader benefits such as reducing the time to identify a vehicles of interest, public time savings, improved searches and better intelligence sharing.
The biometric systems within the scope of the HOB Programme, IDENT1 (storing the Police fingerprint collection) and the National DNA database, are used on a daily basis by Police Forces and are fundamental to their operations.
HOB is delivering new capabilities that the Police are using to support their operations, and these have been well received. This includes Strategic Mobile capability, the ability for Police Forces to share DNA and fingerprint data with EU Member States under the Prüm Decisions, and HOB will very soon be delivering a replacement DNA Database which will be an important development for Policing and the Criminal Justice community.
In July the Home Office Biometrics (HOB) Programme completed its annual refresh of the Programme Business Case, which was approved by the Home Office Portfolio Investment Committee and subsequently submitted to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. With regards to the HOB budget, an underspend of £1m was declared for financial year 2019/20.
HOB continues to involve Policing in all areas of the programme and provides regular updates on progress through a variety of forums and with the oversight and regulatory bodies for biometrics (for example the Biometrics Commissioner and Forensics Science Regulator). The programme also provides advice to the Permanent Secretary and Ministers with regular updates on the programme.
The National Law Enforcement Data Programme (NLEDP) is replacing the Police National Computer (PNC) and Police National Database (PND) with the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS).
The department has submitted a bid to HMT as part of the Spending Review which is ongoing.
The programme overspend is currently £45M. This excludes costs associated with risk and optimism bias.
The programme had expected to transition all users of PNC to LEDS by December 2021 and decommission PNC by June 2022. The programme is now targeting the transition of PNC users to LEDS by June 2023 and the decommission of PNC by December 2023.
The programme had expected to transition all users of PND to LEDS by June 2023 and decommission PND by December 2023. The programme is now targeting the transition of PND users to LEDS by September 2024 and the decommission of PND by March 2025.
The programme is exploring options for how the replacement of PNC and PND could potentially be delivered sooner.
The confidence in the delivery of LEDS is increasing with the implementation of a LEDS pilot service to 7 Police Forces allowing them to access Driving Licence Images at the roadside by Police issued mobile devices. The programme is planning for a wider roll-out of this capability from April 2021 onwards.
NLEDP has well documented benefits into how LEDS can support policing through efficiency and effectiveness savings. For example, since the LEDS pilot service went live it saves up to 66% of police time when performing a roadside identity check. The programme has also invested significant effort into reviewing the use of data, not just technology. The programme has completed a Data Protection Impact Assessment, consulted upon a new Parliamentary Code for LEDS data and established an independent group of privacy bodies to critique our work on data.
The programme has undergone extensive assurance, both internally within the department and externally throughout Cabinet Office and HMT. The programme has also recently appointed an External Review Team, with full support from senior Police Chiefs, which will review the full scope, remit and approach of the programme. Outcomes from this review will be agreed and taken forward with full co-operation of Home Office, Police Chiefs and Police IT Leads. This review will conclude in April 2021 with full involvement of Cabinet Office and Treasury.
The Department remains committed to completing the delivery of NLEDP, realising the benefits of LEDS and delivering police effectiveness and efficiency savings. These include cashable reduction in running costs and a wide range of broader benefits such as reducing the time to identify a person of interest, public time savings, improved searches and reduced training overheads.
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is replacing the current Airwave radio system, used by the emergency services, with the Emergency Services Network which runs over the commercial EE network with priority and pre-emption for emergency service users.
The Spending Review is ongoing and it would be wrong to prejudge the outcome.
Programme costs are separated into 3 categories; first the cost of building and rolling out the new ESN system; second costs borne locally by users for things like devices and accessories that they’ll need to use the ESN, and; third the cost to maintain Airwave until ESN has been adopted by all users and Airwave can be switched off. The costs for maintaining Airwave are by far the most significant and, subject to commercial negotiation, the annual cost of extending Airwave beyond the current contract end date of December 2022, is likely to be in excess of £450m per annum, taking into account local Airwave costs.
