Paul Maynard

The information requested for the period 1 November 2021 to 14 January 2022 is contained in the following table:

The Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) provides a mechanism for research and innovation communities to identify and propose priorities for funding. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) ensures that proposals align with the aims of the SPF, including by consulting with departments on Areas of Research Interest. All research themes and currently funded programmes are published on the UKRI website.

There are no current plans to update the research themes.

The Department will publish a new space weather strategy later this year, which will set out a five-year road map for how we intend to boost resilience and build on existing UK strengths and capacity in preparing for and mitigating space weather impacts.

This Government understands that good management of risk is essential for contingency planning, increasing the likelihood that the services we rely on day-to-day remain available for citizens.

In November 2019, the UK Government committed £80m to the European Space Agency Space Safety programme, of which £10m was targeted towards Space weather and debris mitigation development activities, including improving the modelling of how routine and extreme variations in space weather affect space debris.

In addition, this year the UK Space Agency invested a further £1m into projects related to space debris detection and tracking.

Future investment in this area within our National and European Space Agency programmes is subject to the spending review settlement.

The UK is a world leader in space weather forecasting and the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre provides forecasts and warnings of space weather on a 24/7 basis. The UK Space Agency works with the Met Office to ensure the continuity of space weather observational data.

The table below provides a summary of Debt Relief Order (DRO) applications that have been accepted and rejected in each financial year since 2015/16, as of 23^rd March 2021.

Accepted DRO applications can later be revoked. Revocation of a DRO occurs where information subsequently comes to light that the individual:

• did not qualify for a DRO at the time the order was made.
• no longer qualified for a DRO during the one-year moratorium period.

DRO applications, rejections and revocations

1^st April 2015 to 23^rd March 2021

Revoked DROs are presented in the table based on their revocation date which may not be the same period in which the application was accepted.

The Insolvency Service’s published DRO statistics exclude all accepted DROs that have later been revoked. The Insolvency Service’s latest National Statistics publication on DROs can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individual-insolvency-statistics-october-to-december-2020.

The unit cost for processing Debt Relief Order applications varies according to case volumes in any given financial year due to the costs being a mix of fixed and variable costs.

Using the costs for the financial year 2019/2020 and the costs for the current financial year to the end of February, the average unit cost of a Debt Relief Order application is £88.81

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is an independent, statutory body made up of highly esteemed academics and experts across a range of key sectors. The CCC provides expert analysis and advice to government on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Committee must have regard to the desirability of involving the public when carrying out its functions.

It will be vital for Government to engage the public on our net zero by 2050 target. We have invited the public to shape policies on climate change through consultations and deliberative dialogues (for example, on heat and transport decarbonisation, on the environment). As we develop our plans for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, we will continue to engage the public on the changes that are needed to develop our ambitions on net zero.

The Government recognises the importance of research and development in helping to transform the steel sector so that it can play a vital role in developing a cleaner, greener economy in the UK. We have taken a number of steps to facilitate the decarbonisation of steel making in the UK, including;

Firstly, a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund which aims to support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and reduce carbon emissions.

Secondly, providing up to £66m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to help steel and other foundation industries develop radical new technologies and establish innovation centres of excellence in these sectors.

Thirdly, establishing a £250m Clean Steel Fund that will support the decarbonisation of the steel sector, supporting its transition to new low carbon technologies and processes. The Government also plans to establish a Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (previously Low Carbon Hydrogen Production Fund): with £240m of capital co-investment out to 2024/25. This will support at-scale production from both Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) enabled (‘blue’) hydrogen and electrolytic (‘green’) hydrogen projects.

Finally, as part of the Spring 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced £22m (subject to a business case) for the Materials Processing Institute in Teesside to deliver a R&D programme of transformation manufacturing - to help UK steel and metals sector improve efficiencies, slash emissions and ultimately boost global competitive edge.

In line with our Net Zero target, the Government is committed to phasing out unabated coal-fired electricity generation by 2025, and recently consulted on moving this date forward to 2024. This policy applies to coal-fired power stations only – it does not apply to other coal consumers such as heritage railways.

Although coal will soon no longer be part of our electricity system, it will continue to be used as a fuel by a wide range of other industries such as the iron, steel and cement industries. We are confident that heritage railways will continue to have the option to tap into this significant domestic market. The decision on where to source coal for use in heritage railways and other industries is a private matter for the companies involved

The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies (CICs) publishes a monthly list of newly incorporated CICs. This is freely available and can be downloaded at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-interest-companies-new-cics-registered-in-last-month.

As CICs are limited companies, all CICS are listed on the public register which is published and maintained by Companies House and is also freely available on the Companies House website at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house/about-our-services#find-info.

The UK has one of the most robust energy systems in the world. Our power network is resilient and built to withstand impacts from weather conditions, including Severe Space Weather.

The Government, working and engaging extensively with National Grid, other infrastructure operators and the Met Office Space Weather Operation Centre (MOSWOC), has taken significant steps to ensure the UK’s preparedness for major space weather events, such as a Coronal Mass Ejection.

Additionally, in October 2019, the UK Government announced a £20m boost to predict severe space weather events. This will further build the UK’s knowledge on how to forecast and better prepare for these space weather events.

National Grid are ensuring preparedness by increasing the number of transformer spares to help minimise timescales to replace damaged equipment. They are also replacing high voltage transformers with new designs which are more resilient and resistant to extra currents and undertaking emergency exercises aimed at improving knowledge, resilience, and response capability.

The UK has one of the most robust energy systems in the world. The Department works closely with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) on preparedness, resilience, and emergency planning for the risks to critical energy infrastructure, including Severe Space Weather.

Severe Space Weather was added to the UK’s National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) in 2011.The CCS works closely with Lead Government Departments, including BEIS, to periodically update the NSRA, to ensure robust mitigations are in place.

The Government, working and engaging extensively with National Grid, other infrastructure operators and the Met Office Space Weather Operation Centre (MOSWOC), has taken significant steps to ensure the UK’s preparedness for major space weather events, such as a Coronal Mass Ejection.

Additionally, in October 2019, the UK Government announced a £20m boost to predict severe space weather events. This nearly quadruples investment from government into research that can improve systems at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre. This will further build the UK’s knowledge on how to forecast and better prepare for these space weather events.

The capital cost assumptions used in the Value for Money Assessment of the proposed programme of lagoons[1] were derived from information shared under a non-disclosure agreement between Tidal Lagoon (Swansea Bay) Plc, Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd and the Department.

The Department believes the non-disclosure agreement still applies in this case and the information cannot be released.

[1] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment

The hurdle rates applied across the portfolio of tidal lagoons in the Department’s value for money assessment[1] are shown in Table 1. The hurdle rates for other low carbon technologies estimated at the time of the value for money assessment are shown in Table 2.

Table 1: Range of hurdle rates applied to proposed programme of tidal lagoons[2]

Table 2: Selected hurdle rates for other low carbon technologies (up to date at time the assessment was undertaken)[3]

[1] Available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment

[2] Source: BEIS commercial advisory

[3] Source: BEIS Electricity Generation Costs Report (2016), available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-electricity-generation-costs-november-2016

The Department considered a range of factors in coming to this conclusion. These included the proposed design life of project, the extent to which bill payers should accept operating life risk, a rapidly evolving energy market, and the falling cost of other renewable technologies.

The key categories of assumptions used are listed in Annex B of the Department’s value for money assessment for the proposed programme of tidal lagoons.[1]

Test 2a of the assessment considered levelised cost, expressed in £/MWh terms, of the proposed lagoons over their full assumed asset life of 120 years.

Test 2b (costs of the GB power system) and Test 3 (household bills) assessed the proposed lagoons over the period to 2050. In these cases the costs of the lagoon were spread over the full 120 year asset life. This means that for a tidal lagoon commissioning in 2035, only 15 years’ worth of costs will have been factored in and compared to any benefits occurring over those same 15 years. This approach avoids a mismatch between costs and benefits in the value for money assessment.

[1] Available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment

The Department’s value for money assessment for the proposed programme of tidal lagoons[1] considered the wider benefits, including the value of jobs supported.

The estimated number of direct jobs underlying this part of the assessment peaked at around 18,000 FTE in any one year across the lagoon fleet. The number of direct jobs maintained across the lagoon fleet once construction had completed was estimated at around 1,000 FTE per year. Indirect jobs were also considered, with a range tested around 2 indirect jobs per direct job.

[1] Available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment

The value for money analysis undertaken by the Department used a range of different cost of capital assumptions. This included scenarios in the lower range using hurdle rates which were comparable to those for more established renewable energy technologies, such as solar PV, onshore wind and large hydropower.

The value for money assessment undertaken in 2018 took into consideration all potential public sector funding, including funding from the Welsh Government. The analysis concluded that the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and proposed programme of follow on lagoons did not meet the Government’s value for money criteria.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the former Secretary of State made a statement to the House on Monday 25 June 2018 setting out our position on the support for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.

The Department published its summary value for money assessment in June 2018. A copy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swansea-bay-tidal-lagoon-value-for-money-assessment

The Department’s analysis of the proposal considered the energy generation from the proposed project and follow-on programme of lagoons but also took account of potential wider economic benefits which might arise from it. The analysis concluded that it did not represent value for money. This remains the Department’s position.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the former Secretary of State made a statement to the House on Monday 25 June 2018 setting out our position on the support for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.

