Marsha De Cordova

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQs 115573, 115574, 115575 answered on 19 November 2020.

The government continues to assess all of the latest data and evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on different ethnic groups, including the findings of the Office for National Statistics’ analysis on which the BBC article of 9 February was based. This has been summarised in my latest report to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary, which I sent to you on Friday 26 February.

We have taken a number of steps to improve health outcomes for ethnic minority groups, including providing additional funding to the Public Health England Better Health campaign in order to reach Black African, Black Caribbean, Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups. This is in addition to existing efforts within the COVID-19 campaign to engage ethnic minorities. To mitigate the economic effects of COVID-19 we introduced an unprecedented package of support – including boosts to Universal Credit, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Kick-start Scheme – helping to protect incomes, jobs, and support those most in need.

Uptake of vaccines is the best way to protect people from COVID-19 and will save thousands of lives. The government has launched a multi-channel communications campaign to encourage uptake of vaccines among ethnic minority groups and to counter misinformation. We have also provided over £23m in funding to the Community Champions scheme which is enabling local authorities to use trusted local voices to encourage vaccine uptake.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities aims to provide its full report to the Prime Minister by the end of this month. The Commission then intends to publish its results on gov.uk in due course.

I will very shortly be publishing my second quarterly progress report to the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary.

The Equality Data Programme will continue to consider data on a wide range of personal characteristics including ethnicity, age, sex and disability. In addition, we will also consider factors such as socioeconomic status and geography to give a holistic picture of equality.

The socio-economic duty in the Equality Act is, as the legislation stands, a “due regard” duty, and therefore similar in form to the public sector equality duty, which is also a “due regard” duty.

The way that the public sector equality duty is used by some public authorities, as a tick-box exercise, has been criticised on various occasions, including in the 2013 Hayward Review of the Duty; by the 2015-16 House of Lords Committee on the Equality Act 2010 and Disability; and in a number of court judgments, for instance London and Quadrant Housing Trust v Patrick (2019).

For these reasons this Government, like its Conservative predecessors, thinks that it is better to focus on specific policies and practical actions that will deliver real change in tackling poverty and promoting social mobility – for example in education, through a reformed welfare system, and in following through on our manifesto commitment to greater developmental devolution in England and rebalancing the economy with the introduction of schemes such as the Towns Fund.

My first quarterly report to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary of 22 October summarised the evidence available at the time on the role of various factors in increasing the risk of Covid-19 infection and mortality for different ethnic minority groups. This included risk factors such as occupation, population density and household size.

I will shortly be publishing my second quarterly report providing updates where there is further evidence. This will include updates on the role of household composition, geography and occupation in Covid-19 infection rates.

My first report to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary of 22 October summarised the current evidence which shows that a range of socioeconomic and geographical factors such as occupational exposure, population density and household composition, coupled with pre-existing health conditions, contribute to the higher infection and mortality rates for ethnic minority groups. This is stated in the executive summary of my report and in paragraph 20.

As also stated in my report, a small part of the excess risk remains unexplained for some groups, although there is no evidence thus far suggesting that ethnicity on its own is a risk factor. The Race Disparity Unit has been conducting further analysis of risk factors, which I will summarise in my second quarterly report in the coming weeks.

In compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), Whitehall Departments routinely undertake equality assessments of policy and operational changes.

The documentation produced as part of these assessments is often informally referred to as an ‘equality impact assessment’ but production of an equality impact assessment is not a legal requirement, and different documentary formats may be appropriate depending on the function in question.

There is no statutory requirement to publish assessments and there are certainly assessments that are not published. Decisions on publication are a matter for the public body concerned, given the particular circumstances.

There are no plans to implement the socio-economic duty for English and cross-border bodies. Such a general “due regard” duty has the potential to become a tick-box exercise, complied with to minimise the risk of legal challenge rather than to promote real change in social mobility.

The Equality Data Programme will include aggregated, and individual-level, data across a range of themes. We will focus on the themes that matter to individuals’ lives such as the economy, health, education, justice and living standards. We will consider data on a wide range of personal characteristics, including socioeconomic status and geography.

The government believes that the protection of single-sex spaces, as provided for in the Equality Act, is important. The Act makes clear that providers have the right to restrict the use of spaces on the basis of sex, and exclude transgender people, with or without a Gender Recognition Certificate, if this is justified.

At this stage, we are not proposing further legislative guidance but we will keep this under review. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is independent of the government and makes its own decisions in relation to drafting the guidance that it creates and publishes.

Transphobia and misogyny are completely unacceptable and have no place in British society. We are determined that everyone in the UK should be free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their gender identity or sex.

Misogyny is not a hate crime in law, therefore no data is held about specific incidents. The Government has heard concerns about the coverage and effectiveness of existing legislation and asked the Law Commission to undertake a full review of hate crime legislation, which is due to report in early 2021. This includes considering whether there should be additional protections against misogyny or ageism for example, and bring parity to the law by making sexual orientation and transgender hate crimes aggravated offences. We will respond in full when it is complete.

We have funded multiple projects aimed at tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime and have taken steps to bolster the police response to hate crime through supporting additional police training. We have also invested £4m to support schools to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

We want transgender people to be free to live and to prosper in modern Britain. We have looked carefully at the issues raised in the consultation, including the impact of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 on trans people. It is the Government’s view that the balance struck in this legislation is correct, in that there are proper checks and balances in the system and also support for people who want to change their legal sex.

We will make the gender recognition certificate process kinder and more straightforward. We will cut bureaucracy by enabling applications via gov.uk and reduce the fee. We are working with the Ministry of Justice, who lead tribunal fees policy, to agree the new fee level and plan the implementation of this change. We will be consulting relevant stakeholders to ensure implementation works from an operational perspective, but will not be consulting more widely since the GRA consultation provides evidence on people’s views of the fee.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will engage across Government, and with as broad a range of public bodies, the voluntary and private sectors, and members of the public as is possible over the course of its duration.

The Commission will be launching a public call for evidence in due course. Organisations or individuals seeking to submit evidence to the Commission can already do so if they wish - contact details are published on its website. No discussions have been had about organisations to exclude from consultation.

Finally, on 10 August the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, wrote to all of the stakeholders who participated in the Public Health England review thanking them for their contribution and asking whether they wished to be involved in future engagement. A number of the stakeholders responded positively to this and the Race Disparity Unit has included them in its ongoing engagement strategy.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will engage across Government, and with as broad a range of public bodies, the voluntary and private sectors, and members of the public as is possible over the course of its duration.

The Commission will be launching a public call for evidence in due course. Organisations or individuals seeking to submit evidence to the Commission can already do so if they wish - contact details are published on its website. No discussions have been had about organisations to exclude from consultation.

Finally, on 10 August the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, wrote to all of the stakeholders who participated in the Public Health England review thanking them for their contribution and asking whether they wished to be involved in future engagement. A number of the stakeholders responded positively to this and the Race Disparity Unit has included them in its ongoing engagement strategy.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will engage across Government, and with as broad a range of public bodies, the voluntary and private sectors, and members of the public as is possible over the course of its duration.

The Commission will be launching a public call for evidence in due course. Organisations or individuals seeking to submit evidence to the Commission can already do so if they wish - contact details are published on its website. No discussions have been had about organisations to exclude from consultation.

Finally, on 10 August the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, wrote to all of the stakeholders who participated in the Public Health England review thanking them for their contribution and asking whether they wished to be involved in future engagement. A number of the stakeholders responded positively to this and the Race Disparity Unit has included them in its ongoing engagement strategy.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will engage across Government, and with as broad a range of public bodies, the voluntary and private sectors, and members of the public as is possible over the course of its duration.

The Commission will be launching a public call for evidence in due course. Organisations or individuals seeking to submit evidence to the Commission can already do so if they wish - contact details are published on its website. No discussions have been had about organisations to exclude from consultation.

Finally, on 10 August the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, wrote to all of the stakeholders who participated in the Public Health England review thanking them for their contribution and asking whether they wished to be involved in future engagement. A number of the stakeholders responded positively to this and the Race Disparity Unit has included them in its ongoing engagement strategy.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities will engage across Government, and with as broad a range of public bodies, the voluntary and private sectors, and members of the public as is possible over the course of its duration.

The Commission will be launching a public call for evidence in due course. Organisations or individuals seeking to submit evidence to the Commission can already do so if they wish - contact details are published on its website. No discussions have been had about organisations to exclude from consultation.

Finally, on 10 August the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, wrote to all of the stakeholders who participated in the Public Health England review thanking them for their contribution and asking whether they wished to be involved in future engagement. A number of the stakeholders responded positively to this and the Race Disparity Unit has included them in its ongoing engagement strategy.

I am pleased to confirm that my letter to the Honourable Member for Battersea on ethnicity pay reporting was dispatched on 2 July.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Prime Minister on 16 July 2020.

The new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities announced on 14 June will examine continuing race and ethnic disparities in Britain. The aim of the Commission is to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all. The Commission will be chaired by Dr Tony Sewell (CBE).

A list of commissioners and the Commission’s ambitious Terms of Reference, has been placed in the library of both Houses. Commissioners will be supported by a secretariat in the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit and will submit their report by the end of the year.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Prime Minister on 16 July 2020.

The new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities announced on 14 June will examine continuing race and ethnic disparities in Britain. The aim of the Commission is to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all. The Commission will be chaired by Dr Tony Sewell (CBE).

A list of commissioners and the Commission’s ambitious Terms of Reference, has been placed in the library of both Houses. Commissioners will be supported by a secretariat in the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit and will submit their report by the end of the year.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Prime Minister on 16 July 2020.

The new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities announced on 14 June will examine continuing race and ethnic disparities in Britain. The aim of the Commission is to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all. The Commission will be chaired by Dr Tony Sewell (CBE).

A list of commissioners and the Commission’s ambitious Terms of Reference, has been placed in the library of both Houses. Commissioners will be supported by a secretariat in the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit and will submit their report by the end of the year.

The Public Health England (PHE) report, “COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes”, published on 2 June 2020, looks at the COVID-19 mortality rates of different ethnic groups. This rapid review necessarily had some gaps, and as Minister for Equalities, I am now leading further work to build on this by, for example, driving forward work examining the impact of factors such as sub-categories of occupation and co-morbidities; analysing the key drivers of disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, the relationships between different risk factors, and what can be done to close the gap. This work is supported by the Race Disparity Unit in the Cabinet Office.

‘Beyond the Data: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups’, is a separate piece of work that was carried out by the PHE; PHE engaged with a significant number of individuals and organisations within the BAME community to hear their views about the impact of COVID-19 and this informed ‘Beyond the Data’ which was published on 16 June 2020.

In recognition of the unprecedented uncertainty and pressure facing employers due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission suspended enforcement of the gender pay gap reporting deadlines for 2019/20. However, employers can still choose to report their data and we have carried on providing support to those who need it. Over 5,500 employers have reported to date and more continue to do so.

Vaccines are a precious resource and are in very high demand across the world; therefore, for security reasons it is not possible to provide detail about the size of our supplies and exact detail about future deliveries.

We have been monitoring the requirements across the supply chain from supplier through to patients for some time. All vaccine candidates’ supply and onward deployment have clear supply chain plans across the value chain, including materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution. We continue to work to meet our target of vaccinating all four priority groups, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, by the middle of February.

The vaccine is being rolled out as quickly as doses can be supplied and quality checked, with over 4.6 million people already vaccinated across the UK. The UK COVID-19 Vaccines Delivery Plan sets out how the Government will work with the NHS, devolved administrations, local councils, and the Armed Forces to deliver the largest vaccination programme in British history.

Local Authorities work within the guidance provided by the Department to ensure that support is provided where needed. The Department receives weekly progress updates from Local Authorities which includes information on the number and value of grants paid by Local Authorities to date.

