Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Philip Davies, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Philip Davies has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Philip Davies has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to make provision for a district-wide referendum in City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area on the continued inclusion of the areas covered by the Shipley and Keighley parliamentary constituencies in that district; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to prohibit the use of affirmative and positive action in recruitment and appointment processes; to repeal the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for the succession of female heirs to hereditary titles; and for connected purposes.
Voter Registration Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) (No.2) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (under the Ten Minute Rule)
Sponsor - Pauline Latham (CON)
Bat Habitats Regulation Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Green Belt Protection Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Electronic Cigarettes (Regulation) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Local Authorities (Borrowing and Investment) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Caravan Sites Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
June Bank Holiday (Creation) Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Drone (Regulation) (No. 2) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Hospital (Parking Charges and Business Rates) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Voter Registration (No. 2) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Coastal Path (Definition) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Health and Social Care (National Data Guardian) Act 2018 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Value Added Tax Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2018 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Maria Caulfield (CON)
Principal Local Authorities (Grounds for Abolition) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Public Sector Exit Payments (Limitation) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Local Audit (Public Access to Documents) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Border Control Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Voter Registration Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
June Bank Holiday (Creation) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Peter Bone (CON)
Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Chris Bryant (LAB)
BBC Licence Fee (Civil Penalty) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Judicial Appointments and Retirements (Age Limits) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Benefits and Public Services (Restriction) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
International Development Assistance (Definition) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
Local Authorities (Removal of Council Tax Restrictions) Bill 2017-19 - Private Members' Bill (Presentation Bill)
Sponsor - Christopher Chope (CON)
The Government has no plans to require local authorities to publish a transcript of full council meetings. Government does not regulate the content of councils’ minutes or decision notices; this is a matter for individual local authorities.
The date for the Secretary of State’s decision on this case will be set when the independent planning inspector’s report and recommendation is submitted to the Department, and will be 13 weeks after the date of that submission. The Inspector’s report has not yet been received.
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the main department for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
(a) 2018-19 Total individual losses recorded for core department under £300,000 were 33 with a combined value of £1,191,342.49. These relates to write offs on the ERDF and Regional Growth Fund Programmes and losses of IT equipment. Total individual special payments recorded for core department under £300,000 were 66 with a combined value of £1,987,285.56. These relates to annual payments for historic personal injury claims.
(b) 2019-20 Total individual losses recorded for core department under £300,000 were 43 with a combined value of £555,063.05. These relates to write offs on the ERDF, Great Britain High Streets and Regional Growth Fund Programmes and losses of IT equipment. Total individual special payments recorded for core department under £300,000 were 60 with a combined value of £1,934,852.67. These relate to annual payments for historic personal injury claims and payments to local authorities related to NNDR guidance on the business rates retention scheme.
(c) 2020-21 Total individual losses recorded for core department under £300,000 were 10 with a combined value of £294,350.00. These relates to write offs on the ERDF Programmes and losses of IT equipment. Total individual special payments recorded for core department under £300,000 were 44 with a combined value of £981,366.53. These relates to annual payments for historic personal injury claims.
Due to the number of payments made, the full breakdown is in the attached excel file. Losses and Special Payments registers for Arm’s Length Bodies are not held centrally, and are excluded from the numbers above. The data for the wider department will be provided in follow up to this initial response.
Throughout the pandemic, the Department and all Civil Service employers have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published their COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This document sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance.
The Government's Working Safely guidance, which was last updated on 24 February, continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. The Department will continue to follow this guidance and align its policies accordingly.
Further to the information published in the Cabinet Office Annual Accounts for 2019-20, the total value of communications contracts issued by the Cabinet Office was £981,403 supporting UK security and trade objectives in Nigeria, Tunisia, Montenegro, Philippines and India. Government Communication Service International shares communication expertise and knowledge based on UK Government best practice in security, economy, health and education communications.
Throughout the pandemic, all Civil Service employers including the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesties Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.
The Government’s recent Living with COVID-19 document, sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance. Which alongside risk assessments, sets out further actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning and asking people with COVID-19 to stay home. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Employers will continue to align their policies accordingly. Should individuals wish to wear masks as a matter of personal choice this should be respected.
In respect to the SFO estate, The Canadian High Commission (CHC), in their capacity as landlord, have requested SFO employees, contractors and visitors continue to wear face coverings in the common areas of 2 – 4 Cockspur Street. This includes the lobby, lifts, stairs, toilets, and reception.