The Department’s analysis of the proposal to generate electricity from the lagoon and the proposed follow-on programme of lagoons was that it did not represent value for money. This remains the Department’s position.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the then Secretary of State made a statement to the House on Monday 25 June 2018 setting out our position on the support for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project. The Department’s analysis of the project and the proposed follow-on programme of lagoons was that it did not represent value for money.

The Government has said it is open to considering well developed, privately developed tidal range projects. However they must be able to demonstrate credibly that they would represent value for money.

Since 2010, over £94bn has been invested in clean energy in the UK and the Government has spent a total of £30.7bn on renewable electricity through the Renewable Obligations, Feed-in-Tariffs and Contracts for Difference (CfD) schemes. We recently set out ambitious plans at the Budget including investing £270m new funding for heat networks and £100m for heat pumps and biomass.

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the government’s main mechanism for supporting new large-scale renewable electricity generation projects in Great Britain. We are continuing to improve the route to market for renewables by making up to £557 million available for CfD schemes. In the latest CfD allocation round, contracts were awarded to 12 renewable projects with the potential for nearly 6GW of new renewable capacity – enough to power over 7 million homes.

Our sustained support for clean energy has led to dramatic falls in the costs of some renewable technologies. The auction prices of offshore wind reduced by around two-thirds between the 2015 and 2019. The new projects and lower prices are another step towards decarbonising our energy system as we work toward net zero emissions by 2050, creating jobs and economic opportunities across the UK.

In addition, we are investing over £3 billion in low-carbon innovation through to 2021 – going beyond the £2.5 billion we committed to in the Clean Growth Strategy – and this investment will help to grow our low carbon economy. We are focusing our innovation spend where this can bring down the systems costs of delivering our climate targets and where the UK has expertise, building on our strengths in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, automotive, aerospace and nuclear.

We will be focusing on continuing to develop our net zero strategy in advance of COP26 – including through strengthening our plans for decarbonisation in key sectors. We published the first phase of our transport decarbonisation plan on 26 March 2020, and will be setting out further plans including our forthcoming Energy White Paper later this year.

The Department publishes figures from the school census on permanent exclusions and suspensions from state funded schools in England. The latest full academic year figures are for the 2020/21 academic year and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england/2020-21.

The attached Excel spreadsheet gives the number of permanent exclusions and suspensions for pupils with and without special educational needs at state funded schools in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency between the 2018/19 and 2020/21 academic years.

Since commencing, in December 2021, the SAFE (‘Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed’) taskforces have established a local partnership led by schools, completed a comprehensive strategic needs assessment and begun delivery including interventions to support secondary school transition.

The department does not yet hold data on the number of young people who have been supported by the SAFE taskforces, but the taskforces will be collecting data on the pupils receiving support on a termly basis, as part of the independent evaluation.

RAND Europe, in consortium with FFT Datalab and University of Westminster, have been commissioned by the Youth Endowment Fund to conduct the evaluation of the SAFE programme. The programme evaluation, due to be completed by summer 2026, will include an impact evaluation element, along with a process and cost evaluation strand. The department expects the impact assessment to consider the impact of the programme on pupils’ post-16 outcomes, school attendance and behaviour, and involvement in serious youth violence.

The Department launched a £2.32 million attendance mentoring pilot on 20 October 2022 to deliver one-to-one support to a group of persistently absent pupils and their families. The support will start in Middlesborough, one of the Department's priority education investment areas (PEIAs). In the first year, 335 pupils will be supported. The pilot will be rolled out to an additional four PEIAs in its second and third years.

Barnardo’s, the delivery partner for this contract, have now completed their recruitment and training. Mentoring support for pupils will begin later this month. The evidence gathered from this pilot will be shared with the sector and should enable schools, trusts, and Local Authorities to address persistent absence more effectively.

In May 2022, the Department published attendance guidance, which sets out an expectation that schools and Local Authorities should agree a joint approach and plan to support every severely absent pupil. This expectation will work alongside the mentoring pilot to provide targeted support for persistently absent pupils.

In all 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), the Department is taking steps to support underperforming schools to make necessary improvements. 24 of the areas were given priority status as Priority Education Investment Areas (PEIAs). PEIAs will have access to more intensive support, on top of the significant support available to all EIAs.

Attendance has been identified as one of the key issues to address in many of the PEIAs. The Department is working closely with schools, trusts, Local Authorities and other partners to address the specific issues in each area through the local area needs funding. An attendance adviser from the Department has been assigned to support every Local Authority in a PEIA. The Department is looking at how local plans build on this work. Local attendance action alliances will also be piloted in several PEIAs to share best practice and address area wide challenges.

The Department will track the progress of these and other initiatives in the PEIAs to gauge their impact on improving attendance.

Over the next two years, attendance adviser support will be offered to every Local Authority in the country. Advisers work closely with Local Authorities to ensure that they are fully implementing the key expectations in the Department’s new attendance guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf.

This includes supporting Local Authorities to make effective use of their attendance data to develop a local strategy, putting in place effective multi-agency support for families to address attendance barriers, and meeting with all schools on a termly basis to discuss and agree support for any persistently absent pupils.

Attendance adviser support has also been offered this year to 24 multi-academy trusts with higher levels of persistent absence across their schools. These trusts are responsible for 226 schools in total.

The Department continues to assess the effectiveness of the attendance adviser initiative by monitoring the progress of Local Authorities and trusts in implementing the action plans that they have developed with their adviser to reduce absence. School attendance data continues to be published regularly by the Department in the usual way.

Figures for education, health and care (EHC) plans are not available at the level of parliamentary constituency. The department publishes annual figures on the number of EHC plans being administered by each local authority in England. The local authority level figures for 2022 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

The department does not hold figures specifically for the cost of funding the plans. Allocations of high needs funding to local authorities as part of their dedicated schools grant for the current financial year, from which they cover the cost of the provision for those children and young people with EHC plans, are set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2022-to-2023.

Data on the number and percentage of children registered to receive the funded early education entitlements is published in the 'Education provision: children under 5' national statistics release which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5/2021.

The table shows the number and percentage (where available) of eligible 2 year old and 3 and 4 year old children registered to receive funded early education, extended funded early education, and those in receipt of early years pupil premium.

Data is not available at parliamentary constituency level, therefore it has been provided for Blackpool local authority.

Data is not held for the number of parents eligible for early years pupil premium or extended funded early education at local authority or parliamentary consistency level, therefore percentages cannot be provided.

Number and take up rate of eligible 2 year olds and 3 and 4 year old children registered to receive funded early education, extended early education and those in receipt of early years pupil premium January 2021 Blackpool local authority:

Source: Early Years Census and School Census

1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one private, voluntary, or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
2. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.
3. The estimated number of eligible two year old children is derived from data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions each November. It represents the best data available on the number of children meeting the benefit and tax credit eligibility criteria. Since 2019 it includes universal credit recipients.

Data on the number and percentage of children registered to receive the funded early education entitlements is published in the 'Education provision: children under 5' national statistics release which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5/2021.

The table shows the number and percentage (where available) of eligible 2 year old and 3 and 4 year old children registered to receive funded early education, extended funded early education, and those in receipt of early years pupil premium.

Data is not available at parliamentary constituency level, therefore it has been provided for Blackpool local authority.

Data is not held for the number of parents eligible for early years pupil premium or extended funded early education at local authority or parliamentary consistency level, therefore percentages cannot be provided.

Number and take up rate of eligible 2 year olds and 3 and 4 year old children registered to receive funded early education, extended early education and those in receipt of early years pupil premium January 2021 Blackpool local authority:

Source: Early Years Census and School Census

1. Children who split their entitlement across more than one private, voluntary, or Independent provider are only counted at the provider where they spend the majority of their time.
2. 2021 is the first year of data covering COVID-19, collected during January's national lockdown. A higher proportion of children recorded as registered to receive early education entitlements will have been temporarily absent during census week itself than previous years.
3. The estimated number of eligible two year old children is derived from data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions each November. It represents the best data available on the number of children meeting the benefit and tax credit eligibility criteria. Since 2019 it includes universal credit recipients.

I can confirm that a response has been sent to the hon. Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.

In line with Step 4 of the roadmap, nurseries, schools, and colleges are no longer routinely required to undertake contact tracing for pupils and staff. Instead, those who test positive will be subject to the normal test and trace process, which will identify close contacts.

From 16 August 2021, children under the age of 18 years old, and staff who are fully vaccinated, will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, they will be advised to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The Department encourages all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so.

18 year-olds will be treated in the same way as children up until four months after their 18th birthday to allow them the opportunity to get fully vaccinated, at which point they will be subject to the same rules as adults. Therefore, if they choose not to get vaccinated, they will need to self-isolate if identified as a close contact.

Nurseries, schools, and colleges will continue to have a role in working with health protection teams in the case of a local outbreak. If there is a COVID-19 outbreak or if central Government offers the area an enhanced response package, a director of public health might advise a nursery, school or college to temporarily reintroduce some control measures.

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

Governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies have a legal duty to ensure that their school has a policy in place to support pupils with medical conditions. The department’s statutory guidance ‘Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions at School’ makes it clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. The guidance provides advice on a range of areas including staff training, administration of medicines and consulting with parents. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Schools should also be aware of Department of Health and Social Care guidance for schools on adrenaline auto-injectors: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools. Any member of staff may volunteer to take on the responsibilities set out in this guidance, but they cannot be required to do so.