A one-year on review of how employers in the UK are performing against the recommendations outlined in the McGregor-Smith Review ‘Race in the workplace’ was conducted in 2018 by Business in The Community and was sponsored by BEIS.

As the Government said in its response to the ‘McGregor-Smith Review’, this was an industry-led review with recommendations that are mostly for the private sector to consider. The Government remains committed to building an economy that works for everyone. This is a mission that needs to start from the top – Chairs, CEOs, and CFOs – to help effect the change and Government stands ready to support all businesses on this. As the Government noted in its response, it is important that all employers play their part in harnessing this potential.

Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.

Following the consultation, Government met with businesses and representative organisations to understand the barriers to reporting and explore what information could be published to allow for meaningful action to be taken. We also ran a voluntary methodology testing exercise with a broad range of businesses to better understand the complexities outlined in the consultation using real payroll data. The Government is continuing to analyse this data and will respond in due course.

A one-year on review of how employers in the UK are performing against the recommendations outlined in the McGregor-Smith Review ‘Race in the workplace’ was conducted in 2018 by Business in The Community and was sponsored by BEIS.

As the Government said in its response to the ‘McGregor-Smith Review’, this was an industry-led review with recommendations that are mostly for the private sector to consider. The Government remains committed to building an economy that works for everyone. This is a mission that needs to start from the top – Chairs, CEOs, and CFOs – to help effect the change and Government stands ready to support all businesses on this. As the Government noted in its response, it is important that all employers play their part in harnessing this potential.

The Government’s ultimate priority has been to act to reduce the high levels of Covid-19 infection and we are taking many steps to protect the long-term financial future of all businesses during the current economic emergency.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of support to help as many individuals and businesses during this difficult period. This includes the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more.

On 24 September, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced his Winter Economy Plan, setting out how current support will evolve and adapt as we move to the next stage of our economic plan. This includes extending and amending the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes to allow businesses more time and greater flexibility to repay their loans, the extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant, and the introduction of a new Jobs Support Scheme. These new measures are in addition to those announced in the Chancellor’s summer statement on 8 July, such as VAT rate cuts, the £1,000 Jobs Retention Bonus, and the Kickstart Scheme.

Businesses can also access tailored advice through our Freephone Business Support Helpline, online via the Business Support website or through their local Growth Hubs in England. Furthermore, the Recovery Advice for Business scheme, supported by the Government and hosted on the Enterprise Nation website, offers small firms access to free, one-to-one advice with an expert adviser to help them through the coronavirus pandemic and to prepare for long-term recovery. Further information can be found at: https://www.enterprisenation.com/freesupport/.

The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support.

The Green Deal scheme closed in 2015. The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme launched on 30^th September 2020 and the scheme administrator will offer alternative means to apply such as by telephone or post.

The scheme is open to all homeowners including park homes on a residential site (including Gypsy and Traveller sites) and residential landlords in private or social rented sectors (including local authorities and housing associations).

All BEIS policies are assessed against their impact on equality. Where the Department’s Covid-19 interventions have been introduced at pace, impact assessments have sometimes been done in parallel with implementation. In cases where schemes are implemented by parties outside the department, delivery partners are required to adhere to all legal requirements and equality assessments.

Government advice is clear. If at all possible, people should work at home and where they cannot, employers should ensure that the work environment is a safe one and follow all relevant public health guidance. This advice applies equally to pregnant women.

Government is determined to ensure that pregnant women do not suffer detriment at work in any circumstances, including where they have followed public heath guidance.

The Coronavirus outbreak has not changed the law on pregnancy and maternity discrimination. There is no place for it under any circumstances. If a pregnant woman is dismissed or made redundant on the grounds of her pregnancy, this is automatically unfair dismissal.

Under Health and Safety at Work legislation, it remains the employer’s responsibility to put in place arrangements to control health and safety risks. There are already specific requirements in place for pregnant workers and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets out the expectations around risk assessments, finding alternative work and medical suspension. HSE will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of workplace risks where it is clear an employer is not following PHE guidance properly.

In terms of new specific coronavirus interventions, Government guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme makes it clear that pregnant women can be furloughed if they and their employer agree, and provided they meet the normal eligibility requirements.

The Department has made a public commitment to work in partnership with my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s Independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities to understand disparities in expulsion rates.

It is clear in guidance on suspension and expulsion that all schools should consider what extra support might be needed to identify and address the needs of children from groups with disproportionately high rates of expulsion.

The Department is pursuing an ambitious programme of work on school behaviour across the school system, including through our £10 million behaviour hubs programme. The Department is also focusing on reforms needed to deliver significantly improved outcomes for children and young people in alternative provision, so that children who are suspended or expelled, and children at risk of suspension or expulsion, receive high quality education and support suited to their individual needs.

The legal duties on schools, local authorities, and health bodies to provide support to children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans are fully in force. As part of the early response to the COVID-19 outbreak, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, did issue notices under the Coronavirus Act 2020 for the months of May to July 2020 that temporarily modified the law over the provision set out in EHC plans. However, when the July notice expired last year, the full duty to secure or arrange provision under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 was reinstated.

The safeguards built into the Coronavirus Act 2020 include that such notices can only be made where this is an ‘appropriate and proportionate action in all the circumstances relating to the incidence or transmission of Coronavirus’. Therefore, this is not a power that can be used without compelling reason. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, continues to keep the need to issue further such notices under review, but he has made it clear that he will not do so unless the evidence changes.

As part of the one year review of the Coronavirus Act 2020, and in line with the announcement of the roadmap, the government has conducted a thorough review of the non-devolved provisions to check that they are necessary and proportionate. We have considered whether there is a robust justification for keeping each power. Where we have concluded that powers are no longer necessary to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are providing for these to expire or be suspended. We do not, however, consider it appropriate at this stage to remove the power to issue notices relating to the law on EHC plans. Use of the power was and remains an important contingency to use swiftly in the event of local authorities, health bodies and education settings again needing flexibility to prioritise their resources in response to the changing demands of the outbreak.

The legal duties on schools, local authorities, and health bodies to provide support to children and young people with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans are fully in force. As part of the early response to the COVID-19 outbreak, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, did issue notices under the Coronavirus Act 2020 for the months of May to July 2020 that temporarily modified the law over the provision set out in EHC plans. However, when the July notice expired last year, the full duty to secure or arrange provision under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 was reinstated.

The safeguards built into the Coronavirus Act 2020 include that such notices can only be made where this is an ‘appropriate and proportionate action in all the circumstances relating to the incidence or transmission of Coronavirus’. Therefore, this is not a power that can be used without compelling reason. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, continues to keep the need to issue further such notices under review, but he has made it clear that he will not do so unless the evidence changes.

As part of the one year review of the Coronavirus Act 2020, and in line with the announcement of the roadmap, the government has conducted a thorough review of the non-devolved provisions to check that they are necessary and proportionate. We have considered whether there is a robust justification for keeping each power. Where we have concluded that powers are no longer necessary to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are providing for these to expire or be suspended. We do not, however, consider it appropriate at this stage to remove the power to issue notices relating to the law on EHC plans. Use of the power was and remains an important contingency to use swiftly in the event of local authorities, health bodies and education settings again needing flexibility to prioritise their resources in response to the changing demands of the outbreak.

All primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England are now expected to provide remote education for the majority of their pupils and students, with the exception of vulnerable children and young people (including those with an Education, Health and Care Plan) and the children of critical workers, who can attend school or college in person. Where vulnerable children and young people and children of critical workers do not attend school or college, the department expects schools and colleges to provide them with remote education.

We have updated the remote education guidance for schools and colleges, including guidance for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to clarify and strengthen expectations while on site attendance is restricted, drawing on our evolving understanding of best practice in remote education. The guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952443/210114_School_national_restrictions_guidance_FINAL_14012021.pdf.

For pupils with SEND, their teachers are best placed to know how the pupils’ needs can be most effectively met to ensure they continue to make progress even if they are not able to be in school due to COVID-19. The requirement for schools to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the pupils’ special educational needs remains in place.

Where possible, special schools should follow the age related guidance for primary schools and secondary schools. For example, for Key Stage 1 children in a special school, a minimum of 3 hours should be the aim on average across the cohort, with less for younger pupils. However, the department expects schools to consider these expectations in relation to the pupils’ stage of development and special educational needs, for example, where this would place significant demands on parents’ help or support.

Schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education and an ambitious curriculum appropriate for their level of need alongside their peers. All further education colleges should give particular consideration of how best to support vulnerable and disadvantaged students and students with SEND who may not be able to access remote education without support.

To ensure pupils with SEND are supported effectively, we have provided additional funding to one of our demonstrators, National Star College, to provide specialist training in assistive technologies to teachers, leaders and SENCOs in all state funded schools in England.  This training will help to secure remote education arrangements for pupils with special educational needs. Advice and guidance is also available to support the development of an inclusive curriculum.

In addition, the department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. Specialist content for pupils with SEND is also available.

Children with vision impairment may be vulnerable children, such as those with education health and care plans, and as such are strongly encouraged to attend school. Braille, large print materials and other essential alternative learning formats should be provided by schools as normal. Where pupils with vision impairment are not in school, we expect schools to provide suitable remote learning materials, which could include braille, large print materials and other essential alternative learning formats.

We are also funding National Star College to provide specialist online training on assistive technology to strengthen remote education provision for pupils with special educational needs.

The department has worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to publish comprehensive guidance based on a system of controls which, when implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, creates an inherently safer environment for staff, pupils and students where the risk of transmission of the infection is substantially reduced. This provides a framework for all schools to put in place proportionate protective measures to measure risk effectively. New guidance has been published on the period during the national lockdown, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

We recognise that social distancing and other protective measures can be harder to implement in specialist settings, particularly when working with children and young people with complex needs, or those who need close contact care. The ’Guidance for full opening: Special Schools and other specialist settings’ has been developed with experts from PHE and provides advice on how special schools and other special education settings specifically can implement a ‘system of controls’ to reduce the risk of transmission. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.

Specialist settings should use their discretion and assess their own individual circumstances to achieve the greatest reduction in contacts. This should not unduly limit the quality or breadth of teaching, or access to support, specialist staff and therapists. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings#the-system-of-controls-protective-measures.

The government is delivering a program of rapid asymptomatic testing from the start of January 2021 for staff, pupils and students in secondary schools and colleges. The Department for Education has provided guidance on delivering asymptomatic testing in specialist settings to support delivering testing in special schools and specialist colleges, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings/mass-asymptomatic-testing-in-specialist-settings. The government also announced that all primary schools, including primary special schools, will receive testing kits for staff from 18 January 2021 with testing of staff commencing from the 25 January.

During the period of national lockdown, primary, secondary, alternative provision, special schools and special post-16 institutions should allow vulnerable children and young people, including those with an education, health and care plan to attend. To support this, on 7 January 2021, we published guidance for schools on the current national lockdown, which is available at the following web link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

On 14 January 2021 we published additional guidance for special school, special post-16 providers and alternative provision during the national lockdown at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952377/Guidance_for_special_schools__specialist_post-16_providers_and_alternative_provision_during_the_national_lockdown.pdf.

This guidance makes clear that specialists, therapists, clinicians and other support staff for pupils can provide interventions as usual where this is reasonably necessary, including where this requires them to move between settings.

On occasions, special schools may encounter circumstances where they cannot provide their usual interventions and provision at adequate staffing ratios, or with staff with vital specialist training. In these circumstances they should seek to resume as close as possible to the specified provision for the child or young person as soon as possible.

Where it is necessary to take this approach, education settings should work collaboratively with families to make these assessments and agree an approach that is in the child or young person’s best interests. This should take into account the support that the child or young person needs and the specific circumstances affecting the family, and their views as to what would be appropriate. Any decisions taken should be regularly reviewed.