The programme set itself an original target of transitioning all users from the current Airwave system onto the ESN and switching Airwave off by December 2019. We are now targeting an Airwave switch off date no later than 2025. The investment case for the programme remains positive even with this later Airwave switch off timescale.
Both during and since the programme reset in 2018, it has undergone extensive assurance both internally within the department and externally through Cabinet Office and HMT. The programme has also been scrutinised by the National Audit Office and Parliament (Public Accounts Committee and Home Affairs Select Committee). An Independent Assurance Panel chaired by a Non-Executive Director from HMRC and made up of several industry experts also regularly assures the programme and provides advice to the Permanent Secretary and Ministers. I, (Home Secretary) receive regular updates on the programme.
The Department remains committed to completing delivery of the ESN and switching off Airwave as quickly as possible. We stand by our commitment to the Emergency Services that we will only transition from Airwave to ESN when it is operationally safe to do so. In the meantime, Airwave continues to provide a resilient service.
Through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), we have worked closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to identify and resettle refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict who are in need of protection. Since the VPRS was expanded in September 2015, more than 19,750 refugees have found protection in the UK through this route and we are now close to meeting our full commitment. The Home Office continuously reviews the operation of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and uses feedback from delivery partners, stakeholders and refugees to better understand the outcomes of the refugees we resettle and to drive improvement to our processes.
In June 2019, the Government reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to refugee resettlement by announcing a new, global UK Resettlement Scheme. While we hoped to have both met our commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable refugees through the VPRS, and started the new scheme earlier this year, the unprecedented restrictions and pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has meant this has not yet been possible. We are evaluating how to respond to these ongoing restrictions and pressures, but we expect to resume refugee resettlement activity when safe.
In June 2019, the Government reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to refugee resettlement by announcing a new, global UK Resettlement Scheme. We had anticipated – prior to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) – that this scheme would have begun in the second quarter of 2020. Unfortunately, we remain unable to undertake resettlement activity at this stage due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
We are evaluating how to respond given these restrictions and pressures, but we expect to resume refugee resettlement activity when safe. Our plans for restarting depend on a variety of factors, including the lifting of restrictions imposed by the governments of host refugee countries, local authority and central government capacity, and recovery of the asylum system from the impact of COVID-19.
In June 2019, the Government reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to refugee resettlement by announcing a new, global UK Resettlement Scheme. We had anticipated – prior to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) – that this scheme would have begun in the second quarter of 2020. Unfortunately, we remain unable to undertake resettlement activity at this stage due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
We are evaluating how to respond given these restrictions and pressures, but we expect to resume refugee resettlement activity when safe. Our plans for restarting depend on a variety of factors, including the lifting of restrictions imposed by the governments of host refugee countries, local authority and central government capacity, and recovery of the asylum system from the impact of COVID-19.
From 1 January 2021, we will introduce the UK’s points-based system.
EU citizens wishing to work in the UK or within the UK’s territorial waters will need to apply for a visa under the new system.
We recognise the rich and unique contribution the Welsh Language makes to our United Kingdom as a whole.
We are assessing the potential merits of amending the Immigration Rules to include recognition of Welsh Language Skills in our immigration system and will provide our conclusion in due course.
We have been reviewing the level of the cash allowances provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we do each year to ensure that they remain capable of meeting their essential living needs.
As a result of this work, the standard allowance has been raised to £39.60 per week from £37.75 per week, an increase of around 5%. This increase is significantly higher than the current general rate of inflation, which Office of National Statistics data shows was only 0.5% in the 12 months period to May.
The level of the allowance is not linked to social security benefits.
In addition to the allowance, we also provide free accommodation, with utilities and council tax paid for and there is free access to the NHS and free access to education for their children.