Throughout the pandemic, the Civil Service, including the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Government Legal Department (GLD), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), have followed, and continue to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the BEIS ‘Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. The guidance is available via this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2.
Whilst it is for individual employers to determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt as they review their workplace risk assessments in light of the updated guidance. Face coverings, which are no longer required by law, are one possible mitigation employers could adopt if the situation / context warranted it.
HMCTS requires all court users to continue to wear face coverings in court buildings. The CPS’s advice to staff, which has been agreed with trade unions is that, unless exempt, all court users are required to wear a face covering in all public areas of court and tribunal buildings.
The AGO, GLD, CPS, SFO and HMCPSI fully support individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace.
The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 is legislation that amended section39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to provide offences relating to common assault or battery committed against an emergency worker while carrying out their duties.
The CPS maintains records of the number of offences in which a CPS prosecution commenced, including offences of assaulting an emergency worker. The data provided in the table detailed below shows the total number of offences in which a prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) commenced at magistrates’ courts under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 since it came into force on the 13th November 2018. However the CPS does not hold any central record of the details of complainants’ occupations.
| 2018/19 (Nov 18 - Mar 19) | 2019/20 |
Total offences: Criminal Justice Act 1988 and section 1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 {39} | 4,395 | 23,492 |
It should be noted that the figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It may be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence. No data are held on the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of defendants charged with, or prosecuted for these offences. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
The CPS does not maintain a central record of complainants’ occupations, nor of the specific circumstances under which a person has been charged with an offence. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. If a crime is reported it is for the police to decide whether to investigate.
The CPS has not been asked to consider any charges against witness A or B, nor have they provided any early investigative advice to the police. It is a matter for the police as to whether they pursue an investigation in to witness A and witness B.
Once a case is referred to the CPS, any decision to prosecute is made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, and must meet the evidential and public interest tests.
The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of prosecutions against domestic abuse complainants for perverting the course of justice and/or wasting police time. Obtaining this information would therefore require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service takes cases of domestic abuse extremely seriously and is determined to bring perpetrators to justice and ensure victims are protected from repeated offending. The Crown Prosecution Service has specific guidance for prosecutors on how to approach cases where a complaint alleging a false allegation is made. When reaching a prosecution decision Crown Prosecutors apply the two stage test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. There must be sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it must be in the public interest for a prosecution to be brought.
A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time.
There are no plans to extend the 28 day deadline. The current deadline provides an appropriate balance between the rights of victims and offenders, ensuring that offenders are not left uncertain of whether their sentence may be extended for a long period of time, whilst allowing victims sufficient time to request a review of the sentence under the scheme.
2015 – of the 14 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2016 – of the 28 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2017 - of the 27 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2018 - of the 31 sentences that were received out of time 2 were received on the 28th day and too late for them to be actioned.
2019 - of the 43 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
Whilst referrals for sentences are received and actioned on the 28th day, those are cases that are received early enough on the day to be actioned. An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. None of the above cases were accepted as being within time by my office as they were received too late to be actioned and consequently they were all marked as out of time.
A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time.
2015 – of the 14 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2016 – of the 28 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2017 - of the 27 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
2018 - of the 31 sentences that were received out of time 2 were received on the 28th day and too late for them to be actioned.
2019 - of the 43 sentences that were received out of time only 1 was received on the 28th day and too late for it to be actioned.
Whilst referrals for sentences are received and actioned on the 28th day, those are cases that are received early enough on the day to be actioned. An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. None of the above cases were accepted as being within time by my office as they were received too late to be actioned and consequently they were all marked as out of time.
A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time.
A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time.
An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. Tracey Hanson emailed the Attorney General’s office, requesting a review of a potentially unduly lenient sentence. The email was received by my office at 8.41pm on the 28th day and therefore was received after the close of court business. By the time my office received the email it was impossible to act on it and it was too late to file a referral with The Court of Appeal.
A referral to the Court of Appeal for consideration of a sentence as unduly lenient must be made within 28 days of the date of the sentence as set out in Schedule 3, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. The 28 day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend the time limit or to apply for leave to refer out of time.