The Government has announced that, from 5 January 2021, schools and colleges have moved to remote provision, except for vulnerable children and children of critical workers. In light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department will not be asking pupils to sit GCSE, AS and A level exams this summer as planned.

The Department and Ofqual have launched a two week consultation on how to fairly award all pupils, including pupils with visual impairments and other additional needs, with a grade that supports them to progress to the next stage of their lives.

The consultation proposes that teachers will be supported in awarding grades with the provision of training, guidance, and papers to inform assessments. Guidance materials will be made available after the consultation has closed and the detail of the approach is agreed. The Department would strongly encourage our stakeholders to respond to the consultation.

We will continue to engage with a range of relevant stakeholders, including groups with special educational needs and disabilities, when developing plans for our policy on GCSE, AS and A level assessments in 2021, as will the exams regulator, Ofqual.

Ofqual’s equalities analysis for 2020 can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896443/Equalities_impact_assessment_appeals_consultation_300620.pdf#:~:text=Ofqual%20has%20an%20ongoing%20programme%20of%20work%20to,next%20on%20the%20grade%20awarded%20to%20the%20centre

The Government has announced that, from 5 January 2021, schools and colleges have moved to remote provision, except for vulnerable children and children of critical workers. In light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department will not be asking pupils to sit GCSE, AS and A level exams this summer as planned.

The Department and Ofqual have launched a two week consultation on how to fairly award all pupils, including pupils with visual impairments and other additional needs, with a grade that supports them to progress to the next stage of their lives.

The consultation proposes that teachers will be supported in awarding grades with the provision of training, guidance, and papers to inform assessments. Guidance materials will be made available after the consultation has closed and the detail of the approach is agreed. The Department would strongly encourage our stakeholders to respond to the consultation.

We will continue to engage with a range of relevant stakeholders, including groups with special educational needs and disabilities, when developing plans for our policy on GCSE, AS and A level assessments in 2021, as will the exams regulator, Ofqual.

Ofqual’s equalities analysis for 2020 can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/896443/Equalities_impact_assessment_appeals_consultation_300620.pdf#:~:text=Ofqual%20has%20an%20ongoing%20programme%20of%20work%20to,next%20on%20the%20grade%20awarded%20to%20the%20centre

The decision was taken to increase the scale and reach of our offer in response to the challenges facing our changing economy, by consolidating our support in larger, more comprehensive offers.

The Unionlearn model has its limitations. It is reliant on a trade union presence in the workplace, which is more focused on larger employers and does not necessarily reach the unemployed, self-employed, start-ups and many more small and medium-sized businesses that do not have union representation. The 2018 evaluation by Exeter University found only 2% of people supported through Unionlearn were unemployed and 5% were self-employed.

We are focussing on a much larger and more comprehensive package of training support, including the establishment of a £2.5 billion National Skills Fund to help adults get the skills they need, including the Lifetime Skills Guarantee – to support any adult who does not yet have an A-level equivalent qualification to obtain one. This is in addition to the existing entitlement for adults without English and Maths level 2 qualifications or Basic Digital Skills level 1 to get fully funded support to gain these essential qualifications.

As a result, it was decided not to continue to fund the smaller Unionlearn offer but I can confirm all the money will be invested in skills and retraining that will be fully accessible to everyone.

It is important for schools and colleges to have the freedom to decide what support to offer pupils based on their particular needs and drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. Our survey of mental health provision in schools and colleges in 2016 and 2017 found that 61% of schools and colleges (56% of primary schools, 84% of secondary schools and 93% of colleges) reported offering a counselling service for their pupils.

The department has published guidance on how to put in place effective school-based counselling, which schools can use to identify where further counselling support is appropriate for their pupils. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.

We know that access to mental health support has been more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak. To ensure that staff were equipped to support wellbeing as children and young people returned to schools and colleges, we made it a central part of our guidance on the return to school. We supported this with a range of training and materials, including webinars which have been accessed by thousands of education staff and accelerating training on how to teach about mental health as part of the new relationships, sex and health curriculum, so that all pupils can benefit from this long-term requirement. As part of this, we are investing £8 million in the new Wellbeing for Education Return programme which is funding expert advisers who will be able to train and support schools and colleges, in every area of England, and can make links to available local authority provision, including counselling.

We have also worked hard to ensure that all pupils and learners were able to return to a full high-quality education programme in September. Our £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package, with £650 million shared across schools over the 2020-21 academic year, is supporting education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place.

To increase support further in the long term, we remain committed to our joint green paper delivery programme with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. This includes introducing new mental health support teams linked to schools and colleges, providing training for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, and testing approaches to faster access to NHS specialist support.

As I set out in my letter of 2 September to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their families and carers and those who work to support them, we know that it is critical that all pupils and students can once again benefit from a full-time on-site education 5 days a week. There are a small number of children with complex needs that require aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) to be undertaken where risks need to be carefully managed in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Schools, health, and local authority partners need to work together on how the current guidance applies in their setting and to the specific children they are working with to enable them to return to school safely. We have heard examples of good practice locally and are working with Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England to establish whether any changes to the guidance or further information about practice principles are needed.

It is important that schools communicate clearly with parents on progress towards supporting children who need AGPs to return to school safely and provide remote education, and support if they are unable to do so.

As part of their risk assessment, schools will need to consider measures so that specialists, therapists, clinicians, and other support staff for their pupils can continue to provide support that is needed. Schools should refer to the guidance for special schools, specialist colleges, local authorities and any other settings in managing the needs of children and young people with complex needs, such as AGPs. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings.

The government’s guidance on safe working in education, childcare and children's social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), provides further support on preventing and controlling infection and contains a section on caring for children who need AGPs at Annex A. This guidance reflects advice from PHE and is updated as necessary to reflect current advice. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe.

The department is currently working hard with HM Treasury as part of the Spending Review to understand what resources the education and children’s social care sectors in England need over the coming years. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will set out the department’s settlement when the Spending Review concludes.

In advance of the Spending Review, we have introduced a COVID-19 catch-up premium worth £650 million to support mainstream and special schools to make up for lost teaching time. There is additional weighting for specialist settings, in recognition of the significantly higher per pupil costs they face. Headteachers will decide how this premium is spent, according to the needs of their pupils. Our expectation is that this funding will be spent on additional activities required to support children to catch up. We have also introduced a new £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. This will increase access to high-quality education for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people, helping to accelerate their academic progress and tackling the attainment gap between them and their peers. This includes a £96 million fund for tuition for students aged between 16 and 19 years.

As schools and their kitchens are now open, all children should be able to access a healthy, nutritious meal at school, free to those that are eligible for infant free school meals or benefit-related free school meals. If children are eligible for benefit-related free school meals but are self-isolating we expect catering providers to be in a strong position to support any eligible pupils through food parcels, be those daily or weekly. We have put guidance in place for schools on how they can support children in these circumstances, which is complemented by advice from the schools food trade organisation LACA, and Public Health England on what a good food parcel should comprise. Our latest guidance for schools is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

If a school closes, we would expect its catering team to remain available to assist, and free school meal funding remains available to schools, as it has done throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. We encourage schools to work creatively with their food suppliers on these arrangements. We understand that parcels may not be feasible in all situations and, while this remains the preferred method, schools also have the freedom to make alternative local arrangements.

The Government has provided laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, the Government has provided 4G wireless routers.

The Department has delivered laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts based on the Department’s estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify children and young people who need devices and prioritise their needs.

The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers have been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts in total, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data. As of the end of June, over 202,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers had been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts. This includes 1,073 devices dispatched to Wandsworth Local Authority, in which Battersea is located, for children with a social worker and care leavers and disadvantaged year 10s.

The Department has also launched a service to provide children and young people free access to BT wifi hotspots. 10,000 families will initially be able to access the pilot scheme, which will be rolled out across England in the coming months.

In addition, the Department is also working with the major telecommunications companies to improve internet connectivity for disadvantaged and vulnerable families. For families who rely on a mobile internet connection, mobile network operators are working to provide access to free additional data while the COVID-19 outbreak requires children to learn from home and more social care services are online.

Exclusions data for 2019 are not yet available. The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ has further information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions, the data for which has been presented in the attached table.

The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

Exclusions data for 2019 are not yet available. The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ has further information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions, the data for which has been presented in the attached table.

The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

The information requested is not held centrally, as data on exclusions in 2019 is not yet available.

The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions.

The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

In the national tables, table 1 has overall exclusion rates. The Department does not collect exclusion data for disabled students separately. Table 5 has exclusion rates by Special Educational Needs provision. Table 8 has exclusion information by ethnic group.

The information requested is not held centrally, as data on exclusions in 2019 is not yet available.

The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions.

The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

In the national tables, table 1 has overall exclusion rates. The Department does not collect exclusion data for disabled students separately. Table 5 has exclusion rates by Special Educational Needs provision. Table 8 has exclusion information by ethnic group.

The information requested is not held centrally, as data on exclusions in 2019 is not yet available.

The National Statistics release ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2017 to 2018’ includes information on the number and rate of permanent and fixed period exclusions.

The release is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2017-to-2018.

In the national tables, table 1 has overall exclusion rates. The Department does not collect exclusion data for disabled students separately. Table 5 has exclusion rates by Special Educational Needs provision. Table 8 has exclusion information by ethnic group.

Wine imports to the EU have been subject to the requirement to provide a VI1 certificate for many years. The basis for their introduction was to provide a level of assurance that the wine being imported met the standards required to be marketed in the EU. Over time the VI1 requirement has been relaxed in some cases to allow simplified forms of the certificate to be used, where for instance the exporting country and the EU have reached trade agreements covering the production of wine.

The Withdrawal Act 2018 retained the requirement for third country wines to be accompanied by a VI1 certificate as a means of maintaining that level of assurance. We have not conducted an analysis of the potential impact of the introduction of VI1 measures on the UK’s standing as an international wine hub or the effect it will have on our fine wine trade. However, considering that VI1 provisions already exist for wine imports from other origins such as Australia, USA and Chile, and these wines remain extremely competitive in our and the EU’s marketplaces, we believe the new requirement to be appropriate and affordable. In addition, were we not to apply equal provisions to wine from the EU our policies would risk contravening WTO most favoured nation obligations.

Nevertheless, we do recognise that the rules underpinning detailed VI1 requirements were contained in legislation that had to be made late in the transition period, and that did not provide time for the EU industry to adjust. We have therefore provided an easement until 1 July 2021 in the Food and Drink (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 that will allow scope for EU wine to continue to be imported to GB using commercial documentation, as it did when the UK was subject to EU rules.

Although the easement will still apply to all EU wine imports, the new UK / EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement has established a highly simplified, self-certified VI1 certificate to cover the movement of wine products made in the UK or the EU and moving to the other territory. This will not apply to bulk imports of wine from other origins that are traded between the UK and the EU which will have to continue to meet the basic VI1 requirements. We have therefore introduced streamlined measures to issue VI1 certificates to the trade and ensure that re-exports of bulk wine from other origins bottled in the UK will continue to operate with minimal effect.

As I and colleagues in Government have said on many occasions, leaving the EU gives us the ability to look critically at the laws we have inherited from the EU to ensure they remain fit for purpose. We will consider in due course whether there is a case to revisit the requirement for VI1 certification.

Wine imports to the EU have been subject to the requirement to provide a VI1 certificate for many years. The basis for their introduction was to provide a level of assurance that the wine being imported met the standards required to be marketed in the EU. Over time the VI1 requirement has been relaxed in some cases to allow simplified forms of the certificate to be used, where for instance the exporting country and the EU have reached trade agreements covering the production of wine.

