Mary Glindon

A response to the PCS correspondence is being considered, and a reply will be issued shortly.

The Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme supported Smulders' £70 million investment in Wallsend to expand their fabrication manufacturing capability, supporting 325 jobs. We have announced £960 million for a new Green Industries Growth Accelerator, supporting manufacturing investments in clean energy.

The Heat Pump Association estimates that over 30,000 additional heat pump installers will be needed by 2028.

As of November 2023, there are over 1,700 businesses in the UK certified with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to install heat pumps; estimated to employ over 7,000 installers.

The total number of trained heat pump installers is, however, likely to be greater than this, as MCS Certification is only required for installations receiving Government grant funding.

These figures are in line with estimates by the Heat Pump Association of the number of heat pump installers needed for current levels of deployment.

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

The government is one hundred percent committed to tackling cancer. This is why we made cancer one of our eight healthcare missions, bringing together government, research funders, industry, NHS, and charities to tackle this critical challenge. Working together, the cancer mission will drive earlier diagnosis and improved therapies for UK cancer patients.

We also fund cutting-edge cancer research. The National Institute for Health and Care Research supports clinical research into all aspects of the disease, while UKRI spend on cancer research is in the region of £200M annually.

As well as academic research, we work with industry to bring the latest treatments to UK patients. Our strategic collaboration agreement with BioNTech aims to provide up to 10,000 UK patients with cutting-edge cancer immunotherapies by 2030. Through this partnership we have ensured UK patients are among the first to access clinical trials for ground-breaking cancer vaccines, with multiple trials already underway across the country.

Through my recent visits to Astra Zeneca and Bicycle Therapeutics in Cambridge, I have heard first-hand about some of the latest technologies for cancer diagnosis and treatment. As a government, we are committed to bringing cutting-edge innovations to our cancer patients.

The Government has legislated to make sure that new homes will have gigabit connectivity as standard, amending the Building Regulations 2010 to place obligations on housing developers to work with network operators to install gigabit broadband, where this can be done within a commercial cost cap. This ensures that connectivity of new homes is prioritised by housing developers at the outset.

Under this legislation, housing developers are free to work with whichever Internet Service Provider (ISP) they choose, with the terms and conditions under which they enter into agreements being a commercial matter. Many Communications Providers (CPs)s offer wholesale access to their networks, but it is ultimately a choice for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to decide which networks they use to serve customers.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator for telecoms, is responsible for regulating monopolies in the telecoms market. Where it determines a provider has significant market power (SMP), it can impose a number of remedies aimed at opening up levels of competition, including requiring them to allow competitors to offer services over their infrastructure at regulated prices. Currently, Ofcom has determined that BT Group and KCOM have SMP in the UK, but to date it has not done so with other providers.

VMIC was a project set up in the 2017 Life Sciences Sector Deal to support UK leadership in next generation vaccine manufacturing technology. The pandemic has dramatically accelerated both the demand and the technology of vaccine production since VMIC was established. The Government has invested over £380 million to secure and scale-up the UK’s manufacturing capabilities to be able to respond to this pandemic, as well as any future pandemics, and in support of vaccine innovation at numerous facilities across the UK. Our positive engagement with industry and the UK’s strong science base and international reputation has also seen a number of private investments across the whole of the UK announced over the past year. These include Serum Institute of India’s £50m investment into Oxford Biomedica, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s £70m expansion of its Swindon site and Fujifilm’s £400m investment into its Billingham, Teesside facility.

One such facility that the Government provided support to is the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) which has the potential to be a significant part of the UK vaccine manufacturing ecosystem. VMIC is a private company, limited by guarantee, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights.

Officials are working closely with VMIC and other third parties to ensure that the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to our response to COVID-19 and resilience to other future health emergencies. We will ensure that the UK’s vaccine capabilities continue to benefit from the public investment. Discussions are commercially sensitive between VMIC and private potential acquirers.

The three Coronavirus Business Interruption loan schemes are administered by the British Business Bank and delivered by accredited lenders. The Loans are designed to ensure that businesses have access to capital to help them through this difficult time, with the temporary cashflow impacts of Covid-19.

The British Business bank does not keep data on (a) revenue streams, (b) capital investment and (c) employment costs.

The British Business Bank publishes lending figures under the BBLs and CBILS schemes, including by sector as follows:

The Covid Corporate Financing Facility provides debt finance to support fundamentally strong companies through the market disruption brought about through Covid-19. The scheme is funded by central bank reserves – in line with other Bank of England market operations - and is indemnified by HM Treasury. Details of outstanding lending through the scheme are published weekly on the Bank of England website.

The Government recognises this will be a challenging time for any business which has been asked to close.