An unduly lenient sentence case can only be taken forward if either myself or the Attorney General has approved action (on the basis of a complete prosecution file and proper legal advice) and an application has been filed with the Court of Appeal before the expiry of the statutory 28 day deadline. Tracey Hanson emailed the Attorney General’s office, requesting a review of a potentially unduly lenient sentence. The email was received by my office at 8.41pm on the 28th day and therefore was received after the close of court business. By the time my office received the email it was impossible to act on it and it was too late to file a referral with The Court of Appeal.
The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme is an important avenue for victims, family members and the public to ensure justice is delivered in the most serious cases.
This is why the Government has extended the scheme to cover further child sexual abuse offences, as well as some domestic abuse offences, including controlling and coercive behavior.
The remit of the scheme remains under constant review. We work closely with stakeholders to ensure it appropriately reflects the needs of victims, family members and the public.
Cabinet Office records losses and special payments in line with managing public money and are included in the department’s losses & special payments register. The total number and amounts are summarised in the Cabinet Office’s Annual Accounts.
All losses and special payments for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 valued at under £300,000 are set out in the attached document.
Throughout the pandemic, all Civil Service employers have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published their COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This document sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance.
The Government’s Working Safely guidance continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Civil Service employers will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Throughout the pandemic, the Cabinet Office has followed, and continues to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the BEIS ‘Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. The guidance is available via this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2.
It is for individual employers to determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt as they review their workplace risk assessments in light of the updated guidance.
Cabinet Office fully supports individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace and asks staff to comply with any additional Health and Safety procedures in buildings they enter in the course of their work.
Unconscious bias training courses were removed from the Civil Service cross-Civil Service curriculum in January 2021. The Cabinet Office also took action to remove unconscious bias training from any relevant learning and related materials. The Written Ministerial Statement on this was communicated to all departments.
The Civil Service is committed to maintaining a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. A review of existing learning is being conducted to ensure new learning utilises evidence-based interventions. The government expects other parts of the public sector to review their approaches in light of the evidence and developments in the Civil Service.
Unconscious bias training courses were removed from the Civil Service cross-Civil Service curriculum in January 2021. The Cabinet Office also took action to remove unconscious bias training from any relevant learning and related materials. The Written Ministerial Statement on this was communicated to all departments.
The Civil Service is committed to maintaining a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. A review of existing learning is being conducted to ensure new learning utilises evidence-based interventions. The government expects other parts of the public sector to review their approaches in light of the evidence and developments in the Civil Service.
Unconscious bias training courses were removed from the Civil Service cross-Civil Service curriculum in January 2021. The Cabinet Office also took action to remove unconscious bias training from any relevant learning and related materials. The Written Ministerial Statement on this was communicated to all departments.
The Civil Service is committed to maintaining a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. A review of existing learning is being conducted to ensure new learning utilises evidence-based interventions. The government expects other parts of the public sector to review their approaches in light of the evidence and developments in the Civil Service.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ.133645.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ.133645.
The Cabinet Office promoted a number of virtual events to mark International Men’s Day on 19 November 2020, this included an event regarding Men & Mental Health.
The data requested could have the potential to identify an individual's personal information, and therefore would not normally be disclosed.
Information on senior salaries are already published in our annual reports. Information on salaries and roles for staff is published as Organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries on Gov.UK.
Salaries of individual civil servants may change because of promotions, re-ranking with a pay band, changes to Civil Service grade, or a change of role.
For 2020, pay awards were paid in accordance with appropriate central pay guidance which differ depending on grade and profession.
Government undertakes a wide range of analysis to support decision making and publishes information to keep Parliament and the wider public updated which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-statistics-and-analysis#social-impacts.
There is no single cost-benefit analysis.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
10 Downing Street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and is included in this answer.
Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street owns 29 Union Flags (including internal ceremonial flags), 3 St George’s, 4 Scottish Saltires and 2 Flags of Wales.
The information on how many times each flag has been flown is not held centrally.
10 Downing Street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and is included in this answer.
Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street owns 29 Union Flags (including internal ceremonial flags), 3 St George’s, 4 Scottish Saltires and 2 Flags of Wales.
The information on how many times each flag has been flown is not held centrally.
The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
The Department has disclosed information about losses and special payments in its annual report and accounts. The attached workbook holds details of remaining items disclosed in aggregate in the annual reports for the above periods.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This document sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance and BEIS will continue to follow this guidance and align its policies accordingly.