The Withdrawal Act 2018 retained the requirement for third country wines to be accompanied by a VI1 certificate as a means of maintaining that level of assurance. We have not conducted an analysis of the potential impact of the introduction of VI1 measures on the UK’s standing as an international wine hub or the effect it will have on our fine wine trade. However, considering that VI1 provisions already exist for wine imports from other origins such as Australia, USA and Chile, and these wines remain extremely competitive in our and the EU’s marketplaces, we believe the new requirement to be appropriate and affordable. In addition, were we not to apply equal provisions to wine from the EU our policies would risk contravening WTO most favoured nation obligations.

Nevertheless, we do recognise that the rules underpinning detailed VI1 requirements were contained in legislation that had to be made late in the transition period, and that did not provide time for the EU industry to adjust. We have therefore provided an easement until 1 July 2021 in the Food and Drink (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 that will allow scope for EU wine to continue to be imported to GB using commercial documentation, as it did when the UK was subject to EU rules.

Although the easement will still apply to all EU wine imports, the new UK / EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement has established a highly simplified, self-certified VI1 certificate to cover the movement of wine products made in the UK or the EU and moving to the other territory. This will not apply to bulk imports of wine from other origins that are traded between the UK and the EU which will have to continue to meet the basic VI1 requirements. We have therefore introduced streamlined measures to issue VI1 certificates to the trade and ensure that re-exports of bulk wine from other origins bottled in the UK will continue to operate with minimal effect.

As I and colleagues in Government have said on many occasions, leaving the EU gives us the ability to look critically at the laws we have inherited from the EU to ensure they remain fit for purpose. We will consider in due course whether there is a case to revisit the requirement for VI1 certification.

This Government is committed to high standards of animal welfare. We are working to deliver a number of manifesto commitments that will strengthen our position as a world leader in this field at the end of the Transition Period.

We have committed to introduce tougher sentences for animal cruelty. To deliver this, we are currently supporting the passage of a Private Member’s Bill, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, which increases the maximum custodial penalty for the worst animal cruelty offences from six months or an unlimited fine to five years or an unlimited fine.

We will take advantage of our departure from the EU to deliver our manifesto commitment to end excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening of livestock. We have previously run a call for evidence on the topic and will launch a full consultation before the end of the year.

We are continuing to work on delivering our other manifesto commitments, including developing new laws on animal sentience and cracking down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies. We will also be consulting in the near future on our commitments to ban pet primates, introduce mandatory cat microchipping and implement the Ivory Act. We have also committed to ban imports from trophy hunting of endangered animals. We ran a call for evidence and consultation on this issue and the Government will be publishing our response to this as soon as we are able to do so.

In addition to supporting the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, we are considering the best legislative vehicle to bring forward these reforms in the near future.

We committed in our manifesto to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025. As noted in a public paper this summer, we are exploring whether a statutory target for trees in England would be appropriate, under the target setting process proposed by the Environment Bill.

To increase planting in England, we recently consulted on proposals for a new ambitious England Tree Strategy, which will be published in spring 2021. This will set out our long-term vision for trees in England and the policy priorities needed to achieve this, as well as plans for how the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund will support the substantial increase in woodland creation that we have committed to achieving in this Parliament.

Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information below relates to England only.

Good progress has been made for Marine Protected Areas in the inshore area. Over 90 have byelaws in place to prevent activities such as trawling which could damage protected features on the seabed. The Common Fisheries Policy has inhibited our ability to protect offshore areas. At the end of the Transition Period, we will use new powers contained in the Fisheries Bill to put byelaws in place as we have done in the inshore environment. A Call for Evidence for the first sites will be launched shortly, followed by the formal consultation in early 2021.

The MMO will monitor the activity of fishing boats to ensure compliance with protection measures. Not all fishing activities within Marine Protected Areas will require management, only those likely to damage the habitats and species they were set up to protect.

When the transition period ends, the UK will be able to decide which vessels can access our waters and the new licensing framework within the Fisheries Bill will allow us to apply conditions to the activities of all vessels fishing in UK waters. Any vessels granted access to fish in our waters, regardless of nationality, will need to abide by UK rules including those on sustainability.

The Government is working to ensure that approximately 1.8 million people in England identified by the NHS as being at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Coronavirus have access to the food they need. We are also working quickly to support people who do not fall into the category of being clinically extremely vulnerable, but still need help getting essential food supplies. This group includes blind or partially sighted people who may struggle to comply with social distancing in food shops as they often rely on a combination of touch and guiding from another person to navigate.

Defra has been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and local authority chief executives who are leading on vulnerable people to ensure that all local authorities can provide the necessary support to all food-vulnerable people. The vast majority of local authorities have dedicated COVID-19 helplines and accessible resources for people who need support and help to access food. Local authorities are establishing networks of local volunteers and linking in with the voluntary and community sector to deliver groceries to people who do not have friends, family or neighbours who can shop for them.

Supermarkets have been working at pace to expand the total number of delivery and click and collect slots and we are working with major retailers to ensure that they prioritise delivery slots for those who are most vulnerable and at risk, including the blind or partially sighted.

As set out in the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs), fees are calculated based on actual performance and financial efficiency. The ERMAs require train operating companies to act efficiently. If operators perform poorly then fees can be reduced to nil, dividends not permitted and potentially, further penalties incurred.

The Department was informed of South Western Railway’s plans on 5 August 2020.

Under the terms of the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement, South Western Railway was required to seek the approval of the Secretary of State to terminate the Elior catering contract.

It had became clear to South Western Railway and Elior that in the current circumstances the terms of the contract were not financially viable.

The South Western Railway Franchise Agreement does not specify that catering services should be provided by a particular catering company. The Franchise Agreement Committed Obligation to provide on-board catering has been waived for the remainder of the current Franchise Term as part of the Emergency Measures Agreement and Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement.

The provisions of the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 in relation to seeking for exemption from accessibility standard(s) are unchanged by the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements.

The ERMAs (Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements) preserve the existing accessibility obligations under the franchise agreements, they also include an additional requirement that TOCs undertake a diversity impact assessment on all projects that will or may affect the interests of persons with protected characteristics.

The Secretary of State can confirm that no applications under the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 has been received from South Western Railway in relation to passengers who are wheelchair users at Liphook station.

The Secretary of State publishes an Annual Report to Parliament on the granting of exemptions and dispensations against accessibility standards. Reports are available from 2010 onwards and the most recent report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-vehicle-accessibility-regulations-exemption-orders-annual-report-2019.

The 2020 annual report will be published shortly, which contains the details of the one exemption granted under the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 in 2020 and the one application received.

All requests for exemption are subject to public consultation and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-rvar-exemption-orders/list-of-rail-vehicle-accessibility-regulations-exemption-orders

Details on the level of compliance in each operator’s fleet can be found in the regular statistics publication on accessible rail vehicles https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-rail-vehicles-built-or-refurbished-to-modern-accessibility-standards.

Ministerial decisions on International Travel Corridors are informed by risk assessments provided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), working closely with Public Health England (PHE), using a methodology endorsed by the four Chief Medical Officers of the UK which has been published on GOV.UK.

Risk assessments focus on the public health risk, posed by incoming travellers, to the UK population. The JBC and PHE monitor information from over 250 countries, territories and islands daily to inform these risk assessments.

The Government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including removing countries from the Travel Corridors list rapidly if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.

The African nations of Namibia, Rwanda, and Mauritius and the Seychelles are currently on the Travel Corridors list.

It is extremely disappointing that some train carriages were not made fully accessible by the December 31 2019 deadline.

The Department has reluctantly granted dispensations for some carriages that have not yet met modern accessibility standards, these are time limited and on a case by case basis. If all non-compliant trains had been removed from service on December 31 2019 there would have been a disproportionately negative effect on the provision of services for passengers.

A full list of rolling stock and their associated exemption expiry dates is publicly available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exemptions-from-rail-vehicle-accessibility-regulations-and-their-expiry-dates

(a) Entitlement to Child Benefit is dependent on a person making a claim for it and is payable to a person responsible for the child or qualifying young. All claimants are treated equally within the administration of Child Benefit, with the exception that payments can be made weekly rather than four-weekly for lone parents.

(b) The amount of NICs payable is dependent on the person’s earnings and there is no difference in this regard between lone parents and non-lone parents.

(c) The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. All carers are treated equally within the administration of Carer’s Allowance.

(d) Under Universal Credit (UC), comprehensive support is provided to lone parents. There is help available for childcare costs for children of any age. Claimants can recover up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs through UC (or 70% of those costs through working tax credits). Further assistance may be available through the Flexible Support Fund. Jobcentre Plus staff can help parents to find work that fits around childcare responsibilities and provide intensive support to lone parents. UC is designed to make work pay, so not all of a person’s net earnings are deducted from UC. Claimants with children and/or disabilities will benefit from a work allowance which means they can keep either: £293 per month if they also receive housing costs element, or £515 per month if they don’t receive any housing costs element.

Businesses must control the risks in their workplace including those from COVID-19. The first step is to conduct a risk assessment. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has detailed web guidance on COVID risk assessments which complements information on Gov.UK about Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) and that published by the Welsh & Scottish Governments. Businesses are responsible for implementing the controls identified by this risk assessment.

HSE and Local Authorities use a range of interventions to influence, encourage and advise business and, where necessary, hold to account those who fail to meet their responsibilities. Throughout the pandemic, HSE has engaged with businesses through the three stage Spot Check process which includes phone calls and, where face to face contact is necessary, site visits. Determining whether businesses have implemented the controls identified by this risk assessment is a central part of the process.

HSE has to date conducted 183,632 COVID related spot checks in 2020/21.

It is the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that the responsibility for supporting disabled candidates sits with political parties, and they should lead the way in improving diverse representation.

Government will continue to discuss the representation of disabled people in politics with parties and encourage them to put in place their own arrangements to attract and support disabled candidates.

It is still possible to take up employment without a NINo. Irish nationals can evidence their right to work in the UK by providing their passport or National Identity card and right to work checks carried out by all employers do not include the provision of a NINo.

The digital service to apply for National Insurance numbers (NINos) requires a manual identity check, either by DWP or another Government Department. The service is currently available to applicants who have already been through an identity verification process by another Government Department, primarily the Home Office or the UK Passport Agency.

Residents of the Common Travel Area, such as Irish Nationals, are not required to seek permission to live and work in the UK, and therefore do not have their identity verified by another Government Department. This means that DWP need to confirm their identity at a face to face interview, prior to allocating a NINo.

This service is currently suspended, due to Covid19 restrictions. It will be made available when DWP face to face services resume, in line with the easing of Covid19 restrictions.

It is still possible to take up employment without a NINo. Irish nationals can evidence their right to work in the UK by providing their passport or National Identity card and right to work checks carried out by all employers do not include the provision of a NINo.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given for PQ 148795.

EU Nationals who moved to the UK after March 2020 and prior to December 2020 are eligible to apply for a National Insurance number.

Prior to allocating a National Insurance Number, the applicant’s identity must be confirmed. For those who have already had their identity verified through another government department, primarily the Home Office, they are able to apply for a National Insurance Number. This includes EU/EEA nationals who have been granted settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme

We have no plans to make any changes to the £16,000 savings limit, and no recent discussions have taken place to that effect.

The limit strikes a balance between protecting less well-off people and the taxpayer, whilst at the same time encouraging saving.

There have been no discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on extending eligibility for contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance during the covid-19 outbreak.

People who are entitled to contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or whose entitlement ends before they find employment, may have access to income-related support through Universal Credit. Entitlement will depend on individual circumstances.

The Secretary of State has complied with her duties under the Equality Act 2010 in respect of Covid 19 policies.

ONS estimate redundancies using the Labour Force Survey. The latest figures can be found at;

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/redundancies/datasets/redundancieslevelsandratesseasonallyadjustedred01sa

There is no data currently available by either ONS or HMRC on the impact of the furlough scheme by gender as a result of covid-19.