The UK has a generous record in supporting asylum seekers. Last year, we made around 20,000 grants of asylum or protection (one of the higher figures in Europe), as well as offered protection to 3,000 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children – the highest number of any country in Europe. In addition, we have directly resettled around 20,000 people from the most dangerous areas of the world (especially Syrians) in the UK over the last 5 years. Finally, we spend around £14 billion per year in Overseas Aid, helping millions of people around the world. This is the highest amount of any country in Europe and we are the only G7 country to meet the 0.7% of GNI Overseas Aid target
Throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, the Government’s priority is to protect those selling sex from harm and exploitation and target those who exploit vulnerable people involved in sex work and prostitution. We continue to work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure current legislation achieves these aims.
We have no plans to introduce a moratorium. Local areas and police forces are best placed to identify and respond to issues related to sex work. They are supported in this by National Police Chiefs Council guidance which rightly prioritises the safety of sex workers over enforcement action.
Though the Government is aware of different legislative approaches to sex work and prostitution, we have not seen unequivocal evidence that decriminalisation is the best way to reduce harm and exploitation.
We understand that those who are vulnerable and involved in selling sex can face a number of challenges that affect their ability to access services particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Government has published guidance on accessing services such as those for health, sexual violence, modern slavery and domestic abuse. Existing specialist support services continue to be available to those seeking help. We are also providing £76m to charities and organisations throughout the country to support victims of modern slavery, sexual violence and domestic abuse. Of this, the Ministry of Justice is providing £10m to support sexual violence services through Covid 19 pressures. A further £3m per annum until 2022 will also be invested in the recruitment of more Independent Sexual Violence Advisors across the country.
We have also taken swift action to ensure we continue to deliver essential services and support for victims of modern slavery enabled sexual exploitation during the Covid-19 pandemic. We will provide £1.73 million of funding for charities, announced by the Chancellor last month, to provide emergency support to victims of modern slavery. We also announced on 6 April 2020 that all individuals in accommodation support provided by the Victim Care Contract will not be required to move on for the next three months.
In terms of financial and welfare support, the Government is providing support to those who are self-employed and have lost income due to Covid-19. Those affected may be eligible to claim a grant though the Covid-19 Self-employment Income Support Scheme. The Government is committed to providing a safety net for the most vulnerable in society and recognises that access to regular financial support is vital. We have made changes to ensure people who need financial help have access to the benefit system. We have temporarily relaxed the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed Universal Credit claimants affected by the impact of Covid-19, for the duration of the outbreak.
The Government has put in place measures to support those experiencing homelessness during Covid-19. The Secretary of State for Housing announced a total of £3.2 billion of additional funding for Local Government to help them respond to Covid-19 pressures across services they deliver. This includes increasing support for services such as housing to help the most vulnerable.
Healthcare services remain open including general practice, drug and alcohol, and sexual health services. Whilst they have reduced face to face appointments, some services are able to see urgent, priority or vulnerable clients (including sex workers) seeking support where necessary.
Details of the automatic visa extension, and other immigration changes relating to COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-immigration-and-borders.
The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds, through this crisis. We are taking a compassionate and pragmatic approach to an unprecedented situation.
Migrants with leave under the Family and Human Rights routes can apply to have the NRPF restriction lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if there has been a change in their financial circumstances. The Home Office has recently digitised the application form to make sure it is accessible for those who need to remain at home, and I can assure you that the applications are being dealt with swiftly and compassionately.
Many of the wide-ranging Covid-19 measures the government has put in place are not public funds and therefore are available to migrants with no recourse to public funds (NRPF). We therefore do not believe it is necessary to suspend the NRPF condition.
The Coronavirus job retention scheme, self-employment income support and statutory sick pay are not classed as public funds for immigration purposes. Contribution-based benefits are also not classed as public funds for immigration purposes. Additionally, measures we have brought forward such as rent and mortgage protections are not considered public funds and can be accessed by migrants with leave to remain.
Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.
In addition, the Government has made in excess of £3.2bn of funding available to local authorities in England and additional funding under the Barnett formula to the devolved administrations to enable them to respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including services helping the most vulnerable.
More information on the support available to migrants, including those with NRPF, can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk.