In line with Government guidelines and the Department’s risk assessment staff in BEIS offices are not required to wear face coverings but do have individual discretion to wear one should they wish to do so. It is the responsibility of individual employers to undertake a risk assessment and advise on the need for additional mitigations to be put in place within their buildings.
BEIS sponsors 5 Executive Agencies and 23 arm’s length bodies (Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Non-Ministerial Departments). They have organisational independence to set their own policies regarding the use of face covering which considers the risk assessment, the devolved administrations guidance and legislation that impacts on their location and operational need.
The Written Ministerial Statement referred to in the question can be seen here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-15/hcws652.
Since the removal of Unconscious Bias training from the core Civil Service learning offer in January 2021, BEIS no longer monitors activity or provides reports on completion.
Unconscious Bias is not on BEIS’s list of mandatory training courses and is not part of our forthcoming Diversity & Inclusion Curriculum.
Unconscious Bias training does not form part of BEIS’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy.
The Government recognises that some people have a preference to use imperial units in their day to day lives. At the same time, it recognises that many others are not familiar with imperial units and that the use of metric is a necessity for British businesses to compete in markets around the world. Therefore, the UK system allows for information to be provided in imperial units alongside metric.
While the majority of trade in the UK is conducted using metric units to ensure consistency in commerce and science, there are already some limited exemptions that allow for certain traditional imperial measures to be used, without metric alongside, for specific uses. Now we have left the EU we will consider whether further limited exemptions can be applied for other traditional uses.
The biggest pay rise given to an employee of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the last 12 months in percentage and cash terms was (a) 4.85%, and (b) £4,500.
The names, location and estimated production end dates of surface coal mines are set out in the table below:
Mine Name | Status | Location | Production end date* |
|
|
|
|
Bradley | Producing | Durham, England | 17/08/2020 |
Field House | Producing | Durham, England | 07/11/2020 |
House of Water Burnston Remainder | Producing | East Ayrshire, Scotland | 13/07/2021 |
Ffos-y-Fran Land Reclamation Scheme | Producing | Merthyr Tydfil, Wales | 01/10/2022 |
Hartington Reclamation | Producing | Derbyshire, England | 01/08/2020 |
Nant Helen Remainder | Producing | Powys, Wales | Under review |
*Based on an assessment of remaining reserves at the site.
Source: Coal Authority May 2020
BEIS does not have policy oversight for all regulations and does not maintain a central database of all those made and repealed. Information on all secondary legislation is available at www.legislation.gov.uk.
The annual business impact target reports available on GOV.UK include details of the regulatory provisions impacting business that have come into force or ceased to be in force since 2015.
The Department always flies the Union Jack. We do not hold records on how many times the St George’s flag, Scottish Saltire, and the flag of Wales have been flown.
Thirty-nine flag-flying events have taken place since 2017, with 15 instances where the type of flag flown was recorded.
The Department owns the following flags:
(a) Union Jack: 11
(b) St George: 1
(c) Scottish Saltire: 1
(d) Flag of Wales: 1.
Through the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW), we are ensuring the lowest paid are fairly rewarded for their contribution to the economy. This April, the NLW will increase by 6.2% to £8.72, meaning that a full-time worker on the wage will see their pay increase by over £930 over the year. Young workers on the NMW will see their pay increase between 4.6% and 6.5%. Collectively, these increases to the minimum wage are estimated to directly benefit 2.4 million workers.
In setting these rates, the Government consider the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC). The LPC draws on economic, labour market and pay analysis, independent research and stakeholder evidence, to assess the impact of past minimum wage increases and their proposed rates for the following year.
To date, the LPC have found that the minimum wage has increased pay for the lowest earners without harming employment. They will publish their 2020 report later this year, which will contain a further assessment on the impact of the latest increases.
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires the Government to set a Business Impact Target (BIT), which monitors changes to regulation and the economic impact this has on businesses. The ‘one-in-two-out’ rule has supported the BIT for previous Parliaments.
The Government is currently considering what the BIT should be for this Parliament.
We gather information for the total number and value of losses and special payments for each financial year, but only the detailed breakdown of each of these which are above £300k. We do not gather itemised information for losses and special payments below this level (i.e. what it relates to or any other details) as there is no requirement to do so for the purposes of statutory financial reporting.
The details on the amounts over £300k are published in the Annual Report and Accounts for that year. All the information for losses and special payments requested above can therefore be found in the corresponding Annual Report and Accounts for the applicable year, available on GOV.UK.