It is vital that public health information reaches everyone across the United Kingdom. The Cabinet Office has issued internal guidance to every government department reiterating their duties under the Equality Act 2010. This is to ensure that all communications are fully accessible in order that they reach everyone in appropriate, inclusive formats.

We have already shared this guidance with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and Action on Hearing Loss (AoHL) because we have been working closely with them during this time.

The internal guidance to departments will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

The Government recognises that as with other households, the income of many separated parents is being impacted by the public health emergency and some receiving parents may receive less maintenance as a result of a paying parent’s drop in income.

We are however clear that no parent should be using this time as an excuse not to pay what they owe. Those found to be abusing the system at this difficult time could find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers once the emergency passes.

We have made a number changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These include increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit and working tax credit for this year by around £1000 per year. People who need money urgently continue to be able to access up to a month’s Universal Credit advance upfront by applying online. In addition, Statutory Sick Pay now applies from day one, rather than the fourth day of illness. We are increasing in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest third of local rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

Taken together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Access to Work is keen to continue to support disabled people whether working in the workplace or at home. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Access to Work have implemented a number of easements to support customers, one of these easements is removing the need for customers to obtain a physical signature from either their employer or support worker.

From 23^rd April, Access to Work will not require a physical signature from employers or support workers to validate customer claims. Instead the employer or support worker will be able to send in an email confirmation to support the claim, or the customer can attach the email to their claim form.

Recognising that some customers have expressed concerns about still having to sign claim forms and post them, Access to Work is exploring alternative ways of accepting claim forms and customer signatures.

Special arrangements will be in place for people in receipt of benefits who cannot attend Work Capability Assessments or Jobcentre Plus appointments because they are self-isolating or infected by coronavirus.

a) Disabled and sick claimants who cannot attend a Work Capability Assessment will continue to receive their payments while their assessment is rearranged.

b) Claimants should tell us ahead of a Jobcentre Plus appointment if they are unable to attend because they are self-isolating or have been diagnosed with Covid-19, to avoid a sanction. Where conditionality requirements are still appropriate, these will be tailored to the claimant’s circumstances, for example, having the appointment over the phone instead of face-to-face, so it is realistic and achievable.

Latus Health have been removed from the list of private providers for day two and eight testing hosted on GOV.UK.

The Government is committed to working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost of travel testing. Private providers of travel tests must meet the minimum standards for COVID-19 testing services and those processing tests or taking swabs must also be at the relevant stage of United Kingdom Accreditation Service accreditation. These providers are listed on GOV.UK. The Department monitors all providers’ performance.

To ensure there is adequate provision, the Government has also made NHS Test and Trace testing available at the market mid-point to ensure tests are available at an appropriate cost.

The Chief Midwifery Officer for England is leading work to reduce health inequalities around maternal and perinatal mortality. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working to develop an equity strategy that will focus on reducing disparities. In January, the Department launched a £7.6 million Health and Wellbeing Fund which aims to reduce health inequalities among new mothers and babies.

Since its introduction, costs for travel testing has fallen significantly.

Charging by private providers is based on a market model and the Government has made NHS Test and Trace testing available at the market mid-point to ensure appropriately priced tests are available. A list of providers offering testing bundles for international arrivals, which can be filtered by cost, is available on GOV.UK to find an appropriately priced test. We also offer deferred payment plans and hardship support for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of managed quarantine and testing.

The public consultation period on the Reforming the Mental Health Act white paper ended on 21 April 2021. We are now analysing the consultation responses and will respond with a formal report later this year. This will inform the development of our planned Mental Health Bill which will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.

All Government policy is developed in a way that supports people’s fundamental rights, such as those set out in the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.

In England, the Disabled Facilities Grant supports older and disabled people on low incomes, to adapt their homes to make suitable for their needs. We also provide funding to build specialised housing through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund for older people and adults with learning and physical disabilities and mental ill-health.

In addition, we are working closely with the Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit on a national strategy for disabled people, aimed at improving the lives of disabled people, removing barriers and extending opportunities. The strategy is expected to be published shortly.

In the Reforming the Mental Health Act White Paper we set out proposals to limit the scope to detain people with a learning disability or autistic people under the Act. Autism or a learning disability would not be considered mental disorders warranting compulsory treatment.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits increased investment in intensive, crisis and forensic community support for people with a learning disability and autistic people which will enable more people to receive personalised care in the community, closer to home and reduce preventable admissions to inpatient services.

Almost all in-person polymerase chain reaction test results are received the day after the test is taken - 98.6% for week 8 to 14 April. This improvement in turnaround times has been a result of continued focus on operational improvements, including the use of robotics.

Anyone living in the United Kingdom, including those on temporary visas, can receive the vaccine free of charge in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s prioritisation groups.

If individuals are registered with a general practitioner (GP), their GP will contact them in due course. If they are not registered with a GP, the GP COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 Enhanced Service Specification enables practices working within their Primary Care Network groupings from shared vaccination sites to vaccinate unregistered patients provided they are eligible.

A National Health Service number is not a pre-requisite to be offered the vaccine. The provision of the COVID-19 vaccine is a primary medical service and will be offered to all individuals living in the United Kingdom. If individuals are registered with a general practitioner (GP), their practice will contact them in due course. If they are not registered with a GP, NHS regional teams, working with various appropriate local systems, will contact unregistered people to ensure they are offered the vaccine.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s latest survey of 108 trusts indicated that in October 2020, services had continuity of carer teams in place to offer continuity to 15.9% of women. That represents 2,322 midwives offering continuity of care to an estimated 94,000 women. Of these teams, over 60% or 214 were reported as being placed in areas of deprivation and approximately half or 165 in areas with high proportions of black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups.

Information on the proportion of new mothers from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds offered continuity of carer in 2019-20 and 2020-21 is not available. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with trusts to improve the quality of data recorded in maternity information systems, so provision of continuity of carer can be evidenced nationally from routine care records of all women, including those that are of black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups, or living in deprived areas.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s latest survey of 108 trusts indicated that in October 2020, services had continuity of carer teams in place to offer continuity to 15.9% of women. That represents 2,322 midwives offering continuity of care to an estimated 94,000 women. Of these teams, over 60% or 214 were reported as being placed in areas of deprivation and approximately half or 165 in areas with high proportions of black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups.

Information on the proportion of new mothers from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds offered continuity of carer in 2019-20 and 2020-21 is not available. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with trusts to improve the quality of data recorded in maternity information systems, so provision of continuity of carer can be evidenced nationally from routine care records of all women, including those that are of black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups, or living in deprived areas.

The Department welcomes the publication of Care Quality Commission’s report into the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions taking during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to the recommendations set out in the report. We will establish a Ministerial Oversight Group to bring together partners across health and social care to implement improvements in DNACPR decisions and ensure everyone receives the compassionate care they deserve.

The Care Act 2014 easements provision in the Coronavirus Act 2020 was intended as a temporary measure to help local authorities continue to meet the most urgent needs in the face of COVID-19. Our most recent two-monthly review of the provision sought views from across the adult social care sector, including care providers, local authorities, and groups representing recipients of care and support. This review concluded that the easements are no longer needed. For this reason, we considered it appropriate to expire the provision and regulations were laid on 21 April 2021 using the draft affirmative procedure.

Public Health England has published braille, and large print versions of COVID-19 vaccination leaflets which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-what-to-expect-after-vaccination/what-to-expect-after-your-covid-19-vaccination

Vaccination sites are subject to the same standards as all health care services to support people with accessibility needs, including those with visual impairments. This includes ensuring good lighting and clear signage. Furthermore, marshals and staff help people attending vaccination centres navigate through the centre safely. Additionally, people can choose the most appropriate vaccination service to suit their needs.

We have opened the National Booking Service to eligible frontline health or social care workers which provides an additional option for them to access a vaccination appointment at a time and place that is convenient for them. Furthermore, a programme of work is underway at the national and local level to support and encourage vaccine uptake among staff in health and social care working in all settings. The National Health Service has produced guidance to support NHS organisations in vaccinating their workforce including engagement guides, checklists, and frequently asked questions documents.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) supports research in response to proposals from the research community and welcomes high-quality applications for support into any aspect of human health, including inherited genetic retinal diseases. These proposals are subject to peer review and judged in open competition. The amount of the NIHR’s funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

On 9 January 2021, the Government published the United Kingdom Rare Diseases Framework, outlining four key priorities for how the UK will improve the lives of those living with rare diseases. Pioneering research is included as one of the five underpinning themes. The Framework will be followed by nation-specific actions plans, detailing how each administration will meet the shared priorities of the Framework.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is working with NHS Digital to develop a registry to monitor the use of valproate and compliance with the current regulatory position, and to monitor any children born to women on valproate. A report detailing the findings from the first stage of the registry was published in January. Work is now ongoing to extend the registry to include to women in the devolved administrations. As recommended in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDSR), it will be further developed to include all women prescribed an antiepileptic drug. This has been prioritised within the next phase of development.

The conclusions of the Commission on Human Medicines’ safety review of epilepsy medicines in pregnancy were communicated publicly to support decisions around the best treatment options for girls and women. These communications were via the MHRA’s Drug Safety Update bulletin, an accompanying public assessment report and a patient safety leaflet. A news release and social media accompanied the publication alongside email alerts that targeted relevant healthcare professionals, prescribing publications and professional organisations. The MHRA is also working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of British Neurologists to update relevant clinical guidance to reflect the findings of the review. The impact of this review and the uptake of communications will be monitored and consideration be given to the need for further communications to healthcare professionals.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research in maternal and neonatal health focussing on the safety of maternity and neonatal services, and the national maternity ambition to halve maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injury by 2025. The NIHR has funded three studies on anti-epilepsy medication use during pregnancy. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including safer medicines for pregnant women with epilepsy.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is working with NHS Digital to develop a registry to monitor the use of valproate and compliance with the current regulatory position, and to monitor any children born to women on valproate. A report detailing the findings from the first stage of the registry was published in January. Work is now ongoing to extend the registry to include to women in the devolved administrations. As recommended in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDSR), it will be further developed to include all women prescribed an antiepileptic drug. This has been prioritised within the next phase of development.

The conclusions of the Commission on Human Medicines’ safety review of epilepsy medicines in pregnancy were communicated publicly to support decisions around the best treatment options for girls and women. These communications were via the MHRA’s Drug Safety Update bulletin, an accompanying public assessment report and a patient safety leaflet. A news release and social media accompanied the publication alongside email alerts that targeted relevant healthcare professionals, prescribing publications and professional organisations. The MHRA is also working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of British Neurologists to update relevant clinical guidance to reflect the findings of the review. The impact of this review and the uptake of communications will be monitored and consideration be given to the need for further communications to healthcare professionals.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research in maternal and neonatal health focussing on the safety of maternity and neonatal services, and the national maternity ambition to halve maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injury by 2025. The NIHR has funded three studies on anti-epilepsy medication use during pregnancy. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including safer medicines for pregnant women with epilepsy.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is working with NHS Digital to develop a registry to monitor the use of valproate and compliance with the current regulatory position, and to monitor any children born to women on valproate. A report detailing the findings from the first stage of the registry was published in January. Work is now ongoing to extend the registry to include to women in the devolved administrations. As recommended in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDSR), it will be further developed to include all women prescribed an antiepileptic drug. This has been prioritised within the next phase of development.