The safety and health of people in the detention estate is of the utmost importance. We are following all Public Health England guidance on COVID-19 and have robust contingency plans in place, including measures such as protective isolation.
Basic hygiene is a key part of tackling COVID-19. Handwashing facilities are available in all immigration removal centres and we are working closely with suppliers to ensure we have an adequate supply of soap and cleaning materials. In addition, each centre has posters and leaflets to inform staff and detainees about the importance of handwashing and social distancing to minimise the risk from COVID-19. Detainees are also able to speak to staff directly for advice on the protective measures in place.
The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System Policy Statement published on 19 February sets out how we will fulfil our commitment to the British public and take back control of our borders.
People coming to the UK from any country in the world for the purpose of work or study, other than some short-term business visitors and short-term students, will need to obtain a visa for which they will pay a fee. A list of current fees can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data
The Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System (BICS) is predominately funded by its users. It is right those who use it contribute to its cost, thereby reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer.
We keep our fees for immigration and nationality applications under review and ensure they are within the parameters agreed with HM Treasury and Parliament, as set out in Section 68 (9) of the Immigration Act 2014.
We require individuals coming under existing immigration routes to demonstrate an appropriate level of English. Currently, for skilled workers, this is currently set at intermediate (B1) level. Applicants can meet this requirement if they:
Having a suitable English language requirement is crucial to ensuring people coming to live, work and study in the UK are able to integrate into society. Future requirements will broadly reflect current arrangements.
The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February, follwing the report of independent Migration Advisory Committee in January.
The Migration Advisory Committee advised against regional variations, hence we will deliver a system which works for the whole of the UK.
In delivering on its manifesto commitments for a Austrialian style new points-based system, the Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We will also keep labour market data under careful scrutiny.
The Home Office will publish further detail on the points-based system in due course and will continue to engage with stakeholders across Wales on it.
The Media Buying Brief for the 2021 Army recruitment campaign, "A Soldier is a Soldier" will be placed in the Library of the House shortly. It is currently being reviewed for any commercial sensitivities.
The Media Buying Brief for the 2021 Army recruitment campaign, "Fail. Learn. Win" will be placed in the Library of the House shortly. It is currently being reviewed for any commercial sensitivities.
The full training programme at the Army Foundation College (Harrogate) (AFC(H)) continued throughout the pandemic, implementing the necessary Force Health Protection measures as outlined by Public Health England.
A small number of junior soldiers, (less than ten) have experienced delays to their training due to the COVID-19 outbreak. No recruits have been dismissed or have been unable to take up their training at the ACF(H).
Between September 2019 - September 2020, a total of 330 Junior Soldiers have enrolled on the Level 3 BTEC Course whilst at AFC Harrogate. By Course:
Short courses (2 intakes) – 142
Long Course (1 intake) – 188
The information requested by the hon. Member can be found in the attached table.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor, (Anne Marie-Trevelyan), gave her on 30 January 2020, to Question 8412.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor, (Anne Marie-Trevelyan), gave her on 30 January 2020, to Question 8412.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr Lloyd Russell- Moyle) on 27 February 2020 to Question 19893.
The Armed Forces only visit schools and colleges when they have been invited to support activities. No visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific careers/jobs fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit. The visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and other indoor or outdoor exercises. The purpose of the visit is always agreed in advance.
The requested information is provided in the following table:
Country | Year | Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force |
Wales | 2017-18 | 110 | 70 | 157 |
2018-19 | 147 | 217 | 64 | |
Scotland | 2017-18 | 159 | 372 | 463 |
2018-19 | 237 | 399 | 519 | |
England | 2017-18 | 2,448 | 1,988 | 1,774 |
2018-19 | 3,187 | 2,296 | 1,686 | |
Northern Ireland | 2017-18 | 114 | 292 | 18 |
2018-19 | 138 | 396 | 63 |
Notes: Army figures relate to Financial Years. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force figures relate to Academic Years.
Figures are single Service estimates.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Minister for the Armed Forces, (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) gave on 30 January 2020, to Question 8412.