We have also made allergies part of the Health Education curriculum for all pupils in state funded schools, which has been mandatory since September 2020. Schools must have regard to the guidance we have issued, which sets out that pupils should be taught about the facts and science relating to allergies, immunisation and vaccination: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

In addition to this, officials in the department work closely with the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance, of which the Anaphylaxis Campaign is a member, to explore how we can supplement the statutory requirements with accessible resources to help schools to improve the way they support children with allergies.

Last year, we commissioned Ecorys to carry out an independent evaluation of our 2019 Holiday Activities and Food programme.

The report has been delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak but it is now in the final stages and is being prepared for publication. We will continue to work with Ecorys on this and we expect their report to be published in the near future.

Last year, we commissioned Ecorys to carry out an independent evaluation of our 2019 Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

The completion and publication of the final report has been delayed due to the impact of COVID-19. We continue to work with Ecorys on this and their report will be published at the earliest opportunity.

In October 2019, we announced £9 million for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme 2020 and invited organisations to bid to coordinate free holiday provision for disadvantaged children in a local authority area during the 2020 summer holidays.

All of the bids received were assessed against the criteria published in our ‘Invitation to bid’ which has been attached.

Each bid was then ranked according to their score and we selected the ten highest scoring bids for funding. The level of funding allocated to each successful bid was in line with the scale and nature of their proposed programme, as detailed in their respective bids.

We will publish the list of successful bidders for 2020 this month.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Blackpool Opportunity Area funded a summer activity with food programme across 6 of the most disadvantaged wards in Blackpool, combining healthy eating, arts and craft and sports with provision of food in the holidays in 2019. This included the development of a local authority, public health and community and voluntary sector partnership, which has continued enabling groups to work together to secure additional funding from the Sunday Times Christmas Campaign. Plans for this summer are not yet confirmed.

This summer, our holiday activities and food programme will ensure thousands of disadvantaged children in England have access to healthy meals and holiday activities – building on the success of the 2018 and 2019 programmes – and we remain committed to supporting children and families through the disruption caused by COVID-19. We will announce the successful local areas shortly.

In addition, the government continues to invest significantly each year on welfare benefits for people of working age, supporting people when they need it, including those who are out of work or on a low income. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the government’s package of support in response to COVID-19 is one of the largest in the world. We have increased Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by over £1,000 a year for this financial year, benefiting over 4 million households and increased Local Housing Allowance rates, putting an average of £600 into people’s pockets. Taken together, these measures provide over £6.5 billion of additional support through the welfare system for people affected by COVID-19, the biggest ever in Universal Credit.

A bid for funding for the 2020 Holiday Activities and Food programme was submitted by Blackpool Council.

We are now in the process of negotiating grant agreements with the successful bidders and we will announce the successful and unsuccessful areas publicly in due course.

The School Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

Schools are responsible for their school meals service and how and where they choose to buy their produce. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for all maintained schools. We expect all academies and free schools to comply with the standards, and since 2014 we have made this an explicit requirement in their funding agreements.

Governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations. Guidance on the Standards, and further resources for schools, are available on GOV.UK.

School summer holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some families due to increased food and childcare costs and reduced incomes. That is why we have announced funding for the 2020 summer school holidays to again support children and their families with free access to holiday clubs across the country.

This follows our £9 million investment in 2019 which explored a model of local coordination of free holiday provision in 11 local authority areas.

We held a competitive bidding round for the summer 2020 fund which closed on 13 December. All bids were assessed against our published criteria and applicants needed to demonstrate that they could coordinate high-quality holiday clubs for children across their areas.

We will contact all bidders both successful and unsuccessful in the very near future.

The department is investing up to £35 million in the National Schools Breakfast Programme (NSBP) to kick-start or improve sustainable breakfast clubs in up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas. This includes the recently announced extension to the NSBP which will support up to an additional 650 schools with up to £11.8 million being invested in 2020-21. Please find the list of participating schools from Blackpool and Lancashire attached.

Prior to the launch of the National Schools Breakfast Programme there was already a successful local authority scheme operating within Blackpool. The scheme, run through Blackpool Council, entitles all primary school children to a free breakfast.

The department collects two separate pieces of information in relation to placement location, the distance the child is placed away from their home postcode, and whether the placement is located inside or outside their responsible local authority. These figures were published in tables A4 and A5 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2018 to 2019’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019.

To calculate the distance the child is placed away from their home postcode, the department does collect some postcode information but coverage is not complete as in some instances distance is recorded instead. The department does not hold the full address of a child’s placement centrally.

??The revenue funding allocated for schools for financial years 2009-10 to 2018-19 for Blackpool local authority (LA) is shown in the table below.

The information requested is not held by the department. We do not currently collect data on the number of home-educated children.

In the spring of 2019, a consultation was held on proposals for a mandatory register of children not attending state or registered independent schools to help local authorities carry out their responsibilities in relation to children not in school. Almost 5000 responses were received to the consultation which closed in June 2019. They have now been considered and a formal government response document setting out next steps will be issued in due course.

Plant health controls of goods imported into GB from the EU are being introduced in phases, aligned to the risks posed by different regulated commodities. Those goods which present the greatest potential biosecurity risk, ‘high-priority plants’, have been subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls since 1 January 2021. The selection of consignments for physical checks is risk-based, so that lower risk goods receive a lower frequency of checks. As such, fees need to be adapted to ensure there is no over-recovery of costs.

All other regulated goods are not subject to plant health controls until 2022, as such no fees are currently associated with these EU imports. Similarly, for other SPS goods, fees are only being charged at the point checks are being introduced, in line with the published timetable for the phased introduction of checks.

Defra took the decision to delay the introduction of fees for import checks of high-priority plants and plant products for 5 months to give businesses more time to prepare and adjust to the new charging arrangements. The methodology used to calculate fees for plant health services was agreed with trade following a fees review and consultation in 2017. During this time Defra has communicated extensively with industry and stakeholder groups to ensure they are prepared for the new fees coming in.

It has long been UK Government policy to charge for many publicly provided goods and services. The standard approach is to set fees to recover the full costs of service delivery. This relieves the general taxpayer of costs, so that they are properly borne by users who benefit from a service. This allows for a more equitable distribution of public resources and enables lower public expenditure and borrowing. Defra plant health services operate in line with that principle and have done for many years.

Plant health fees are reviewed regularly and adjusted to ensure no under, or over, recovery of costs and amended as necessary. For instance, prior to the public consultation on the methodology for calculating plant health fees in 2017, costs for export certification services were being significantly under-recovered, and subsequently new fees were introduced in 2018 to eliminate the shortfall.

We do not anticipate the introduction of fees for high-priority plants and plant products from the EU to have a significant impact on the overall volume of imports of these goods. Businesses will, as they already have in some cases, adapt their operating model to minimise the fees they pay, e.g. through greater consolidation of consignments.

Demand for high-priority plants (largely ornamental garden plants) is especially high as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers choosing to spend more time and therefore money on their homes and gardens. Whilst this will prompt greater domestic production of these plants, which Defra supports, EU countries such as the Netherlands, will remain a key source due to their prominence in the global market and their geographical proximity.

Defra took the decision to delay the introduction of fees for import checks of high-priority plants and plant products for 5 months to give businesses more time to prepare and adjust to the new charging arrangements. The methodology used to calculate fees for plant health services was agreed with trade following a fees review and consultation in 2017. During this time Defra has communicated extensively with industry and stakeholder groups to ensure they are prepared for the new fees coming in.

It has long been UK Government policy to charge for many publicly provided goods and services. The standard approach is to set fees to recover the full costs of service delivery. This relieves the general taxpayer of costs, so that they are properly borne by users who benefit from a service. This allows for a more equitable distribution of public resources and enables lower public expenditure and borrowing. Defra plant health services operate in line with that principle and have done for many years.

Plant health fees are reviewed regularly and adjusted to ensure no under, or over, recovery of costs and amended as necessary. For instance, prior to the public consultation on the methodology for calculating plant health fees in 2017, costs for export certification services were being significantly under-recovered, and subsequently new fees were introduced in 2018 to eliminate the shortfall.

We do not anticipate the introduction of fees for high-priority plants and plant products from the EU to have a significant impact on the overall volume of imports of these goods. Businesses will, as they already have in some cases, adapt their operating model to minimise the fees they pay, e.g. through greater consolidation of consignments.

Demand for high-priority plants (largely ornamental garden plants) is especially high as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers choosing to spend more time and therefore money on their homes and gardens. Whilst this will prompt greater domestic production of these plants, which Defra supports, EU countries such as the Netherlands, will remain a key source due to their prominence in the global market and their geographical proximity.

Defra took the decision to delay the introduction of fees for import checks of high-priority plants and plant products for 5 months to give businesses more time to prepare and adjust to the new charging arrangements. The methodology used to calculate fees for plant health services was agreed with trade following a fees review and consultation in 2017. During this time Defra has communicated extensively with industry and stakeholder groups to ensure they are prepared for the new fees coming in.

It has long been UK Government policy to charge for many publicly provided goods and services. The standard approach is to set fees to recover the full costs of service delivery. This relieves the general taxpayer of costs, so that they are properly borne by users who benefit from a service. This allows for a more equitable distribution of public resources and enables lower public expenditure and borrowing. Defra plant health services operate in line with that principle and have done for many years.