All shops can continue to offer home delivery to customers and click and collect services during the current restrictions.

The current restrictions will expire on 2 December, and our intention is to return to?a system of?local and regional restrictions. We will set out what this means for retailers and other businesses as soon as possible.

The government’s recent white paper set out a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. This includes a statutory levy on operators that will help fund research, education and treatment for those struggling with gambling addiction.

We will shortly consult on the details of how the levy will be designed, including proposals on the total amount to be raised by the levy and how it will be constructed, ensuring that a rate is fair and proportionate for different gambling sectors, including the land-based gambling industry. This approach will account for the varying association of different sectors with harm and their financial position.

Our gambling white paper set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of gambling in Great Britain. This included a number of measures to adjust outdated and overly restrictive rules to enable the land-based sectors to thrive sustainably. The reforms strike a balance between respecting the choices of people who gamble safely, and ensuring those that are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected and safeguarded.

The white paper proposed a raft of changes which will benefit the land-based sector, including a reform of outdated restrictions on gaming machine supply and modernisation of payment methods across the land-based sector. Since publishing the white paper, ministers and officials have engaged with representatives across the land-based sector to understand a range of issues of interest, including stakes and prizes.

Officials in my Department have finished reviewing the responses received during the consultation and are preparing the Government’s response, which will be published in due course. Reforms will be brought forward as part of the Product Security and Telecommunication Infrastructure Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2021.

The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act gained Royal Assent in March 2021. This Act aims to address one stated policy barrier: making it easier for telecoms companies to access multi-dwelling units - such as blocks of flats - where a tenant has requested a new connection, but the landlord has not responded to requests for access rights.

The Act inserts a new Part 4A to the Electronic Communication Code which provides a process that telecommunications operators could use to gain code rights to multi-dwelling premises for a defined period. This only applies where:

• a lessee in occupation in a multi-dwelling building has requested a telecommunications service from an operator.

• to connect the property the telecoms operator requires an access agreement with another person such as the landlord.

• the landlord has not responded to the telecoms operator’s request for access.

My Department published a consultation which sought views on the terms which will accompany the interim Code rights provided to operators who have successfully applied for an order made under Part 4A of the Electronic Communications Code. The consultation closed on Wednesday 4 August. Responses are being considered and the consultation response will be published in due course, with regulations laid as soon as possible.

The Department of Health and Social Care and PHE meet with the Independent British Vape Trade Association to discuss industry concerns and wider regulatory matters, including misinformation.

E-cigarettes in the UK are tightly regulated by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) and the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 (NIP). These regulations aim to reduce the risk of harm to children; to protect against any risk of renormalisation of tobacco use; and to provide assurance on relative safety for users. The regulations include restrictions on mainstream TV and radio advertising; prevent sale to under 18s; and limit both tank sizes and nicotine content.

DCMS works closely with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who facilitate the self-regulation of the UK advertising sector through the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) and The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) - which applies to online advertising. The ASA has a clear framework for advertisers to follow in relation to what is and is not allowed when making health claims about vapes or e-cigarettes.

The Better Health national marketing campaign on smoking cessation, delivered by Public Health England, has been effective at helping challenge misinformation surrounding e-cigarettes. The campaign is supported by public health professionals at a local level, helping smokers switch to e-cigarette products.

The key consideration for advertisers is whether their marketing communications do anything further than provide basic, factual information about the products. Any content that appears to make the product seem more attractive is likely to be regarded as promotional and therefore likely to be ruled against by the ASA and removed.

More information about the ASA’s approach can be viewed here: https://www.asa.org.uk/asset/97E623E4-3A64-4215-81A5C4BD6D82D1E0.A1727AC1-C340-4B08

Procurement for this contract was managed by the Student Loans Company (SLC). SLC, through its Disabled Students’ Stakeholder Group (DSSG), has important relationships with third sector bodies and advocacy groups in the education and disability sectors. SLC engaged with a number of organisations who support disabled students to gather their feedback and insights in developing quality standards for the new model, prior to the invitation to tender, which was published in July 2022. To support the new service design, SLC also established a DSSG Procurement sub-group consisting of DSSG members and other sector bodies to discuss how the new quality standards could be defined and measured at each stage of the customer journey. SLC also invited written contributions from members.

As this procurement was managed by SLC, the Department did not hold any discussions with disability groups on this matter prior to the contract being awarded.

The Department has allocated more than £70 million to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs), enabling them to increase dedicated home to school and college transport capacity over the autumn term: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-update-14-october-2020/esfa-update-further-education-14-october-2020. LTAs have flexibility in how they use this funding to meet the needs of local families, including hiring extra coaches. We are reviewing funding arrangements for the spring term.