The requested information is provided below:
Untrained Regular Soldiers Outflow from 1st April 2015 to 1st April 2018 Split by Age on Enlistment
Number of untrained Regular soldiers outflow split by age group on enlistment | ||||
Financial Year of Outflow | Total | Under 18 | 18 and above | |
Total | 5,650 | 1,650 | 3,860 | |
2015-2016 | 2,020 | 550 | 1,470 | |
2016-2017 | 1,840 | 540 | 1,300 | |
2017-2018 | 1,790 | 570 | 1,220 | |
Source: Defence Statistics (Army) |
Notes/Caveats:
The figures are for the Regular Army, excluding Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service and Mobilised Reserves.
Untrained outflow refers to personnel who left the Regular Army before completing their trade training (phase 2).
Personnel outflow more than once in the last five financial years is counted as a separate outflow. Age on enlistment is similarly separately counted.
Age on enlistment is calculated using date of birth and entry date. There are known problems with the entry date information extracted from JPA which is supposed to reflect their 'current entry date' but if personnel have transferred to the Army from another Service, served under an alternative assignment type (e.g. reserve forces), are re-entrants or have transferred from Other Ranks to Officers, their entry date may correspond to any of these events.
The figures are for outflow of untrained Regular soldiers broken down by financial years. This table has been compiled based on the year of outflow rather than the year of inflow used as the base for previous publication.
For presentation purpose, figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.
Data is not available prior to 2013-14 as it was not collated centrally and so is unreliable.
Applications received to join the British Army from 1 April 2013 – 30 March 2019 are in the table below.
| Recruiting Year | Under18 Applications | Over18 Applications |
| 2013-14 | 14,910 | 74,666 |
| 2014-15 | 19,207 | 100,249 |
| 2015-16 | 17,876 | 96,678 |
| 2016-17 | 23,706 | 153,233 |
| 2017-18 | 21,288 | 114,381 |
| 2018-19 | 24,978 | 122,197 |
Data is not available prior to 2013-14 as it was not collated centrally and so is unreliable.
Number of Applicants that did not end up joining the British Army between 1 April 2013 and 30 March 2019 are in the table below
| Recruiting Year | Total withdrawn or rejected in pipeline | Main reason for the “withdrawal/rejection” in pipeline |
| 2013-14 | 58,419 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
| 2014-15 | 79,114 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
| 2015-16 | 77,055 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
| 2016-17 | 120,314 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
| 2017-18 | 80,357 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
| 2018-19 | 116,312 | Candidate Voluntarily disengaging from the process |
A copy of the Junior Entry Review Market Research final report will be placed in the Library of the House shortly. It is currently being reviewed for commercial and personal data sensitivities.
The information is not held in the format requested.
The Defence Flying Complaints Investigations Team (DFCIT) is charged with investigating instances of military low flying complaints reported by members of the public. The table below gives the number of investigations undertaken for the whole of Wales and the number of occasions that were identified as a breach of flying regulations.
Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Number of Investigations | 10 | 12 | 4 |
Number of Breaches | 0 | 1 | 0 |
All RAF pilots receive extensive training to ensure they operate in accordance with the appropriate low flying regulations and this training is re-emphasised throughout their careers. These stringent regulations are in place in order to protect the public, our aircrew and aircraft. All aspects of flight safety are kept under continuous review. Aircrew are not permitted to carry out manoeuvres beyond their proven capabilities, or those of the aircraft. All our pilots are constantly assessed to ensure that high standards of professionalism are maintained.
The Media Buying Brief for the 2020 Army recruitment campaign will be placed in the Library of the House shortly. It is currently being reviewed for any commercial sensitivities.
The Army's 2020 campaign is designed to highlight how being in the Army gives personnel a strong sense of self-belief and confidence that few other careers can. Early indications are that this campaign has been received well, with strong early January application numbers.
HMPPS do not gather official statistics about the number of Welsh speaking staff in prisons. Equalities Leads in Wales have not repeated the informal exercise to collect local information since the responding to the question on 9 February 2021.