Plant health fees are reviewed regularly and adjusted to ensure no under, or over, recovery of costs and amended as necessary. For instance, prior to the public consultation on the methodology for calculating plant health fees in 2017, costs for export certification services were being significantly under-recovered, and subsequently new fees were introduced in 2018 to eliminate the shortfall.

We do not anticipate the introduction of fees for high-priority plants and plant products from the EU to have a significant impact on the overall volume of imports of these goods. Businesses will, as they already have in some cases, adapt their operating model to minimise the fees they pay, e.g. through greater consolidation of consignments.

Demand for high-priority plants (largely ornamental garden plants) is especially high as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers choosing to spend more time and therefore money on their homes and gardens. Whilst this will prompt greater domestic production of these plants, which Defra supports, EU countries such as the Netherlands, will remain a key source due to their prominence in the global market and their geographical proximity.

GB’s plant health regime is risk-based, and the history of compliance of specific trades (where the trade is the combination of a specific commodity from a specific origin), is a significant factor in determining biosecurity risk. Consequently, trades with a proven track record of compliance and meeting prescribed eligibility criteria may be subject to a reduced frequency or intensity of checks.

Whilst the biosecurity risk of imported goods is largely trade based, there are areas where trader considerations may also play a role. For example, as the phased introduction of EU-GB plant health import controls is completed in early 2022, Defra are exploring possible options for performing plant health controls away from the border on a longer-term basis, such as increased uptake in the use of designated plant health Control Points. Eligibility criteria to be designated as a Control Point may include elements consistent with a trusted trader model.

Defra officials have been looking at a wide range or measures to make the import of plants and trees as efficient as possible, without compromising our high biosecurity standards. There is regular dialogue between our plant health services and those of our key trading partners in the EU, including on e-certification most recently, which will streamline the exchange of phytosanitary certificates for the benefit of businesses and regulators alike.

As to checks at point of embarkation, there are legal limitations with locating GB officials in a different jurisdiction to perform statutory functions, and whilst internationally there are precedents for locating inspectors in other countries, these staff typically perform an audit and assurance role rather than performing pre-import checks. Consequently, we are not actively pursuing this option with trading partners now, but Defra officials will continue to work with stakeholder organisations and those that import regulated plants and plant products from the EU to ensure GB plant health controls work as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Defra recognises the contribution that small abattoirs make to local supply chains and that there are animal welfare benefits in shorter journey times to slaughter.

The Government is currently funding one mobile abattoir project through the Rural Development Programme for England as part of the Growth Programme. The project is farmer led and is aiming to be operational later this year.

We are also exploring potential opportunities under the Agriculture Act to fund small abattoirs that demonstrate a viable business model, meet the needs of the market and can clearly demonstrate delivery of public goods.

The Government continues to take positive action to protect and improve the welfare of animals. Licensing schemes brought in since 2010 include The Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 and The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 which expired on 19 January 2020.

In addition, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations were introduced in 2018. These regulations were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities involving animals including animal boarding and pet selling establishments, dog breeders and establishments exhibiting animals or hiring out horses. Further guidance on which activities might be considered in scope of requiring a licence to hire out horses can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936833/animal-welfare-licensing-hiring-out-horses.pdf

The recently published Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates our commitment to a brighter future for animals both at home and abroad. Our reform programme includes pursuing the licensing of animal sanctuaries and rescue and rehoming centres including for cats, dogs and horses. Defra has been engaging with rescue and rehoming organisations to understand their views and the possible impacts of regulating the sector. Any Proposals to bring forward licensing regulations will be subject to a consultation.

There are currently no plans to license horse breeders or livery yards (which provide stabling and grazing facilities for owners of horses and ponies) from an animal welfare perspective. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 animal owners and keepers are under a legal duty of care for the animals for which they are responsible on a permanent or temporary basis. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys, and their Hybrids. The Code provides information on considerations to be taken into account before deciding to breed from your horse. It also makes clear that owners are responsible for meeting the horse’s need for safe and suitable shelter and pasture, whether this is through a livery yard, rented land or land that you own. The Code can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdf

The Government continues to take positive action to protect and improve the welfare of animals. Licensing schemes brought in since 2010 include The Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 and The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 which expired on 19 January 2020.

In addition, the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations were introduced in 2018. These regulations were developed to help improve welfare standards across a range of activities involving animals including animal boarding and pet selling establishments, dog breeders and establishments exhibiting animals or hiring out horses. Further guidance on which activities might be considered in scope of requiring a licence to hire out horses can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936833/animal-welfare-licensing-hiring-out-horses.pdf

The recently published Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates our commitment to a brighter future for animals both at home and abroad. Our reform programme includes pursuing the licensing of animal sanctuaries and rescue and rehoming centres including for cats, dogs and horses. Defra has been engaging with rescue and rehoming organisations to understand their views and the possible impacts of regulating the sector. Any Proposals to bring forward licensing regulations will be subject to a consultation.

There are currently no plans to license horse breeders or livery yards (which provide stabling and grazing facilities for owners of horses and ponies) from an animal welfare perspective. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 animal owners and keepers are under a legal duty of care for the animals for which they are responsible on a permanent or temporary basis. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys, and their Hybrids. The Code provides information on considerations to be taken into account before deciding to breed from your horse. It also makes clear that owners are responsible for meeting the horse’s need for safe and suitable shelter and pasture, whether this is through a livery yard, rented land or land that you own. The Code can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700200/horses-welfare-codes-of-practice-april2018.pdf

Agriculture accounts for around 10% of the UK's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Emissions from methane (54%) and nitrous oxide (32%) make up the bulk of agriculture's GHG emissions. The most significant sources of emissions are due to enteric fermentation from livestock and from the use of fertilisers on agricultural soils.

Achieving our net zero target is a priority for the Government, and we are developing a range of measures to address it through the Agriculture Act, our future farming policy, the 25 Year Environment Plan, and our response to Henry Dimbleby's Independent Review of the food system and national food strategy review. All of these are aimed at enabling farmers to optimise sustainable food production, reduce emissions from agriculture and allow consumer choices to drive those changes.

We are also introducing three schemes that reward environmental benefits: The Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery. Together, these schemes are intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and our commitment to Net Zero emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. Through these schemes, farmers and other land managers may enter into agreements to be paid for delivering public goods, including adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

We recognise the contribution to GHG emissions made by the livestock and dairy sectors. Defra has worked with industry to reduce emissions through improved productivity and has already made progress in this space. Defra works with the NFU, CLA and other industry partners to support the industry led Greenhouse Gas Action Plan. We also continue to work in partnership with industry partners including AHDB on breeding strategies to reduce emissions from ruminant livestock, mainly through improved feed efficiency. Defra is exploring the potential for feed additives such as seaweed or methane inhibitors to reduce the environmental impacts of farming.

We are committed to restoring and sustainably managing England's peatlands. The Chancellor announced in March 2020 that as part of the Nature for Climate Fund, 35,000ha of peatland restoration would be achieved over the next 5 years. This represents a significant step forward in our restoration efforts and will require us to work closely with a wide range of stakeholders.

We are taking action now to prevent further damage to protected blanket bog by bringing forward legislation that will limit burning of vegetation; and will be consulting later this year on measures to phase out the use of peat in horticulture.

The Government will be setting out further measures to restore, protect and manage England's peatlands this year as part of a package of measures to protect England's landscapes and nature-based solutions.

The Government committed in its manifesto to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. We are seeking powers to do so in the Environment Bill. Since consulting on its introduction in 2019, the Government has been developing proposals for a DRS using further evidence and ongoing engagement with stakeholders. The Government plans to undertake a second consultation on a DRS in early 2021. In preparation for that consultation, we are currently reviewing the proposed timeline for its introduction.

Defra does not hold this data. Requirements for local authorities to report data on the number of fixed penalties issued for littering and other environmental offences were ended in 2010, in order to reduce reporting burdens.

Data on the number of prosecutions and convictions, including those related to offenses under section 87 EPA 1990, are published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2019

No specific support has been provided to navigation authorities to meet the costs of commercial boat license and mooring fees arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government is providing an unprecedented scale of wide-ranging financial support for businesses of all sizes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to feedback received, the Government introduced further support schemes particularly for smaller businesses that were finding it difficult to access the initial package. We are monitoring the impact that these measures are having in supporting public services, businesses and individuals, including the waterways sector.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published detailed guidance for local authorities on the administration of the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund. The grant funding is specifically for small businesses that for whatever reason do not qualify for other COVID-19 support schemes. The guidance also sets out that the eligibility criteria for qualifying small businesses is not exhaustive, but is intended to illustrate for local authorities which types of business the Government considers should be a priority for the scheme.

Local authorities are encouraged to use this when deciding whether particular situations are broadly similar in nature to the examples given in the guidance and therefore eligible for grants, and to exercise their local knowledge and discretion to decide which cases to support, taking account of their relevance to the local economy. Waterways businesses are free to apply for grant funding.

Biodiversity is a devolved matter and the information here relates to England only.

The Government announced in the recent budget an investment of up to £25 million in a Nature Recovery Network (NRN) Fund which will bring together businesses, landowners and local communities to protect and restore habitats, species and landscapes to allow nature to thrive everywhere.