Government Departments continue to work collaboratively and with representatives from the coach sector, including the Confederation of Passenger Transport, to understand the ongoing risks and issues the sector faces and how these could be addressed.

The Government has also provided £4.6 billion of un-ringfenced funding to local authorities to support them with the pressures they are facing as a result of COVID-19: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-emergency-funding-for-local-government. This funding can be used to support school and college travel.

The biodiversity value of allotments is recognised in the biodiversity metric that we intend to use for biodiversity net gain, subject to a recent consultation. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation on this metric and will publish a response in due course. We have also been engaging with the sector to discuss how biodiversity net gain might affect allotments and how the approach could incorporate the delivery of new allotments.

The Government has made no specific assessment of the potential merits for reducing single-use plastics by allowing larger e-liquid bottles for e-cigarettes.

Regardless of size, e-liquid bottles can and should be recyclable. The Government's landmark Resources and Waste Strategy sets out our plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste over the lifetime of the 25 Year Plan and drive up recycling rates. We will also be introducing a new world-leading tax on plastic packaging which will apply to businesses producing or importing plastic packaging which doesn't meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content, subject to further consultation, from April 2022. Together with the government's reform of the Packaging Producer Responsibility system, this will transform the economic incentives of producers by encouraging more use of recycled plastic and driving up recycling rates.

The Department of Health and Social Care is undertaking a post implementation review of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 that provides the regulatory framework for e-cigarettes. This includes a public consultation, which closed on the 19 March, which allowed the opportunity for people to share their opinions on the regulations. The Government will publish its response later this year.

Defra and the Forestry Commission are discussing options to manage financial impacts arising from COVID-19. With reduced income from timber and visitors, Forestry England (FE) has made use of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to reduce costs, protect jobs and retain staff. FE continues to manage and care for the nation’s forests, adapting working practices in line with public health guidelines.

Defra and the Forestry Commission are discussing options to manage financial impacts arising from COVID-19. With reduced income from timber and visitors, Forestry England (FE) has made use of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to reduce costs, protect jobs and retain staff. FE continues to manage and care for the nation’s forests, adapting working practices in line with public health guidelines.

Defra and the Forestry Commission are discussing options to manage financial impacts arising from COVID-19. With reduced income from timber and visitors, Forestry England (FE) has made use of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to reduce costs, protect jobs and retain staff. FE continues to manage and care for the nation’s forests, adapting working practices in line with public health guidelines.

The UK Government remains committed to providing £200m in funding to unlock additional investment in our world-leading life sciences sector. We are working closely with Mubadala and considering how best to deploy this funding in light of Mubadala’s own £800m commitment to the sector.

In total, this means £1bn of new funding available for our most promising life sciences companies, with the potential to crowd in more funding from other investors.

We are committed to meeting our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol (the Protocol). Northern Ireland is and remains part of the UK’s customs territory. Businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland should be able to take advantage of the UK tariff at the end of the transition period.

The Protocol provides that the criteria for ‘not at risk’ goods shall be decided by the Joint Committee before the end of the Transition Period.

Specifics of any discussions between the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancaster cannot be disclosed.

The Command Paper published on 20th June sets out a pragmatic and proportionate way to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol (the Protocol), whilst maintaining the priority to protect Northern Ireland (NI’s) place in our United Kingdom.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is working closely with officials in both the Border and Protocol Delivery Group and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to implement all border delivery plans and timelines, including in relation to the delivery of tariff declaration systems, in the lead up to the end of the transition period.

Specifics of any discussions between the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancaster cannot be disclosed.

The Command Paper published on 20th June sets out a pragmatic and proportionate way to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol (the Protocol), whilst maintaining the priority to protect Northern Ireland (NI’s) place in our United Kingdom.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is working closely with officials in both the Border and Protocol Delivery Group and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to implement all border delivery plans and timelines, including in relation to the delivery of tariff declaration systems, in the lead up to the end of the transition period.

The Department for Transport commissioned research to assess the perceived safety risk from quiet electric vehicles to vision-impaired pedestrians in 2011. This research indicated that electric vehicles had sound levels similar to vehicles propelled by combustion engines above speeds of approximately 12 miles per hour but could be more difficult to detect at lower speeds.

Vehicle approval requirements were therefore introduced to mandate sound generators, known as Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS), on new types of quiet electric and hybrid vehicles. AVAS has been required for new vehicles registered from 1 July 2021. The requirements ensure that vehicles that can be operated on electric power only will always produce a specified level of noise below 12 miles per hour and during reversing.

The Department has no plans to amend these objectives.