The latest available information is shown in the table below.
Offenders released in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 by Accommodation on Release, where the offender had an original address in Wales.
| Jan - Dec 2020 | Jan - Mar 2021 |
Settled Accommodation | 1561 | 340 |
Other Housed | 511 | 115 |
Bail/Probation Accommodation | 325 | 68 |
Homeless, Not Rough Sleeping | 226 | 37 |
Rough Sleeping | 36 | 4 |
Unknown | 870 | 134 |
(1) A release is defined as a release from prison where the prisoner has finished serving the custodial term of their sentence(s) and excludes:
(2) Where an offender was released multiple times within the same period only the last such release was counted.
The information requested is shown in the table below.
Number of prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 at each prison in Wales each month from 1 October 2021. | ||||||||
Values of 1 and 2 are confidential (c) to prevent disclosure of individuals. As of 30th April 2022: |
|
| ||||||
Prison | Oct21 | Nov21 | Dec21 | Jan22 | Feb22 | Mar22 | Apr22 |
|
Berwyn | 4 | (c) | 87 | 145 | 47 | 15 | 28 |
|
Cardiff | 48 | 14 | 17 | 238 | 34 | 76 | 72 |
|
Parc | 15 | 50 | 129 | 132 | 108 | 52 | 15 |
|
Swansea | 3 | 3 | 57 | 19 | 7 | 83 | 26 |
|
Usk/Prescoed | (c) | 3 | 3 | 23 | 4 | 15 | 113 |
|
This information is not held centrally.
The specific information requested is not available and producing the information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
We do know, however, that the estimated economic and social cost of reoffending in England and Wales is approximately £18.1 billion per year.
That is why the Prisons Strategy White Paper, published in December 2021, sets out this Government’s ambitious plans to reduce reoffending. We will spend £200 million a year by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support and substance misuse treatment and further measures for early intervention to tackle youth offending.
This builds on investments in 2021, when we spent £70m to tackle drivers of reoffending, including to keep prison leavers off the streets.
The Government accepts that the Vagrancy Act 1824 is outdated and has recently consulted on proposed replacement legislation for the Act. The Act will be repealed with delayed commencement under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are working on replacement legislation.
The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions for offences under the Vagrancy Act 1824, by police force area, for 2017 to 2021, available in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, which can be found here:
The same information back to 2013 is available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, available here:
Please see the attached table for the number of prosecutions by police force areas in Wales for 2012.
In the data tool linked above, you can use the ‘Offence code’ filter to select the offences of interest. The following is a list of offences that fall within the Vagrancy Act 1824:
To isolate data for each police force area in Wales, use the ‘Police force area’ filter to select:
The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on charges given.
The cost of agency staff for the month of April 2022, by probation region, is set out in the following table:
Region | Total Spend £ |
East Midlands | 60,959 |
East of England | 164,061 |
Greater Manchester | 51,305 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 139,953 |
London | 367,628 |
North East | 39,419 |
North West | 55,299 |
South Central | 70,315 |
South West | 46,626 |
Wales | 14,523 |
West Midlands | 116,020 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 52,778 |
The overall Spending Review settlement continues investment in probation services and provides significant wider investment in new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime. The funding secured for the next 3 years of the spending review (April 22 – March 25) has seen an additional £155m made permanent in the baseline.
The Probation Service recruited a total of 1,007 trainees in 2020/21; we committed to recruiting a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2021/2022 and we met this target, recruiting 1,518 in total. The Probation Service will also recruit a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2022/23. In addition, we are recruiting around 500 additional unpaid work supervisors, Probation Service Officers (PSOs) and case administrators.
The number of agency staff employed changes from day to day: it would not be possible to collate regional or national totals without incurring disproportionate cost.
We do not hold information on the number of retired staff working as agency staff. This is considered to be the personal information of these agency staff and is therefore not requested.