That is not the extent of our ambition. We are bringing forward the first Environment Bill in over 20 years to lay the foundation for the NRN. It establishes spatial strategies for nature – Local Nature Recovery Strategies - that will help direct investment in recovery. It also makes provision for Biodiversity Net Gain, which will provide an important source of investment in the NRN.

In addition, the Nature for Climate Fund, also announced in the budget, will support natural habitats like woodlands and peat bogs. Our new Environmental Land Management scheme, underpinned by the Agricultural Bill, will reward farmers and other land managers for delivering environmental public goods, including thriving plants and wildlife. We are exploring, for example through our testing and trials programme, and the government’s recently published policy discussion document, how the scheme can support the NRN.

Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is in relation to England only.

The Government does not have a statutory duty to collate numbers of Ancient and Veteran Trees. The Ancient Tree Inventory (ATI) currently lists 160,000 ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK. The Natural England and Forestry Commission Standing Advice on Ancient Woodland, Ancient and Veteran Trees, available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ancient-woodland-and-veteran-trees-protection-surveys-licences, directs users to the Woodland Trust’s ATI which is collated by volunteers around the country at https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/.

The Government updated the National Planning Policy Framework in 2019 to improve protection of ancient and veteran trees, noting that these are irreplaceable habitat and these should only be lost to development with wholly exceptional reasons and with a suitable compensation strategy in place. For more information you can visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2.

The Department regularly takes steps to ensure it complies with its transparency obligations across all train operator contracts and aims for consistency between publicly and privately owned operators in the relevant information it makes public, including in relation to train performance, customer experience and satisfaction.

The Operator of Last Resort (OLR) train operators are treated with equivalence to their private sector contractors in the way their contracts are managed, their performance assessed and addressed, the Department’s requirements of their business plans, budgets and any industry efficiencies expected. They are themselves subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000) and the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations (2004) and will provide information under their own Freedom of Information Act (2000) publication schemes.

The Department publishes contractual and performance information relating to both National Rail Contract train operators and OLR train operators in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (2000) on the Rail Public Register.

UK aviation operates in the private sector and industrial relations are managed between the employer and the union. During strike action, the Department expects ground handling services to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place which minimise any potential disruption, work with the airlines and airports and put the consumer first.

Officials engage regularly with ground handling companies, along with all of the aviation sector in order to understand preparedness for any disruption caused by industrial action.

UK aviation operates in the private sector and industrial relations are managed between the employer and the union. During strike action, the Department expects ground handling services to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place which minimise any potential disruption, work with the airlines and airports and put the consumer first.

Officials engage regularly with ground handling companies, along with all of the aviation sector in order to understand preparedness for any disruption caused by industrial action.

The Government recognises the value and critical role of the aviation ground handling sector. However, it is also important to recognise that the sector operates predominately in the private sector. It is the responsibility of industry to ensure that appropriate contingency plans are in place to manage periods of industrial action effectively, to meet the contractual obligations they may have and ensure positive outcomes for passengers.

The Government has published the membership and the Terms of Reference of the Aviation Council online. [Aviation Council - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]. The Minutes of meetings will also be published, shortly after each meeting, on the same forum.

As part of the Government’s 22-point plan to deal with summer disruption, it has been carrying out a review of the ground handling sector to assess whether it is providing quality and efficiency.

The Government have been building a strong understanding of the value of the ground handling industry in the UK. It will be publishing the findings of the review shortly on GOV.uk, including information on the value of aviation ground services to the UK.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) carried out an initial consultation on ATOL Reform in 2021, which explored ways to improve the financial resilience of ATOL holders with better protection of consumer money. The CAA published their summary of responses to the consultation on 25 May 2022. We are working closely with the CAA and expect further consultation on firm proposals later this year.

The Williams Shapps Plan for rail will ensure we get the best from public and private sectors. New Passenger Services Contracts will reinvigorate the competitive market and Great British Railways will be able to work more effectively with private sector suppliers and partners across the sector.

A response was sent to you on 18 March.

The UK is party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic which requires every motor vehicle in international traffic to display the distinguishing sign, also known as the national identifier, of the State in which it is registered. Since 28 September 2021, the national identifier for vehicles registered in the United Kingdom has been the letters UK. The Convention does not make provision for exemptions to this. Owners of historic and classic vehicles who do not wish to change the appearance of their vehicle may prefer to display removable magnetic ‘UK’ identifiers for use when driving overseas.

The Department’s records indicate that a response to your letter of 29 June 2021 on excessive vehicle exhaust noise was issued on 5 July 2021 from Baroness Vere of Norbiton.

While no estimate had been made, as part of Network Rail’s business as usual monitoring of the progress of its engineering work, of the number and period of time of track possessions undertaken consequential to the reduced passenger timetable as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak prior to this point, Network Rail has so far undertaken 38 additional possessions of various lengths, from single nights to two-week blocks. Opportunities to extend possessions have also been taken advantage of, such as the cancellation of first or last trains, or where services were thinned. The independent rail regulator, the Office for Rail and Road, has assessed Network Rail as having shown a strong response to the pandemic and that it has responded well to its challenges, in particular re-planning work to ensure continued and effective delivery throughout the past 12 months.

We do not hold information on the effect of track possessions on performance. The latest national public performance measure for the period 7 February to 6 March 2021 is 92.6%, compared with 83.9% for the same period last year.

The Department’s priority in funding the public service obligation (PSO) is to ensure that a service is maintained between City of Derry Airport and London. It is for the local authority, in conjunction with the airline, to determine how best to operate the service according to their objectives, including the choice of London airport.

Work is ongoing to develop an optimised design and delivery strategy for Euston Station, including consideration of opportunities, efficiencies and scope reductions to address identified cost pressures noted in the first HS2 six-monthly report to Parliament (October 2020). As part of this work, the Department and HS2 Ltd have, with the involvement of other partners including Network Rail, been investigating whether building the HS2 station in a single phase would speed up delivery and reduce the overall cost. This work is currently indicating that moving to a slightly smaller HS2 station at Euston would have some benefits in terms of reducing costs and risks.

This work will help inform the way forward, with a final decision expected in Spring 2021. Initial HS2 Ltd analysis indicates that a slightly smaller station will not preclude the future operation of high speed services to Stoke-on-Trent and Preston.

Discussions have taken place on an on-going basis between Department for Transport officials with the officials in Highways England who manage the Historical Railway Estate (HRE). In addition policy officials in DfT are working collaboratively to ensure opportunities for re-use of HRE assets are maximised where possible, whilst ensuring the safety of the public and, wherever practicable, enabling continued access for pedestrians and cyclists

The results of the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg environmental impact assessment will be published in the Environmental Statement at hybrid Bill Deposit. We are aiming for the Phase 2b WL Bill to be deposited in Parliament by early 2022 and sooner if possible.

The Government continues to work with industry on this important consumer issue to ensure that passengers with nut allergies are safe and confident to fly.

The Government is continuing to develop a strategic framework for the recovery of the aviation sector, which will consider consumer issues.

The Disruptive Passengers Working Group last met on the 8 May 2019. The Civil Aviation Authority utilised an industry-led forum from summer 2019 to March 2020 to engage with the sector on disruptive passenger issues.

The industry-led forum will meet again after the immediate challenges resulting from Covid-19 have been resolved.

All motorists are currently permitted to attend garages and MOT test centres for the purposes of obtaining an MOT test and other essential repairs to their vehicle.

Ministers and officials, working with other Government Departments, have engaged extensively with Eurostar since March 2020 in relation to their financial situation and to help the company access Government support schemes where it is eligible and appropriate. We will continue to engage, at both official and Ministerial level, with Eurostar and the French government regarding Eurostar’s financial situation and any potential support proposals.

We will also work with the international travel industry, including Eurostar, through the relaunch of the Global Travel Taskforce and as we look to support the restart of wider international travel when it is safe to do so.

The Department regularly meets with the Confederation of Passenger Transport and representatives of the coach travel sector to assess the impact of travel guidance across local COVID alert areas and the sector’s ability to access financial support.

The Secretary of State for Transport jointly chairs the Global Travel Taskforce with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. They and other Ministers have very regular discussions about its work with officials and industry partners.

The Taskforce has undertaken extensive consultation with the transport industry, international partners, the tourism sector, business leaders, and the private testing sector, and invited submissions from all of these partners on its work.

The Taskforce will submit its recommendations to the Prime Minister in November.

Through the Global Travel Taskforce the Government has engaged with a large number of international partners to develop a shared understanding of the challenges of restarting international travel, to exchange best practice, and to develop longer term structures for the future. These discussions have included different testing models for international arrivals, as well as non-testing-based measures designed to help restart international travel.

Additionally, we continue to work in ICAO to ensure global compliance and coordination with their ‘Take Off’ guidance and Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce recommendations on health measures.

Before the impact of COVID-19, the UK aviation sector, including air transport and aerospace, directly employed around 230,000 people and supported around 500,000 jobs in total, including the jobs supported through its purchase of goods and services along its supply chain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a sharp contraction in aviation demand, which has created large revenue losses for airlines, airports and companies along the aviation supply chain. The sector has responded to falling revenues by taking action to cut costs.

The Department keeps impacts of Covid-19 on the transport sector under regular review and recognises the importance of the aviation sector to the UK economy. As a result, a series of measures have already been introduced.

The aviation sector can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.