The second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) estimates that over £3 billion will be invested in active travel between 2021/22 to 2024/5 from a range of ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced funds. This includes at least £100 million of ringfenced capital funding for active travel which will be provided over the two-year period 2023/24 to 2024/25, on top of £850 million of dedicated funding over the previous three-year period. It also includes estimates for City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) (£700m), Levelling Up Fund (£576m), Future High Streets Fund (£289m), Towns Fund (£293m) and National Highways Designated Funds (£90m). An update on estimates across all funds included within CWIS2 will be published in the next CWIS Report to Parliament.

Funding decisions for the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS3) period will be subject to decisions made at the next Spending Review.

The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place for road safety reasons; to ensure that a candidate’s knowledge is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

It is important that road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point that they drive unsupervised for the first time. Those with theory test certificates expiring may have taken their test in early 2019. Since then, their lessons and practice sessions will have been significantly curtailed during recent lockdowns and it is likely that their knowledge base will have diminished. Research suggests that this would be particularly harmful for hazard perception skills, a key factor in road safety.

Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the training of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Taking all this into consideration, the decision has been made not to extend theory test certificates and learners will need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.

There are no current plans to waive the charge of a theory test for those whose theory test certificates have expired, given that they will have already received the service for which they paid.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) pays its contractor, Pearson, per theory test delivered. If candidates were exempted from having to pay for a retake then the DVSA and in turn other fee payers would incur these costs. This would be unfair to fee payers who would not benefit from the arrangement.

In addition, applications for a re-test would need to be validated and systems amended to remove the requirement for payment in these cases. The DVSA’s focus should rightly be on developing solutions to address the backlog of practical driving tests that has arisen as a result of the pandemic.

Ministers and officials from the Department of Transport regularly meet with representatives from the Confederation of Passenger Transport to discuss issues facing the coach sector.

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses individuals against a set of descriptors to determine how their health condition or disability affects their ability to work. The WCA takes into account the functional effects of fluctuating and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s. A key principle is that the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on them, not the condition itself.

Claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities whose condition is unlikely to ever improve are no longer routinely reassessed.

From 2025, we are reforming the WCA to reflect new flexibilities in the labour market and greater employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, whilst maintaining protections for those with the most significant conditions. Claimants who currently have no work-related requirements, except in some very limited circumstances, will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes.

When making decisions on changes to the WCA, we carefully considered over 1300 consultation responses, including from disabled people, people with health conditions, and the organisations that represent and support them. We also engaged directly with clinical experts, employer groups and disability organisations across the country.

With these changes to the WCA criteria, 371,000 fewer people will be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity by 2028-29 and will receive personalised support to help them move closer to employment. A further 29,000 individuals will be found fit for work by 2028-29 and will receive more intensive support to search for and secure work than would be the case under the current WCA rules. These figures are not based on specific conditions. This is because the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on their ability to work, not the condition itself.

The department routinely engages with a wide range of organisations that represent and support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living with Parkinson’s disease.

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses individuals against a set of descriptors to determine how their health condition or disability affects their ability to work. The WCA takes into account the functional effects of fluctuating and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s. A key principle is that the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on them, not the condition itself.

Claimants with the most severe health conditions and disabilities whose condition is unlikely to ever improve are no longer routinely reassessed.

From 2025, we are reforming the WCA to reflect new flexibilities in the labour market and greater employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, whilst maintaining protections for those with the most significant conditions. Claimants who currently have no work-related requirements, except in some very limited circumstances, will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes.

When making decisions on changes to the WCA, we carefully considered over 1300 consultation responses, including from disabled people, people with health conditions, and the organisations that represent and support them. We also engaged directly with clinical experts, employer groups and disability organisations across the country.

With these changes to the WCA criteria, 371,000 fewer people will be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity by 2028-29 and will receive personalised support to help them move closer to employment. A further 29,000 individuals will be found fit for work by 2028-29 and will receive more intensive support to search for and secure work than would be the case under the current WCA rules. These figures are not based on specific conditions. This is because the WCA considers the impact that a person’s disability or health condition has on their ability to work, not the condition itself.

The department routinely engages with a wide range of organisations that represent and support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living with Parkinson’s disease.

The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

We have regular conversations with the Treasury about a range of issues relevant to the work of the Department.

The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

We have regular conversations with the Treasury about a range of issues relevant to the work of the Department.

The following is based on the UK’s real living wage rates of £12.00 per hour and £13.15 per hour for London as of 14 November 2023.

Pay levels for DWP administrative staff are as follows:

a) All AA employees in Inner London are below the London rate.

b) Some AO employees on Legacy Terms and Conditions in Inner London are below the London rate. All other AO employees are above these rates.

c) All EO employees are above these rates.

This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. The real living wage is not a statutory requirement unlike the National Living Wage, which applies to those aged 23 and over. From 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 an hour. All DWP employees are paid above this rate.