The cost of agency staff for the month of April 2022, by probation region, is set out in the following table:
Region | Total Spend £ |
East Midlands | 60,959 |
East of England | 164,061 |
Greater Manchester | 51,305 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 139,953 |
London | 367,628 |
North East | 39,419 |
North West | 55,299 |
South Central | 70,315 |
South West | 46,626 |
Wales | 14,523 |
West Midlands | 116,020 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 52,778 |
The overall Spending Review settlement continues investment in probation services and provides significant wider investment in new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime. The funding secured for the next 3 years of the spending review (April 22 – March 25) has seen an additional £155m made permanent in the baseline.
The Probation Service recruited a total of 1,007 trainees in 2020/21; we committed to recruiting a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2021/2022 and we met this target, recruiting 1,518 in total. The Probation Service will also recruit a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2022/23. In addition, we are recruiting around 500 additional unpaid work supervisors, Probation Service Officers (PSOs) and case administrators.
The number of agency staff employed changes from day to day: it would not be possible to collate regional or national totals without incurring disproportionate cost.
We do not hold information on the number of retired staff working as agency staff. This is considered to be the personal information of these agency staff and is therefore not requested.
The cost of agency staff for the month of April 2022, by probation region, is set out in the following table:
Region | Total Spend £ |
East Midlands | 60,959 |
East of England | 164,061 |
Greater Manchester | 51,305 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 139,953 |
London | 367,628 |
North East | 39,419 |
North West | 55,299 |
South Central | 70,315 |
South West | 46,626 |
Wales | 14,523 |
West Midlands | 116,020 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 52,778 |
The overall Spending Review settlement continues investment in probation services and provides significant wider investment in new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime. The funding secured for the next 3 years of the spending review (April 22 – March 25) has seen an additional £155m made permanent in the baseline.
The Probation Service recruited a total of 1,007 trainees in 2020/21; we committed to recruiting a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2021/2022 and we met this target, recruiting 1,518 in total. The Probation Service will also recruit a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2022/23. In addition, we are recruiting around 500 additional unpaid work supervisors, Probation Service Officers (PSOs) and case administrators.
The number of agency staff employed changes from day to day: it would not be possible to collate regional or national totals without incurring disproportionate cost.
We do not hold information on the number of retired staff working as agency staff. This is considered to be the personal information of these agency staff and is therefore not requested.
The difference between required staffing and staff in post in the Probation Service, by region, as of 31st March is:
| Difference |
East Midlands Probation Service | -97 |
East of England Probation Service | -129 |
Greater Manchester Probation Service | -41 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Probation Service | -230 |
London Probation Service | -283 |
North East Probation Service | 55 |
North West Probation Service | -31 |
South Central Probation Service | -118 |
South West Probation Service | -137 |
Wales Probation Service | 33 |
West Midlands Probation Service | -6 |
Yorkshire and the Humber Probation Service | -123 |
Probation Service Total | -1,106 |
The overall Spending Review settlement continues investment in probation services and provides significant wider investment in new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime. The funding secured for the next 3 years of the spending review (April 22 – March 25) has seen an additional £155m made permanent in the baseline.
The Probation Service recruited a total of 1,007 trainees in 2020/21; we committed to recruiting a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2021/2022 and we met this target, recruiting 1,518 in total. The Probation Service will also recruit a further 1,500 trainee probation officers in 2022/23. In addition, we are recruiting around 500 additional unpaid work supervisors, Probation Service Officers (PSOs) and case administrators.
Source: HMPPS Single Operating Platform, Required Staffing database and Workforce planning returns.
Note: Difference is a proxy for vacancies. Negative figures indicate staff in post is less than required staff level
Our contract sets out the certain provisions relating OCS staff pay. The relevant provisions are available on contracts finder by following the link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2bea0732-afb6-4948-a502-bb1594c396c9.
Leaving Rates by Grade are given in the HMPPS Workforce Bulletin – latest version is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-december-2021.
Information on leaving rates by grades is published in Table 11. Information on leaving rates by region is published in table 10, however this is only for “main” grades (band 3-5 officers, OSG, probation officers).