The Department also influenced the airport flight slot usage rules at the start of the pandemic, enabling airlines to cut their services without penalty and protect the environment from unnecessary flying.

The Government has also commenced a policy of ‘travel corridors’, a risk-based alternative to blanket self-isolation requirements with lower risk countries.

We are working with the sector to enable its restart.

The Department has been speaking regularly to airport operators and airlines to understand the effect COVID-19 has had on connectivity as part of our engagement on restart and recovery in the sector.

We will continue to work closely with the industry, to understand how the aviation sector is recovering. This will support government in developing a clear recovery plan for aviation that considers the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on regional connectivity from each UK airport.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19, and has been engaging regularly with airports throughout the UK to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on their financial position.

Businesses across the industry, including airports, have been able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures put in place during this time. This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, two business interruption loan guarantee schemes for different sizes of business, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.

If airports find themselves in trouble as a result of coronavirus even following the Government’s cross-economy wage and financial interventions, the Transport Secretary and Chancellor have confirmed that the Government is prepared to enter discussions with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted all other options. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.

Airports across the country are eligible and have accessed these schemes which has protected a substantial number of jobs across the industry. We do not comment on the commercial or financial matters of private firms and are therefore unable to say anything further.

We are working very closely with both Singapore and South Korea through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is also collaborating closely with their Singaporean counterparts.

The UK has been working with a range of international partners to drive forward a shared agenda on public health and aviation through regular meetings and correspondence.

The UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CART brought together states and industry, including IATA, to develop guidance for the restart. This guidance, including on public health measures for aviation, was published by ICAO on 2 June.

The Government has not published a common international standard on screening measures for travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance, including on common screening measures for air travel, was published by ICAO on 2 June.

While the UK is no longer involved in the development of EASA rules, the UK is an active participant in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), through which it engages with European partners to discuss common measures for air travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance, including on common screening measures, was published by ICAO on 2 June.

The UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance, including on common international measures for air travel, was published by ICAO on 2 June.

The Department for Transport has engaged with the aviation sector on this issue and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. This includes working with senior representatives from the aviation industry as part of the Aviation Restart and Recovery Expert Steering Group. This group serves as the working group for the International Aviation Taskforce – one of five sectoral taskforces announced by the Government on 13 May to support the development of guidelines for safely reopening businesses.

The UK is an active participant in ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Common international public health measures for aviation are discussed, and guidance was published by CART on 2 June.

The Secretary of State has held extensive discussions about exemptions from self-isolation measures with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Home Secretary. Details about those who are exempt from the self-isolation measures were published on 22 May. The list of?exemptions will be kept under regular review.

The Department for Transport has ensured the economic impact assessment, led by the Treasury, reflects the impacts the measures will have on the transport sector and the wider economy, and ensured specific and targeted exemptions to mitigate the impact.

The Department for Transport has engaged in extensive discussions with senior officials at both Eurotunnel (part of Getlink Group) and Eurostar in the run up to and after the announcement made by the Prime Minister on Sunday 10 May. These discussions encompassed further measures at the border for international arrivals to safeguard public health, including the requirements for arriving passengers to self-isolate for 14 days.

The Secretary of State for Transport has had no such discussions with the Governments of those specific states about the operation of UK measures.

My right hon. Friend, the Member for Welwyn Hatfield and I hold regular meetings with the aviation sector including Manchester Airports Group where self-isolation has been discussed.

The?Department for Transport?has?engaged with the aviation sector on this issue?and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.?This includes working with?senior?representatives?from the aviation industry as?part of the Aviation Restart and Recovery Expert Steering Group to which Manchester Airports Group has representation. This group serves as the working group for the International Aviation Taskforce – one of five sectoral taskforces announced by the Government on 13 May to support the development of guidelines for safely reopening?businesses.

Department for Transport (DfT) officials have been attending weekly International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task-Force (CART) which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This brings together states, multilateral organisations and industry bodies. Potential health measures for aviation, such as the planned mandatory self-isolation for inbound passengers, were discussed in both of these forums.

The Chancellor announced £330 billion of loans and guarantees, to financially support businesses, such as coach operators, through this time. The measures include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Time to Pay and VAT deferral. The Department continues to work closely with the coach sector to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are, and how these could be addressed.

The Department for Transport is working closely with a range of international partners, including ICAO and IATA, to drive forward a shared agenda on public health measures for international travel. We are also monitoring closely measures already taken by other countries to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from air travel.

We are guided by the science on self-isolation requirements, which for now will cover all arrivals into the UK, bar a small number of exemptions. We will carefully consider if a risk based approach between countries is possible.

The aviation sector plays a key role in our future as a global trading nation, as well as playing a critical role in local economies.?However, it is important that we?actively?manage the risk of imported cases of coronavirus being introduced to the UK from overseas.?The?Prime?Minister has?set out the?need to ensure that we do not import new cases of Covid-19 as the UK’s R?rate?continues to decline. These measures,?which?we will be introducing in due course as part of the Government’s overall efforts, will help keep transmission in the UK as low as possible.

The Government continues to support businesses through one of the most generous economic packages provided anywhere in the world.? If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.

In time, the aviation sector will begin to restart and recover, and we are exploring measures that could be deployed in the aviation sector to ensure the public can be confident that flying is a safe and healthy way of travelling. Any changes to our approach will be led by advice from SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer.

The Department for Transport is working with a range of international partners, including ICAO and IATA, to assess the impacts of the current crisis on international aviation. We recognise that aviation is a fundamentally international industry and thus common measures are highly desirable.

Through the newly established International Aviation Taskforce we aim to establish a baseline of measures in the form of government guidance, based on the available evidence, and for these to become widespread and well-understood, avoiding confusion and uncertainty for both industry and passengers.

The Department for Transport is working closely with international partners through bodies such as ICAO and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) to discuss a wide range of Covid-19 pandemic issues. This includes discussions on potential common international measures for travel during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Government has launched an unprecedented set of support measures to ensure that businesses, such as coach operators, have access to the funds they need to pay essential bills at this difficult time. This includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of October. Officials are engaging with both MHCLG and HMT to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are for the coach sector, and how these could be addressed.

The Government has launched an unprecedented set of support measures to ensure that businesses, such as coach operators, have access to the funds they need to pay essential bills at this difficult time. This includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of October. Officials are engaging with both MHCLG and HMT to understand what the ongoing risks and issues are for the coach sector, and how these could be addressed.

The aviation sector is important to the UK economy and will be able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.

If airlines, airports or other aviation organisations find themselves in trouble as a result of coronavirus, even following the Government’s cross-economy wage and financial interventions, the Transport Secretary and Chancellor have confirmed that Government remains open to discussions about further cross-sector measures industry may suggest; and that any company can approach Government as a last resort, after exhausting the comprehensive package that have been put in place and all other options. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.

The aviation sector is important to the UK economy and will be able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. These measures will be essential to support the sector ensuring there is sufficient capacity to protect global travel routes, continue repatriation, freight and maintain vital connectivity.

Government has not yet undertaken a formal assessment of the impacts on competition of European support for airlines. We are committed to the recovery of the sector in order to ensure a global and connected Britain; support our levelling up agenda through regional connectivity and the strengthening of ties within the Union; enable strong sector competition on domestic and global levels; and provide critical infrastructure to support essential public services.

The Government is supportive of industry’s collaborative efforts and recognises the good work they have done in tackling the problem of disruptive passenger behaviour, both at airports and on-board aircraft. The Government continues to work in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority, airports and airlines to consider measures needed to continue addressing this issue.

The sale of nut-based products on board aircrafts is a commercial decision for individual airlines. However, the Government is pleased to note that a number of UK airlines have taken positive steps to ban nuts and nut products from their aircraft. We continue to encourage industry to take appropriate measures. Government also wants to see improved clarity and consistency in how airlines operating in the UK assist nut allergy sufferers.

The Government continues to work in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority, airports and airlines to consider measures needed to tackle the problem of disruptive passenger behaviour in aviation. The last cross-industry meeting with representatives from the Government, the Civil Aviation Authority, airlines, airports, the retail sector and the police was held on 8 May 2019. As this was organised by the Civil Aviation Authority, the Government holds no official minutes of this meeting.

To reduce the carbon emissions from aviation, the Government supports a range of measures, including efficiency improvements in technology, operations and air traffic management, use of sustainable aviation fuels and market based measures.

The Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) rewards renewable aviation fuels in the form of tradeable certificates. Since 2015, £11.5m of government money has been invested in the research and development of low carbon fuels, with £1.8m of this being for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF has received less research and development funding than other areas of aviation because the technology to produce SAF already exists.

Additionally, the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (the F4C) makes up to £20 million of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries. Analysis commissioned by the Department for the F4C suggests that the competition could stimulate up to 9,800 jobs by 2030, of which some will be involved in the SAF industry.

The Government is considering policies it can put in place to further assist the long-term uptake of sustainable aviation fuels. The upcoming aviation consultation on reaching net zero in the aviation sector will provide an opportunity to test such further policies.

To reduce the carbon emissions from aviation, the Government supports a range of measures, including efficiency improvements in technology, operations and air traffic management, use of sustainable aviation fuels and market based measures.

The Government is encouraging the production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels in the UK. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) rewards renewable aviation fuels in the form of tradeable certificates. Since 2015, £11.5m of government money has been invested in the research and development of low carbon fuels, with £1.8m of this being for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF has received less research and development funding than other areas of aviation because the technology to produce SAF already exists.