The conclusions of the Commission on Human Medicines’ safety review of epilepsy medicines in pregnancy were communicated publicly to support decisions around the best treatment options for girls and women. These communications were via the MHRA’s Drug Safety Update bulletin, an accompanying public assessment report and a patient safety leaflet. A news release and social media accompanied the publication alongside email alerts that targeted relevant healthcare professionals, prescribing publications and professional organisations. The MHRA is also working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of British Neurologists to update relevant clinical guidance to reflect the findings of the review. The impact of this review and the uptake of communications will be monitored and consideration be given to the need for further communications to healthcare professionals.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research in maternal and neonatal health focussing on the safety of maternity and neonatal services, and the national maternity ambition to halve maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injury by 2025. The NIHR has funded three studies on anti-epilepsy medication use during pregnancy. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including safer medicines for pregnant women with epilepsy.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is a primary care service and is free to everyone living in England, including all overseas visitors, regardless of their immigration status or nationality.

If individuals are registered with a general practitioner (GP), then their GP will contact them in due course. If they are not registered with a GP, National Health Service regional teams, working with various appropriate local systems will contact unregistered people to ensure they are offered the vaccine.

On 24 February 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published a clarification of their advice on vaccinating people with a learning disability. They confirmed their view that priority should be given to those with a severe and profound learning disability and supported a practical approach of inviting everyone on the general practice Learning Disability Register for vaccination in cohort six.

The JCVI also supported the planned approach to work with local authorities to identify those in residential and nursing care and those who required support, for example as part of assisted living in the community and those in shared accommodation with multiple occupancy, to ensure this population could be offered vaccination.

The Minister for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) is leading cross Government work to tackle COVID-19 disparities experienced by ethnic minority groups. The second quarterly report was published on 26 February 2021. Action to address broader health inequalities will be informed by the work of the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. The Commission is currently finalising its report, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister on 10 March.

In developing the Care Act 2014 easements provision under the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Department engaged with stakeholders to ensure the needs of all groups were considered as part of our Public Sector Equality Duties. We have undertaken reviews of the provision at two-monthly intervals as required by the Act, working closely with the Care Quality Commission, Think Local, Act Personal and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to understand the impact on individuals. Their feedback has been reflected in my review conclusions and in updates to guidance. To improve transparency, we introduced a mechanism for local authorities to notify us when they are operating under easements and their reasons for doing so. How people access services is determined by individual local authorities, who are responsible for complying with the Equality Act 2020.

NHS England publishes weekly data on the vaccination of care home residents and staff which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

Data on vaccine refusals is not collected.

Our guidance says that those residents with the highest care needs can now nominate an ‘essential care giver’. These visitors will be able to visit in order to provide essential care. They will have the same testing and personal protective equipment arrangements as care home staff so that they can also provide extra support, like help with washing and dressing or eating well.

We have commissioned research through the National Institute for Health Research to address the immediate priorities of people living with dementia and their carers.

New visiting arrangements began on 8 March. Every care home should ensure that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits.

Those residents with the highest care needs can also receive visits from a family member or friend who is an ‘essential care giver’. Following agreement between the care home, resident and their family or friends, these visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide care that is critical to the resident’s immediate health and wellbeing. They will have the same testing and personal protective equipment arrangements as care home staff so that they can also provide extra support, like help with washing and dressing or eating well.

We will assess the data and take a decision on opening up further opportunities for visiting, setting out a plan for the next phase of visits for people in residential care.

All available vaccine doses are being delivered to vaccination sites regularly. Targeted deliveries are being made to areas where there are more people left to vaccinate in the priority cohorts, proportionate to the at-risk population they have registered. This should allow any existing disparities to be addressed. The opening of more Community pharmacies and additional vaccination centres across the country will ensure access for everyone.

The Department has been working closely with Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide accessible information to the public on COVID-19 vaccination. This includes a series of leaflets, posters and flyers which have been developed in various formats including Braille, British Sign Language video, large print and easy read on GOV.UK.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s learning disability and autism programme has worked collaboratively across the National Health Service, with Public Health England and other partners to support the delivery of reasonable adjustments in the vaccination programme. This has included a range of training resources for vaccination teams on communicating with people with a learning disability and autism and making reasonable adjustments to training materials for COVID 19 vaccinators and volunteers. A general film on vaccinations for individuals with learning disabilities and autism can also be accessed on the NHS website.

Public Health England publish data on people testing positive for COVID-19 by ethnicity at the national level in their surveillance reports, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports

NHS England and NHS Imprvement publish weekly data on COVID-19 vaccinations, including vaccinations by ethnicity at a national and regional level, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

NHS England and NHS Improvement also publish weekly data on the deaths of patients who have died in hospitals in England and tested positive for COVID-19. This contains breakdowns by ethnicity and can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/weekly-total-archive/

Data on the number of Covid-19 tests taken by people who are Black, Asian or from minority ethnic backgrounds at national and regional level is not centrally held.

We aim to publish this strategy, subject to COVID-19 pressures, at the earliest opportunity in spring 2021.

Data on a patient’s ethnicity is recorded on the National Immunisation Management System and on a patient’s general practitioner record at the point of vaccination. There is clear evidence that certain black, Asian and minority ethnic groups have higher rates of infection and higher rates of serious disease, morbidity and mortality. Whilst there is no strong evidence that ethnicity is the sole explanation for this, it is important to capture ethnicity data to understand the level of uptake in different groups.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI have advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.

The Committee considers frontline health and social care workers who provide care to vulnerable people a high priority for vaccination. Non-clinical staff in secondary or primary care/community healthcare settings are also included in the definition of front-line health workers. This includes non-clinical ancillary staff who may have social contact with patients but are not directly involved in patient care. This group includes some receptionists, ward clerks, porters and cleaners.

The Department is working with Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement and key stakeholders to encourage uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The Department is also working with community press, TV and radio stations to deliver information on vaccination in over a dozen languages.

Activity is also focusing on working with trusted voices such as healthcare personnel, faith leaders, community influencers and community organisations for priority multicultural audiences, with a particular focus on Muslim, Polish, black African and Caribbean and Jewish communities. The Department is building on pre-existing relationships and established channels as well as reaching out to more influencers through virtual sessions.

On 1 December, we published updated guidance to enable visits to take place for care home residents once national restrictions end. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus

The flu vaccination is recommended for those in at risk groups, and frontline health and social care workers who have direct contact with patients, so they can protect themselves and the vulnerable people that they care for. This is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Responsibility for offering a free flu vaccination to frontline health and social care workers rests with their employers, as part of their occupational health responsibility.

Teachers and other key workers, aside from frontline health and care staff, who are not in an at-risk group are not eligible for a free flu vaccination. However, they may have access to the flu vaccine under their employers’ occupational health scheme.

The Health Act 2006 and the subsequent Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2006 made it illegal to smoke in public enclosed or substantially enclosed areas and workplaces. The are no current plans to change this legislation. However, organisations can make their own non-smoking policies for outside space which is not captured under the Act or Regulations.

Since the Prime Minister established the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in July of this year, it has met with a broad range of stakeholders across sectors around the UK, in each of its priority areas. It has also held evidence gathering sessions with a range of external stakeholders and influencers, and launched a call for evidence on 26 October.

The Commission will aim to report its findings to the Prime Minister at the end of the year.

The Commission is independent, and its Commissioners have been appointed by the Prime Minister.

We appreciate the particular challenges visiting restrictions pose for people with dementia and their loved ones.

On 15 October we published updated visiting guidance for care homes. Care homes can develop a policy for limited visits, following the advice set out in this guidance. This should be on the basis of a dynamic risk assessment which takes into account circumstances and needs of the individual care setting including both residents and staff, and the external COVID-19 environment including local COVID alert levels. This should include an assessment of whether residents’ needs make them particularly clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and if they make visits particularly important. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on-policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

This guidance will be updated as the risk posed by COVID-19 continues to change.

There is no definition of birth included in guidance produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists but the guidance is clear that women should be encouraged to have one birth partner, who has no symptoms of COVID-19, present with them during any type of labour and birth, unless the birth occurs under general anaesthetic.

There are no plans in place for a dedicated audit into national secondary breast cancer.

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations. The programme currently consists of over 30 national clinical audits, six clinical outcome review programmes and the National Joint Registry.

The existing audit of breast cancer in older women does include some sections on women with metastatic breast cancer. The latest audit is available at the following link:

https://www.hqip.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/REF212_NABCOP-2020-Annual-Report-V1_high-res_20200702.pdf

Final year students in receipt of the bursary whose studies were disrupted by the pandemic will receive a pro-rated 2019/20 bursary for the period of their course extension to enable them to complete their studies.

The NHS Business Services Authority administer the social work bursaries and we would encourage any student who needs a course extension to speak directly to their university who can advise on requesting one through the NHS Business Services Authority process.

Healthcare for transgender people did not fall within the scope of consultation on how to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

In 2018 a new service specification was developed for gender identity clinics, this new specification concluded that access to specialist interventions by trained healthcare professionals was needed within primary care and other local health settings. As a result, three new clinics were announced earlier this year. The clinics are based in London, Manchester, and Cheshire and Merseyside. The first of these services began in July 2020 in London and they will be evaluated as pilots over a period of up to three years to determine how they could be expanded nationally.

Access to these new services will initially be given to people who are already on a waiting list at an established Gender Dysphoria Clinic and it is expected that the three new services will reduce the current national waiting list for gender services.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) is reviewing the findings from Public Health England’s reports to better understand the drivers behind the disparities in the risk and outcomes from COVID-19 and the relationships between the different risk factors. Her work will help us to improve understanding of the virus and who it affects so we can build on and protect our most vulnerable communities the existing action. This includes our childhood obesity plan, National Health Service health checks, our tobacco control plan and diabetes prevention programme.

The adult social care COVID-19 taskforce worked with a broad range of stakeholders, including residential and domiciliary care providers and representatives of those who receive care to produce recommendations for the Government in supporting the adult social care sector through a potential second wave and the winter.

‘Adult social care: our COVID-19 winter plan 2020 to 2021’ drew on the recommendations of the taskforce, advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England, to set out the actions the Government would take to support the sector, along with the steps local authorities, the National Health Service and care providers should take to prevent and control COVID-19 outbreaks. This plan draws extensively on lessons learned from first wave.

Under the Coronavirus Act 2020, all provisions must be reviewed every two months and debated every six months. The first debate occurred on 28 September 2020. The Department has kept the Care Act 2014 easements under review and, on the basis of expert clinical and social care advice, has concluded that they have been used appropriately by local authorities and should remain in place at this time.

We have quickly established walk-through sites and deployed mobile test sites so that almost all universities are within one and a half miles, allowing staff and students to get access to tests should they develop symptoms.

In cases of outbreaks we are working with universities to deliver large batches of home test kits which can then be distributed to students isolating in their households or halls of residence to test themselves. We also have a home testing programme that provides access to testing to anyone, anywhere, in the United Kingdom.

To support adult social respond to growing demand and pressures, we have provided councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care in 2020/21.

We have now made £3.7 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care. On 17 September 2020 we announced the extension of the Infection Control Fund, meaning we have provided over £1.1 billion of ring-fenced funding for infection control throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government will continue to monitor pressures on adult social care. Decisions on future funding will be set out at the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn.

The nearest testing sites for Battersea residents are at Grosvenor Hall, Vincent Street, Westminster and Wheatsheaf Community Hall, Wheatsheaf Lane in Lambeth. Between 12 November and 18 November, the median distance to a testing site was 2.5 miles, nationally.

All 217 National Health Service trusts submitted data on 31 July and 81% of known at risk staff and 92% of known black, Asian and minority ethnic staff had received risk assessments with mitigating steps agreed where necessary.

Also on 31 July, Sir Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive for NHS England and NHS Improvement, wrote to NHS organisations regarding the third phase of the NHS response to COVID-19 and supplementary material to support implementation was published on 7 August. This makes it clear to NHS systems that the continued deployment of risk assessments on an ongoing basis must remain a priority for the duration of the pandemic.