The department is completing a competitive tender exercise for the education contracts in public Young Offender Institutions in England. Once confirmed we will announce the new suppliers of the provision.
Contractual clauses are in place setting a mechanism for potential adjustments to charges. This information was published as part of the tender process, the supporting documents for which can be accessed via the following link: https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:61049-2018:HTML:EN:HTML&tabId=1&tabLang=en.
We are delivering a Prisoner Education Service within this Parliament to raise prisoners’ levels of numeracy, literacy, skills and qualifications with the aim of helping them secure jobs or apprenticeships on their release. To do this, we must give prisons the tools they need to succeed. We will invest in digital infrastructure, more training that delivers the skills employers need, more education experts to support Governors and improved support for prisoners with additional learning needs.
To deliver this vision, we are currently running a series of engagement events, drawing on the expertise of stakeholders across the education and justice sectors.
HMPPS holds regular meetings with its recognised trade unions to share information and invite feedback on operational developments and proposals. As prison education staff are not employed by HMPPS, their union representatives are not part of these regular consultations. We have engaged with these representatives, however, as part of our wider engagement activity.
This information is not held centrally. All staffing matters for contractors working in prisons, including leaving rates, are the responsibility of those contract providers. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree such matters with the Ministry of Justice.
Providers of contracted services play an important role in the prison estate and we continue to monitor them to ensure they maintain safe, decent and secure prisons.
We set out plans in the Prisons Strategy White Paper to deliver a Prisoner Education Service that will raise levels of offender numeracy, literacy, skills and qualifications over the course of their custody, with the aim of securing jobs or apprenticeships after they leave custody.
As the first phase of this work, we are:
- Introducing new KPIs on education attendance and progress in English and maths to drive improved performance;
- Testing new Education Work and Skills Specialist roles and support managers for prisoners with additional learning needs in a small number of prisons with plans to roll out further over the next two years;
- Developing new digital content and expanding the use of secure laptops so more prisoners can study from their cells;
- Changing the law to enable prisoners to undertake apprenticeships for the first time.
On 22 March, we issued a Prior Information Notice on HMPPS’s public website to start the process of market engagement with a wide range of providers in preparation for new contracts to provide education services in prisons.
We set out plans in the Prisons Strategy White Paper to deliver a Prisoner Education Service that will raise levels of offender numeracy, literacy, skills and qualifications over the course of their custody, with the aim of securing jobs or apprenticeships after they leave custody.
As part of this work we have, and will continue to engage with prison educators, providers and relevant trade unions.
Data on the number of both directly and indirectly employed HMPPS staff, testing positive for Covid-19 is provided on GOV.UK as part of the HMPPS workforce quarterly series. Figures for non-directly employed staff, however, will include some non-prison staff. The most recent release was published 17 February and covers the period to the end of January 2022. It can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-december-2021.
Our strategy for managing Covid-19 in prisons continues to be guided by our National Framework, which sets out the basis for decisions on the necessary level of Covid controls over time. We also work closely with the UK Health Security Agency and have continued to adjust Covid controls in prisons as the risk has changed during the pandemic. We will transition prisons off the National Framework when it becomes safe to do so.
HMPPS has applied the guidance criteria provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the reporting of any work-related employee Covid cases under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). There have been no incidents which meet the criteria as defined by HSE in relation to directly or non-directly employed staff, therefore no such cases have been reported by HMPPS.
Our strategy for managing Covid-19 in prisons continues to be guided by our National Framework, which sets out the basis for decisions on the necessary level of Covid controls over time. We also work closely with the UK Health Security Agency and have continued to adjust Covid controls in prisons as the risk has changed during the pandemic. We will transition prisons off the National Framework when it becomes safe to do so.
HMPPS does not have a standard definition of ‘retention rates’ however we do publish information on leaving rates which can be used as a proxy. The leaving rate is the number of staff who have left the department in the previous 12 months divided by the average number of people in post over the same period of time. Figures for leaving rates requested can be found in the accompanying Excel file.