Additionally, the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (the F4C) makes up to £20 million of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries. Analysis commissioned by the Department for the F4C suggests that the competition could stimulate up to 9,800 jobs by 2030, of which some will be involved in the SAF industry.

The Government is considering policies it can put in place to further assist the long-term uptake of sustainable aviation fuels. The upcoming aviation consultation on reaching net zero in the aviation sector will provide an opportunity to test such further policies.

To date we have identified 35 trees exhibiting veteran or ancient tree features that would need to be removed for Phase One.

The Phase 2a Environmental Statement (as amended) reports the loss of 38 known ancient or veteran trees on a precautionary basis.

The Environmental Impact Assessment has not yet been completed for Phase 2b, so we are unable to provide numbers of trees.

Approximately 0.39 square kilometres of ancient woodland will be lost between London and Crewe (Phase One and Phase 2a). HS2 Ltd aim to plant over 7 million new trees and shrubs along the line of Phase 1, including over 40 native species.

The Department publishes statistics showing overall passenger numbers and crowding levels on trains at selected major cities in England and Wales and central London stations in an annual publication titled ‘Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales’.

The most recent statistical release, covering statistics for autumn 2018 is available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rail-passenger-numbers-and-crowding-on-weekdays-in-major-cities-in-england-and-wales-2018

The detail of the funding that has been made available to local authorities and other organisations to support walking projects are set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Report to Parliament, published on 07 February 2020. The schemes that the Department has funded include projects to encourage walking to school, as well as improvements to infrastructure and the public realm to support walking in general. Further details will be announced at the Budget and Spending Review of the new funding for cycling and walking that was announced by the Prime Minister on 11 February 2020.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not own any land in the Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency, any DWP occupations in this area is by way of an agreed Lease.

The information requested for Universal Credit and income-based Employment and Support Allowance is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information is available for those on income-based Employment and Support Allowance with the main medical condition of ‘Diseases of the respiratory system’ here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The information is not collected for those on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support.

A reply was sent to the Honourable Member on 02/11 2021.

The number of households on Universal Credit and those with Child Care entitlement, broken down by Parliamentary Constituency, can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council have recently commissioned a comprehensive review and evaluation of the literature, including epidemiology, on work-related malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases, primarily focussing on lung cancer and COPD. The broad remit of the review will cover former employees of the health and beauty industry and associated exposures. The review, which is about to commence, will inform the prescriptions for the purposes of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits. The review is expected to take up to two years to complete, after which time the Council will report on its findings.

The Government accepted all 14 recommendations put forward by the Maynard taskforce and have introduced legislation which allows for the minimum English and Maths requirements for apprenticeships to be adjusted for people with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to entry level 3.

We remain committed to ensuring that more people from underrepresented backgrounds undertake and achieve an apprenticeship and benefit from their progression opportunities.

Self-employed earnings are reported on a simplified 'cash accounting' basis, which asks for the total income from receipts into the business and details of payments out of the business under defined categories during the assessment period. The requirements were designed to be as simple as possible in order for self-employed claimants to easily report their earnings. Most claimants now report monthly on-line, via their Universal Credit account, with a telephone service still available where additional support is required.

Company directors and those combining employed work with their self-employed activities may receive a salary using the PAYE system. All earnings processed through PAYE are reported automatically to the DWP through HMRC’s RTI feed. Monthly reporting of earnings and other income is a fundamental part of the design of Universal Credit and allows the Universal Credit award to be adjusted on a monthly basis to reflect the circumstances of the household.

We are currently considering the detail and implementation of the draft remedial order and will update the House in due course.

The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked or the level of “minimum wage” payments. Therefore, the department does not routinely collect information on whether those claiming Carer’s Allowance are being paid at those levels and so the information requested is not available.

The earnings limit is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through some part time work. The Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit has increased by nearly a third since 2010 (from £100 to £128 net earnings per week), reflecting an increase in average earnings in recent years. These increases have helped ensure that the earnings limit has maintained its value.

The department is currently undertaking research which will touch on carers employment and potential barriers to them working. We will look at the findings from the research and other evidence and arguments with an open mind, and would consider changes to the way the earnings limit is calculated if they were deemed to be necessary and affordable.

The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked or the level of “minimum wage” payments. Therefore, the department does not routinely collect information on whether those claiming Carer’s Allowance are being paid at those levels and so the information requested is not available.

The earnings limit is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through some part time work. The Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit has increased by nearly a third since 2010 (from £100 to £128 net earnings per week), reflecting an increase in average earnings in recent years. These increases have helped ensure that the earnings limit has maintained its value.

The department is currently undertaking research which will touch on carers employment and potential barriers to them working. We will look at the findings from the research and other evidence and arguments with an open mind, and would consider changes to the way the earnings limit is calculated if they were deemed to be necessary and affordable.

The tax credits system is designed to work closely alongside the tax system. This is why the general measure of income for assessing claims to tax credits is any income which is charged to income tax.

The Local Restriction Support Grant is a taxable payment made to businesses. As such, it is considered as income for tax credits purposes. This is consistent with other forms of taxable business support available during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the Self-Employment Income Support Grant and Small Business Grants.

DWP legislation provides that Covid-19 related grants which are intended to cover loss of business income and to aid business recovery, will be disregarded for Universal Credit purposes for 12 months.

The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (“IIAC”) is independent of Government. IIAC have commissioned a review of respiratory conditions which will soon be underway and will be guided by its outcome when making any recommendations for changes to the appropriate prescriptions. As part of this, they will ensure that the review of occupational causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease will include hairdressing and hair products.

IIAC is in the process of tendering for an external contractor to carry out the commissioned review, it expects a successful bidder to be appointed late Spring 2021 and the review is expected to take two years to complete.

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit expenditure by local authority can be accessed here:

The figure is available in tab 2019-20, column U, row 49.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/921385/hb-and-ctb-by-la-2019-20.ods

The Department will be reporting on the implementation of the recommendations agreed by the Serious Case Panel in this year’s Annual Report and Accounts. The Panel continues to consider the serious issues arising from cases and other insight that affect the DWP customer experience. The Serious Case Panel has now met four times and is due to meet again this month. The Panel has made great progress over the last year, already making changes to the way in which we support our most vulnerable customers. We will continue to publish the minutes following each meeting of the Panel on gov.uk.

The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) is proposing to commission a comprehensive review and evaluation of the literature, including epidemiology, on work-related malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases, primarily focussing on lung cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), to inform, update or potentially expand the industrial injuries scheme. The proposal is in its early stages, the tendering process to appoint a suitably qualified organisation to carry out the research was delayed by the coronavirus crisis and lockdown, but will be resumed as soon as practically possible.

We carefully consider any recommendations made by the IIAC and wider stakeholders. Should IIAC recommend further changes to the list of prescribed diseases, we would of course treat this with careful consideration.

Tax credits are designed to be closely aligned with the tax system, and therefore generally only take into account taxable income. As student loans are not liable to income tax, they are not included in the calculation of income for tax credits purposes.

Tax credits are designed to be closely aligned with the tax system, and therefore generally only take into account taxable income. As student loans are not liable to income tax, they are not included in the calculation of income for tax credits purposes.

The Government has announced a suite of measures that can be quickly and effectively operationalised to benefit those facing the most financial disruption during the pandemic. The Department is experiencing significantly increased demand and has to prioritise the safety and stability of the benefits system overall. The IT system which supports Universal Credit has more capacity to make the necessary changes than the systems that support legacy benefits. It also uses different technology from other DWP systems and these older systems have complex interactions and interdependencies.

We estimate that 2.5m households receiving Universal Credit will benefit straight away from the increase in the standard allowances which was announced on 20 March, and which is additional to the planned annual uprating. New claimants who have either become unemployed, or whose earnings or work hours have decreased because of the outbreak, will benefit too; subject to their eligibility.

We have also made a number of changes to legacy and other working age benefits in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including increasing certain entitlements, such as Local Housing Allowance. Up-to-date information about the employment and benefits support available, including Universal Credit, Statutory Sick Pay, New style Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance, can be found here: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/

The COVID-19 outbreak continues to be a rapidly evolving situation and we are keeping it under review.

DWP offers its employees access to two schemes: an advance of salary to purchase a bicycle and a Cycle to Work scheme, which allows employees to sacrifice part of their salary in exchange for a discounted bicycle and safety equipment. This initiative is governed by the Department for Transport and is similar to schemes run by other Government Departments.

Statistics on persistent low income are published annually in the “Income Dynamics” publication. This data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-dynamics-2016-to-2017, in the ‘persistent low income trends’ file in Table 1.

In August 2019, the latest date for which data are available, there were 3,572,109 persons aged 80 years and above in receipt of State Pension.

The Departments payment policy does not include cash payments. This policy outlines that the standard method of payment is into a bank, building society, credit union account, internet based and basic bank account. There are also two payment exception services (Post Office card account and HMG PES) that enable individuals who cannot manage a standard bank account, access to their money from various outlets. When the contracts for these services end, a replacement service will be introduced.

We are committed to ensuring that those who need cash payments will be able to access them in their local area and that an over the counter face to face service will remain available.

There were 15.5 full-time equivalent staff working in the Office for Disability Issues on 1 June 2019.