The Department has made no such estimate.

The National Health Service is making arrangements to ensure that women are supported and cared for safely through pregnancy, birth and the period afterwards during this pandemic.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published a new Framework to assist NHS trusts to reintroduce access for partners, visitors and other supporters of pregnant women in English maternity services on 8 September which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/09/par001599-framework-for-the-reintroduction-of-visitors-throughout-maternity-services-sep-2020.pdf

We expect trusts to use this Framework and consider as a priority how access for partners, visitors and other supporters of pregnant women can be reintroduced whilst maintaining the safety of all service users, staff and visitors.

NHS England and NHS Improvement endorses the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s definitions of all stages of labour which can be found in Clinical guideline [CG190] on Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies. We expect all National Health Service trusts and bodies to give due regard to the guidance, but we do not collect data on the definitions that trusts use.

NHS England and NHS Improvement do not hold data on the numbers of trusts allowing partners to attend routine antenatal appointments, including scans. On 8 September 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published a Framework to assist all National Health Service trusts to reintroduce access for partners, visitors and other supporters of pregnant women in maternity services in England, developed in partnership with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Royal College of Midwives and the Society and College of Radiographers. NHS England and NHS Improvement expect trusts to now use this Framework and consider how access for partners, visitors and other supporters of pregnant women can be safely reintroduced to maternity services as a priority.

The Framework document is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/09/par001599-framework-for-the-reintroduction-of-visitors-throughout-maternity-services-sep-2020.pdf

In 2018/19 there were 5,137 people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 whose ethnicity was recorded as Black or Black British. Analysis of length of stay and length of detention has not yet been undertaken. This analysis is complex and as such would exceed the proportionate costs available to answer this question.

Detentions are made under the Mental Health Act 1983 to enable the treatment of patients who require care in hospital for their mental health and who may otherwise present a risk to themselves or others. The operation of the Mental Health Act 1983 is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, which produces an annual report, Monitoring the Mental Health Act, the most recent edition of which is available at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/major-report/monitoring-mental-health-act-201819

There are no plans to develop a national eye health strategy. Given the size of England, and the diversity of the health needs of different communities, we believe commissioning needs to be owned and managed locally.

However, no specific assessment has been made of the effects of medical research on finding solutions to the capacity issues faced by National Health Service ophthalmology services. We welcome medical research and the contribution it makes to the development of better treatments, improved diagnostics, prevention, care and quality of life for everyone.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s outpatient transformation programme is working with key stakeholders to help local systems redesign and improve outpatient services across primary and secondary care, including ophthalmology, so that trusts are better able to meet future demand.

Early in the pandemic a decision was taken to pause many of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded and supported studies to enable the research workforce to focus on delivering the nationally prioritised COVID-19 studies or enabling redeployment to frontline care where necessary. We have now entered a new phase of the pandemic: the NIHR is working towards the restoration of research funded and/or supported by the NIHR – including research on eye conditions.

The NIHR has awarded £48.3 million through its Programmes for research regarding eye conditions and has supported a further £97.9 million of research through its infrastructure between 2010/11 and 2018/19. UK Research and Innovation has funded £54.1 million on research regarding eye conditions between 2015/16 and 2019/20. The Department has not made an assessment of return on investment specifically from medical research into eye conditions.

Early in the pandemic a decision was taken to pause many of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded and supported studies to enable the research workforce to focus on delivering the nationally prioritised COVID-19 studies or enabling redeployment to frontline care where necessary. We have now entered a new phase of the pandemic: the NIHR is working towards the restoration of research funded and/or supported by the NIHR – including research on eye conditions.

The NIHR has awarded £48.3 million through its Programmes for research regarding eye conditions and has supported a further £97.9 million of research through its infrastructure between 2010/11 and 2018/19. UK Research and Innovation has funded £54.1 million on research regarding eye conditions between 2015/16 and 2019/20. The Department has not made an assessment of return on investment specifically from medical research into eye conditions.

As part of the third phase of the National Health Service response to COVID-19, focus is on accelerating the return of non-COVID-19 health services, including ophthalmology, whilst also preparing for winter demand pressures.

To support with this, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion to the NHS, which includes funding for continued access to the independent sector to carry out routine treatments and procedures as well as provide additional capacity for COVID-19 patients, should it be needed.

The restoration of services will also be done alongside continued vigilance in light of any further COVID-19 spikes locally and possibly nationally.

Early in the pandemic a decision was taken to pause many of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded and supported studies to enable the research workforce to focus on delivering the nationally prioritised COVID-19 studies or enabling redeployment to frontline care where necessary. We have now entered a new phase of the pandemic: the NIHR is working towards the restoration of research funded and/or supported by the NIHR – including research on eye conditions.

The NIHR has awarded £48.3 million through its Programmes for research regarding eye conditions and has supported a further £97.9 million of research through its infrastructure between 2010/11 and 2018/19. UK Research and Innovation has funded £54.1 million on research regarding eye conditions between 2015/16 and 2019/20. The Department has not made an assessment of return on investment specifically from medical research into eye conditions.

NHS England and NHS Improvement do not hold data on local risk assessments.

The Department does not currently mandate the collection of data on the completion of occupational risk assessments from social care or National Health Service providers and therefore we do not hold information about the number of health and social care workers who have had completed occupational risk assessments by 30 June 2020.

Employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff under the The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Completing risk assessments for at-risk members of staff is a vital component of this. NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to all NHS organisations on 24 June requiring them to complete risk assessments for high risk staff within four weeks and to publish metrics to demonstrate compliance.

Employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff under the The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Risk assessments are an important tool in ensuring staff are kept safe.

The Department has developed a Risk Reduction Framework for the adult social care sector to support employers to sensitively discuss and manage specific risks to their staff.

NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to all National Health Service organisations on 24 June requiring them to complete risk assessments for vulnerable staff within four weeks and to publish metrics to demonstrate compliance. Guidance on completing risk assessments and other supporting tools including a risk reduction framework, has been made available through NHS Employers.

The Department does not hold this data.

We aim to ensure that the NHS Test and Trace system is accessible for all groups in society. Equality assessments have been undertaken to inform policy decisions to implement the system and, in line with our legal duties, we continue to assess impact as NHS Test and Trace is rolled out. We will make ongoing improvements to ensure the system is fully inclusive and accessible to all.

Work to date has included ensuring the Coronavirus Testing Call Centre can be accessed by people with hearing or speech difficulties, putting in place a home testing service so that those who cannot leave the home are able to access testing, using clinical contact tracers to conduct telephone interviews with those who do not use the internet, developing guidance for unpaid carers on administering tests for others, and ensuring local services are in place for vulnerable people who may need additional support when self-isolating.

A new national collaborative study has just begun to help guide the prevention and management of COVID-19 in pregnant women and their infants. The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, will use the UK Obstetric Surveillance System to collect information about all pregnant women admitted to hospital who are confirmed to have the virus infection including the influence of demographic characteristics on outcomes for mother and infant.The information will be analysed to inform ongoing guidance for women and maternity staff as we respond to the pandemic.

It is known that some viral infections are worse in pregnant women but at the moment, there is no evidence that this is the case for COVID-19, but the amount of evidence available is still quite limited.

It is not yet possible to say whether any babies have been born in the United Kingdom with COVID-19. With funding from the National Institute for Health Research, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit are using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System to determine the incidence of hospitalisation with pandemic COVID-19 infection in pregnancy and assess the outcomes of pandemic COVID-19 in pregnancy for mother and infant.

The initial analysis of the data published on 11 May, found that of the 247 women admitted to hospitals in the UK between 1 March and 14 April 2020, six infants tested positive for SARS CoV 2 RNA within the first 12 hours after birth.

The commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to rolling out continuity of carer will ensure that thousands of women receive safe and personal maternity care, improving outcomes for both mother and baby, and reducing health inequalities.

By 2024, 75% of women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and a similar percentage of women from the most deprived groups, will receive this continuity of care from their midwife throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period, as a key part of our ambition to achieve 50% reductions in stillbirth, mother and child deaths and serious brain injury.

Guidance for adults who are clinically vulnerable remains that they should follow stringent social distancing measures. We continue to advise those who are clinically extremely vulnerable to shield at home until at least the end of June.

The shielded patient list should not be used to determine who is or is not able to travel to work. Guidance for employers can be found at the following link:

www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19

At this stage, the data that we hold is not available in the format requested. We will continue to review the data we publish.

The Government has announced a life assurance scheme for frontline National Health Service and social care staff. The scheme is non-contributory and pays a £60,000 lump sum where staff who had been recently working where personal care is provided to individuals who have contracted COVID-19 die as a result of the virus.

Staff working in hospitals and care homes are eligible, providing that their work requires them to be present in frontline NHS or social care settings where COVID-19 is present.

As well as NHS employees, the scheme also covers staff who work for organisations that support the delivery of NHS services or work on an NHS contract, such as agency and bank staff. Within social care the scheme covers all staff employed by an organisation registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide social care services. In addition, any members of the social care workforce in non-CQC registered organisations are also eligible, if their employer receives public funding.

Data on the proportion of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in England by ethnicity is publicly available in the weekly national surveillance reports. These can be accessed on the GOV.UK site at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reports

The last report, based on week 19 (reflecting data up to 10 May 2020 and where available up to 13 May 2020) showed 17.8% of cases who are from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic group.

Routine statistics on deaths produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not include any breakdowns by ethnicity, because ethnicity is not one of the particulars recorded at death registration. The content of the death certificate and the process of registration are laid down by law. However, the ONS is working to produce estimates of death rates by ethnicity by linking death registrations to demographic characteristics recorded at the 2011 Census.

Standard recording practice of laboratory confirmed cases across laboratory systems requires recording of only minimal data, such as date of birth and name; this does not include ethnicity. As these records are not intended for disease surveillance purposes, Public Health England is matching thousands of laboratory records of COVID-19 cases to other health records to draw down accurate data on ethnicity.

The relevant Public Sector Equality Duty process was undertaken during the development of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and we engaged with groups representing service users prior to the passage of the Bill. The Department has issued guidance setting out steps local authorities should take before deploying the powers in the Act, including upholding the principles of safeguarding, and is working closely with social care and local government partners to monitor the use of Care Act easements. Access to services and how disabled people do so are determined by individual local authorities, who are responsible for complying with the Equality Act.

The Government have published a number of guidelines covering all sectors within social care. New Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 or those with special needs was published on 24 March. Additional guidance has been published for those people who are classed as essential workers of which social care falls under to ensure access is ongoing.

On 1 April the government published ‘Care Act easements: guidance for local authorities’ which sets out how local authorities can use the new Care Act easements, created under the Coronavirus Act 2020, to ensure the best possible care for people in our society during this exceptional period.

More information can be found at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-changes-to-the-care-act-2014/care-act-easements-guidance-for-local-authorities

Under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the Occupying Power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health and hygiene in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), to the fullest extent of the means available and with the cooperation of the local authorities. We also recognise the Palestinian Authority's (PA) responsibilities for vaccinations under the Oslo Accords (under Article 17).

We welcome the steps that the parties have taken so far to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage further dialogue in this regard. The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of vaccines with the Israeli Authorities on 24 February, encouraging the Government of Israel to continue to facilitate the transfer of vaccines to the PA when required. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv and the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem are in regular contact with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities respectively, and will continue to raise timely and appropriate access to COVID-19 vaccines and medical equipment.

Consular teams are continuing to support British people who are experiencing disruption. If people want to return to the UK we encourage them to get in touch with their airline as soon as possible while flights remain available. We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want.

We are also in close touch with air carriers. We encourage affected British nationals to contact their airline and insurer as a first step. We are providing direct support to individuals through our contact centre and consular teams, but call volumes are high. In the light of the rapidly changing situation, we urge all travellers to sign up for our travel advice alert service. We will keep the situation under review and remain in contact with the airline operators and authorities overseas to facilitate return travel.