We are absolutely committed to improving our services, especially to the most vulnerable, which is why we have set up the Serious Case Panel. The panel was developed to take themes and systemic issues that come out of various case reviews and make recommendations for improvements.

More information about the Serious Case Panel will be published in due course.

The last progress report for the Fulfilling Potential Outcomes and Indicators Framework was published in November 2015 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fulfilling-potential-outcomes-and-indicators-framework-second-annual-progress-report

We want to achieve practical changes for disabled people, which remove barriers and increase opportunity. The Government has committed to publish a National Strategy for Disabled People before the end of 2020.

Local Housing Allowance is used to calculate the maximum amount of Housing Benefit payable to claimants.

In 2018/19 the amount paid under the Local Housing Allowance Scheme for Housing Benefit claimants in the Blackpool local authority area was £51 million. This excludes the equivalent paid out in Local Housing Allowance for Universal Credit claimants, which is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

We replied to the hon. Member on 18 May 2022.

We replied to the hon. Member on 18 May 2022.

We have no current plans to do so. Approximately 89% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge and there are arrangements in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension. Those with cystic fibrosis or another long-term condition may meet the eligibility criteria for prescription charge exemptions and be in receipt of free prescriptions.

We replied to the hon. Member on 18 May 2022.

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

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors the food industry’s progress towards achieving the 2024 salt reduction targets. The first report on the food industry’s progress is expected later in 2022, which will include analysis of industry progress at sector and individual business level. Options will be considered should a continued voluntary approach demonstrate insufficient progress by 2024.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors the food industry’s progress towards achieving the 2024 salt reduction targets. The first report on the food industry’s progress is expected later in 2022, which will include analysis of industry progress at sector and individual business level. Options will be considered should a continued voluntary approach demonstrate insufficient progress by 2024.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors the food industry’s progress towards achieving the 2024 salt reduction targets. The first report on the food industry’s progress is expected later in 2022, which will include analysis of industry progress at sector and individual business level. Options will be considered should a continued voluntary approach demonstrate insufficient progress by 2024.

The Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the competent authority to manage the notification system for vaping products in the United Kingdom. The MHRA monitors imported e-liquids used in vaping products through this system but has no powers to regulate their production in domestic settings.

Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the UK market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products. There are no current plans to further regulate or restrict the artificial colouring of e-liquids beyond what is contained in the TRPR for product requirements.

The Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the competent authority to manage the notification system for vaping products in the United Kingdom. The MHRA monitors imported e-liquids used in vaping products through this system but has no powers to regulate their production in domestic settings.

Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the UK market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products. There are no current plans to further regulate or restrict the artificial colouring of e-liquids beyond what is contained in the TRPR for product requirements.

The Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the competent authority to manage the notification system for vaping products in the United Kingdom. The MHRA monitors imported e-liquids used in vaping products through this system but has no powers to regulate their production in domestic settings.

Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the UK market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products. There are no current plans to further regulate or restrict the artificial colouring of e-liquids beyond what is contained in the TRPR for product requirements.

There are no plans to bring vaping products in scope of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. Advertising restrictions for e-cigarettes are outlined in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. As part of our Smokefree 2030 plans, we are exploring a range of regulatory measures to prevent children and young people from using vaping products.

There are no plans to bring vaping products in scope of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. Advertising restrictions for e-cigarettes are outlined in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. As part of our Smokefree 2030 plans, we are exploring a range of regulatory measures to prevent children and young people from using vaping products.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s product tracking website Sentinel remains live and is updated regularly.

The information requested is not held centrally.

I replied to the hon. Member on 2 February 2022.

We replied to the hon. Member on 8 February 2022.

Discharge funding currently supports up to four weeks of new or additional recovery care depending on the individual needs of the person being discharged. This is described in the discharge policy for all providers and commissioners, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-service-policy-and-operating-model

There is no four-week standard for discharge practices, as the majority of people do not require additional care at the point of discharge or often require less than four weeks of care.

The information requested is not held centrally, as general practice workforce data is not collected by constituency.

The Department has made no such assessment. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a non-Ministerial department which acts independently as a food safety regulator. The FSA has responsibility for the regulation of food allergen information and issuing guidance to food businesses and local authorities on the proper implementation and monitoring of allergen information regulations.

Oversight of business compliance with requirements on the provision of allergen information lies with local authority food officers. Local authority food officers will assess a food business’ level of compliance with the allergen information requirements and provide advice or take corrective action where non-compliance is identified.

The Government is working with clinical research sites to add participant information of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials into the National Immunisation Management Service, in order to allow participants to access their NHS COVID Pass for both domestic and international travel purposes.

When a former COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participant becomes eligible for a vaccine currently in deployment, they may ask for the trial to be unblinded. If they have received two placebo doses, they may freely take up the vaccine doses offered to them. If they have received only one dose and a placebo, or are yet to receive a second dose, they may receive an additional dose of the trialled vaccine if agreed by and available from the clinical trial sponsor or receive a single dose of a vaccine approved and currently in deployment, with the acknowledgement that safety data on the combination of the different vaccine is not yet available. If they have received two doses of the vaccine, they will not need additional doses under current guidance.

Those providers listed on GOV.UK have declared and evidenced compliance with the relevant minimum standards for their commercial provision of testing, including participating in the three-staged United Kingdom Accreditation Service process if they are providing sample collection and/or test analysis services.

The Department is working closely with private providers to ensure appropriate standards of performance are met. Providers’ performance is continually monitored including their ability to provide samples, analysis and report results on time. The Department takes rapid action when providers deliver inadequate services. This includes providers receiving a five-day warning to demonstrate they have rectified their service and if they do not, they are removed from the appropriate GOV.UK list.

All National Health Service providers are required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in the Equality Act 2010 and the Accessible Information Standard to ensure that deaf people who wish to communicate using British Sign Language (BSL) when accessing NHS services can do so.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have also commissioned a rapid review into access to BSL interpretation in NHS services which is nearing completion. The review will set out clear steps to support NHS providers to meet their responsibilities to deliver access to BSL interpretation. Under the General Medical Service and Personal Medical Service regulations, practices are required to ensure that their premises are suitable for the delivery of essential services and that these services are sufficient to meet the reasonable needs of their patients, including those with disabilities.

The retained European Union Regulation 1333/2008 governs the use of food additives in food. This legislation already permits the use of several sweeteners in energy reduced or no added sugar breakfast cereals, which can form part of a healthy balanced diet.

The provision of allergen information by home-based food businesses is regulated by local authority food officers. During an inspection, officers will assess a food business’ level of compliance with allergen information requirements and provide advice or take corrective action where non-compliances are identified. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued guidance to local authorities in November 2020 to support the consistent regulation of the provision of allergen information. To help and support home-based food businesses, the FSA has published guidance specifically targeted at starting a business at home during COVID-19. The FSA’s ‘Here to help food businesses’ provides detailed information on allergen management.

The Government’s 2020 Dementia Challenge contained the commitment to spend £300 million on dementia research over the five years to 2020. This commitment was delivered a year early, with £344 million spent on dementia research over four years to 2019. We are currently working on ways to significantly boost further research on dementia at all stages on the translation pathway including medical and care interventions.

Data relating to testing within the managed quarantine scheme is not yet available.

We are working to provide all Members and external correspondents with accurate answers to their correspondence, as well as supporting the Government’s response to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hon. Member’s letter will be answered as soon as possible.

We replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 11 February 2021.

We are working to provide all Members and external correspondents with accurate answers to their correspondence, as well as supporting the Government’s response to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hon. Member’s letter will be answered as soon as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines provide comprehensive, evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice in a defined area. They are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with interested parties, including patient groups.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are mainly responsible for the referral of clinically-focused guideline topics to NICE. NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked NICE to develop a guideline on pernicious anaemia. This was commissioned on 9 March 2020 and further information on timescales will be available on NICE’s website in due course.

In December 2019 (latest data) performance at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust against the two week wait from general practitioner (GP) referral to seeing a cancer specialist standard was 94.6%, better than the 93.0% performance standard. Performance against the 31 day wait from diagnosis to first treatment for cancer was also better than the performance standard (96%), at 99.3%.

However, performance against the 62 day wait standard for GP referral to a first treatment for cancer (85% standard) was not met and therefore a detailed full cancer pathway performance recovery plan has been developed. This forms part of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s wider single improvement plan and is supported by the Trust Cancer Board to improve cancer waiting times. Specific actions being progressed include:

- Redesigning the prostrate pathway to enable faster diagnosis, by introducing a one stop clinic and MRI scanning;

- A system wide risk summit for Bowel Screening took place in November 2019 and actions to improve continue to be progressed;

- Robustly managing the patient tracking list for all cancer cases; and

- Review of multi-disciplinary team clinics are taking place to increase patient flow efficiency.

Public Health England provides an assessment of trends in infant mortality for each upper-tier local authority in England where it is statistically possible to do so. This information is updated annually and included in child health profile snapshot reports.

Data for Blackpool Unitary Authority shows an annual rate of between 4.9 and 6.5 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births over the past ten years. In the period 2016-18, the rate was 6.0 per 1,000. No statistically significant trend in the rate of infant mortality has been found in Blackpool. This can be viewed in the Public Health Outcomes Framework at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/child-health-profiles/data#page/1/gid/1938133228/pat/6/par/E12000002/ati/102/are/E06000009