Any businesses, including small businesses, that are registered for UK VAT have the ability to reclaim VAT charged on goods imported from the EU on their VAT return.

As with all tax measures, where new changes have been introduced, the Government includes its assessment of the impacts of the changes in Tax Information and Impact Notes. Notes for measures recently legislated for in the Taxation (Post-transition Period) Act were published alongside that legislation.

The Government maintains an Empty Property Relief (EPR) to support property owners ahead of the reoccupation of vacated premises.

Under EPR, owners of retail properties do not normally have to pay business rates on newly vacated buildings for three months.

The Budget announced a three-month extension to the business rates holiday for eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors that was provided at Budget 2020. From 1 July 2021, 66% relief will be available subject to a cash cap that depends on whether businesses have been required to close or were able to open.

Properties which have closed temporarily due to the Government’s advice on COVID-19 should be treated as occupied for the purposes of the business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure properties.

The measures at Budget 2021, such as the continuation of the measures to respond to the impact of COVID-19, will support many people across society and promote this government’s belief in fairness. The Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics, including at Budgets and other fiscal events, in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to promoting fairness. At Budget 2021, Ministers have paid such due regard to the equalities implications of their decisions and these decisions have been announced to Parliament. In interests of transparency we publish impacts in summary form for tax measures in tax information and impact notes (TIINs) alongside Finance Acts.

The Government is currently reviewing a number of questions raised about the correct VAT treatment of the import of sperm and eggs into the UK.

The Government is considering the Committee’s report carefully and will respond to their recommendations in due course. The Government appreciates the work of the Committee on these important issues, and the contributions of all those who gave evidence.

The Treasury has rigorous processes in place to ensure that it complies with its legal requirements under the Equality Act 2010. The Treasury considers carefully the equality impacts of individual policies on those sharing protected characteristics, including gender, in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to equality. As the Government considers further policies as part of the response to coronavirus, these processes ensure impacts on all are taken into account appropriately.

In relation to the specific recommendation related to parents’ right to furlough, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is available to the employers of anyone who is unable to work, including from home, due to caring responsibilities arising from COVID-19, such as caring for children who are at home as a result of school and childcare facilities closing. However, the furloughing of staff through the CJRS is a voluntary arrangement, entered at the employers’ discretion and agreed by employees. It is not for the Government to decide whether an individual firm should put its staff on furlough.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) guidance is clear that those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, or at the highest risk of severe illness from coronavirus and following public health guidance, are eligible for the CJRS. It is for the employer to decide whether to offer to furlough an employee.

Queries about the definition of the clinically extremely vulnerable group should be directed towards the Department for Health and Social Care in England, or the appropriate devolved authorities for the equivalent most at-risk groups in other UK nations.

While there is no obligation for employers to take up the scheme, the scheme has been open to all UK employers provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

So far, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has helped 1.2 million employers across the UK furlough 9.6 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. The latest data shows that across the UK, 1.6 million female employees were furloughed at the end of August and 1.5 million male employees. This data is publicly available on GOV.UK.

When designing the CJRS and subsequent reforms, the Government undertook an analysis of how the policies were likely to affect individuals with protected characteristics in line with Public Sector Equality Duties. This was done according to internal procedural requirements for ensuring that equalities considerations inform decisions taken by ministers.

HM Treasury and HMRC are undertaking an evaluation that will assess the delivery and impact of the CJRS. The Government intends to publish the CJRS evaluation plan in December 2020 and an evaluation report by the end of 2021.

The Government recognises that breweries and public houses have been acutely disrupted by recent necessary restrictions to the hospitality sector. That is why the Government has extended the unprecedented package of support measures, to protect businesses and jobs. This includes:

• An extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of March
• Cash grants of up to £3,000 per month to help businesses that are closed with their costs, including paying their supply chains
• £1.1 billion of Discretionary Grant funding for local authorities to target support to the businesses that are most important to their local economy
• Plans to extend existing loan schemes to the end of January and an option to top-up Bounce Back Loans
• A 12-month business rates holiday for all eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in England until the end of March, worth £10 billion in tax foregone.

Independent breweries have and will continue to benefit directly from Government support schemes, and indirectly from the support offered to the pubs and restaurants they supply, protecting jobs in the industry. The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.

The Government has delivered unprecedented support for living standards during this challenging time, protecting livelihoods with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and temporary welfare measures amongst other support.

With the resurgence of COVID-19, the Government has extended the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme until 31 March 2021. Eligible employees will continue to receive 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The Government has increased the overall level of the third grant under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to 80 per cent of average trading profits, meaning that the maximum grant available has now increased to £7,500.

The Government has made changes to the welfare system worth £9.3 billion according to recent OBR estimates. This includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element.

To support renters, the Government has provided a nearly £1 billion increase in Local Housing Allowance Rates and has increased notice periods to six months in all but the most egregious cases, and this will remain in place until at least the end of March 2021. This means that renters now served notice can stay in their homes over winter. Evictions will not be enforced whilst national restrictions are in place over the Christmas period (until 11 January 2021 at the earliest), except for the most egregious cases such as anti-social behaviour.

To support people who may struggle to meet their council tax payments this year, the Government has provided Local Authorities with £500 million. The Government expects that this will provide all recipients of working age local council tax support with a further reduction in their annual council tax bill of £150 this financial year.

Earlier this year, the Government worked quickly with lenders and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to give people access to payment holidays on their mortgages and consumer borrowing. This is giving consumers a much-needed respite period, in which no repayments are due on these credit products.

Draft guidance announced by the FCA earlier this month sets out that payment holidays of up to six months will continue to be available to mortgage and consumer credit borrowers who have been impacted by COVID-19 until at least 31 January 2021. Those how have already taken six months of payment holidays and who continue to experience payment difficulties should speak to their lender to agree tailored support.

The Government recognises that despite these strong protections, some people are struggling with their finances at this challenging time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, an extra £37.8 million support package is being made available to debt advice providers this financial year, bringing this year’s budget for free debt advice in England to over £100 million.

In May, the Government also announced the immediate release of £65 million of dormant assets funding to Fair4All Finance, an independent organisation that has been founded to support the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances. The funding is used to increase access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services for those in financial difficulties.

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, and will encourage them to seek professional debt advice.

The Treasury has supported pubs and breweries with cuts and freezes to alcohol duties at six of the last seven Budgets, costing £6.2 billion in revenue since 2013. This has made a pint of beer 16p cheaper than it otherwise would have been had duty rates increased with inflation. Alcohol duties are kept under review and further announcements will be made at the next fiscal event.

The UK continues to have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is helping those that have been adversely affected by COVID-19, and has already helped 2.6 million people with over £7.6bn of support. Furthermore, as set out in the Winter Economy Plan, the Government is extending the SEISS Grant; an initial taxable grant will be provided to cover three months’ worth of profits for the period from November to the end of January 2021. The second grant will cover a three-month period from the start of February until the end of April. The Government will review the level of the second grant and set this in due course.

The SEISS Grant Extension is a top-up to support self-employed people who are currently actively trading and facing reduced demand due to COVID-19. The Government has broadly aligned the grant with the Government’s contribution to the Job Support Scheme which has been introduced to support employers who may be facing continued reduced demand over this winter as a result of COVID-19. It is also worth noting that unlike under the Job Support Scheme, there is no requirement for the self-employed to reduce their hours by 66% to get the maximum Government contribution. In addition, the Job Support Scheme grant is scalable, and the SEISS Grant Extension is broadly equivalent to the maximum contribution.

When designing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as well as subsequent policies and reforms including the closure of the scheme, the Government undertook an analysis of how the policies were likely to affect individuals sharing protected characteristics in line with Public Sector Equality Duties. This is in line with the internal procedural requirements and support in place for ensuring that equalities considerations inform decisions taken by ministers.

The CJRS is one of several forms of support available during this difficult period. The Winter Economy Plan includes the new Job Support Scheme which, alongside the Job Retention Bonus, will continue to support firms to keep employees across all demographics in their jobs once the CJRS closes.

The information requested is not currently centrally available.

The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and searches including the ethnicity of the person searched and the outcome. Data are published annually in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales

The next bulletin is due to be published in October 2020.

As this is a live litigation matter it would not be appropriate to comment.

On 25 January we confirmed £23.75 million funding - allocated to 60 councils and further voluntary groups across England - to expand work to support those most at risk from COVID-19 and improve the reach of public health guidance and to boost vaccine take up through the Community Champions scheme. This is part of over £7.9 billion government funding provided to councils to help them support their communities during the pandemic.

The Community Champion scheme is specifically targeted at areas where challenges may be greatest due to the local combination of disproportionately impacted groups – including people with disabilities and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

The Department has been investigating what can be done to reduce the cost of Waking Watch. We will shortly publish data on Waking Watch costs so that there is transparency on the range of costs and comparisons can be clearly made. In addition, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has published updated guidance for buildings where Stay Put has been suspended, emphasising that these are short term measures and encouraging greater use of more cost-effective measures such as alarm systems to replace or reduce dependency on Waking Watch wherever possible. The Government?is providing £1.6 billion of?public subsidy to ensure remediation of high rise buildings with unsafe cladding happens at pace and so residents and their homes are made safe for the long?term, and??interim measures, such as a Waking Watch, are no longer required.

In England, the Government is providing £1.6 billion to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding and make homes safer, more quickly. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace, along with providing direct expert support to projects.

Where building owners have failed to act, despite government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. We are also holding case conferences to discuss specific buildings of greatest concern with the relevant local authorities to agree action plans.

Housing and building safety are devolved matters, and the progress of remediation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for their respective devolved administrations.

In England, the Government is providing £1.6 billion to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding and make homes safer, more quickly. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace, along with providing direct expert support to projects.

Where building owners have failed to act, despite government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. We are also holding case conferences to discuss specific buildings of greatest concern with the relevant local authorities to agree action plans.

Housing and building safety are devolved matters, and the progress of remediation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for their respective devolved administrations.

The Government has been clear in its expectation that all owners of high rise residential buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding complete remedial works by the end of 2021 or face further action. For other types of unsafe cladding, the Government is making £1 billion available to fund the removal of unsafe non-ACM cladding in 2020/21

In addition, the application guidance clearly states that applicants must be in a position to evidence that remediation works will commence onsite prior to 31 March 2021 and, once funding is granted, must subsequently ensure that remedial works are delivered at pace

The Department published registration statistics for the Building Safety Fund on 30 September and is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications.

In England, the Government is providing £1.6 billion to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding and make homes safer, more quickly. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace, along with providing direct expert support to projects.

Where building owners have failed to act, despite government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. We are also holding case conferences to discuss specific buildings of greatest concern with the relevant local authorities to agree action plans.

Housing and building safety are devolved matters, and the progress of remediation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for their respective devolved administrations.

The Government has been clear in its expectation that all owners of high rise residential buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding complete remedial works by the end of 2021 or face further action. For other types of unsafe cladding, the Government is making £1 billion available to fund the removal of unsafe non-ACM cladding in 2020/21

In addition, the application guidance clearly states that applicants must be in a position to evidence that remediation works will commence onsite prior to 31 March 2021 and, once funding is granted, must subsequently ensure that remedial works are delivered at pace

The Department published registration statistics for the Building Safety Fund on 30 September and is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications.

The Government recognises the difficulties that some homeowners are facing in being able to provide mortgage lenders with a completed EWS1, as well as capacity challenges affecting building owners commissioning the form.

The Department is encouraging mortgage lenders to accept other equivalent evidence from building owners for valuation purposes and is working with professional bodies to increase the number of skilled professionals that can complete EWS1 forms.