The government’s Working Safely guidance continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. DCMS will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.
Government advice for self isolation (following a positive test) still remains in place, so DCMS will continue to follow this and DCMS will not be asking people with Covid symptoms or a positive test to come into the office. It remains good practice for employees to inform close contacts following a positive result, therefore DCMS will continue to assist with case response support.
DCMS will assess the new public health guidance, from 1 April and use this advice to inform decisions on how to manage the risk on a long term basis.
Decisions on fundraising and marketing are the responsibility of a charity's trustees - in particular to ensure decisions reflect the charity's purpose, and deliver on their objectives.
Charities must also ensure they meet the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) and the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) and make sure all advertisements are legal, decent, honest and truthful.
Where the government has provided funding to support the services that charities deliver, there may be restrictions on what this funding can be used for, to ensure public money is only used for activities intended by the grant programme, for example, direct delivery of services to those the charity works with.
Increases to society lottery sales and prize limits came into force in July 2020, and we committed to reviewing their impact after 12 months.
We have received initial data from the Gambling Commission and will respond further in due course.
Throughout the pandemic, DCMS has followed, and continues to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the BEIS ‘Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. The guidance is available via this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2.
It is for individual employers to determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt as they review their workplace risk assessments in light of the updated guidance. Face coverings, which are no longer required by law, are one possible mitigation employers could adopt if the situation/context warranted it. DCMS fully supports individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace.
The table below shows the average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence. This is measured across all applicants, from the date their initial payment is received to the date a final decision is made and their case is closed.
Average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 99 days | 66 days | 75 days | 123 days | 85 days |
The increase from 66 days to 99 between 2019/20 and 2020/21 was a product of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Commission’s delivery capacity.
The average time is influenced by exceptional cases. These are reflected below in the table showing the longest time taken to make a determination on an application in each of the last five years.
Longest time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 945 days | 370 days | 254 days | 2023 days | 441 days |
These are complex cases, some of which go to panel followed by appeals to the tribunal and court of appeal. Some cases resulted in the applicant withdrawing the application, or the applicant requesting additional time to provide the necessary information.
The table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission is currently considering, and the length of time that each of the applications has been under consideration.
No. of gambling licence applications the Gambling Commission is considering; and how long each of those applications has been under consideration | ||||
Time (days) | 0-30 days | 21-60 days | 61-90 days | over 90 days |
No. of licence applications | 6 | 23 | 16 | 38 |
The Gambling Commission has granted 1,117 licences in total over the last five years, and the table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission has granted and refused during this period.
No. of gambling licences the Gambling Commission has granted / refused in each of the last five years | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
No. of licences granted | 170 | 216 | 212 | 291 | 228 |
No. of licences refused | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
The Commission introduced an incomplete application process in 2017/18, in order to prevent applications being submitted which would be refused owing to lack of necessary information. This has contributed to the small number of refused licences over the last three years, with rejected applications now tending to relate to novel betting products or uncertainty over an applicant’s source of funds.
The table below shows the average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence. This is measured across all applicants, from the date their initial payment is received to the date a final decision is made and their case is closed.
Average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 99 days | 66 days | 75 days | 123 days | 85 days |
The increase from 66 days to 99 between 2019/20 and 2020/21 was a product of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Commission’s delivery capacity.
The average time is influenced by exceptional cases. These are reflected below in the table showing the longest time taken to make a determination on an application in each of the last five years.
Longest time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 945 days | 370 days | 254 days | 2023 days | 441 days |
These are complex cases, some of which go to panel followed by appeals to the tribunal and court of appeal. Some cases resulted in the applicant withdrawing the application, or the applicant requesting additional time to provide the necessary information.
The table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission is currently considering, and the length of time that each of the applications has been under consideration.
No. of gambling licence applications the Gambling Commission is considering; and how long each of those applications has been under consideration | ||||
Time (days) | 0-30 days | 21-60 days | 61-90 days | over 90 days |
No. of licence applications | 6 | 23 | 16 | 38 |
The Gambling Commission has granted 1,117 licences in total over the last five years, and the table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission has granted and refused during this period.
No. of gambling licences the Gambling Commission has granted / refused in each of the last five years | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
No. of licences granted | 170 | 216 | 212 | 291 | 228 |
No. of licences refused | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
The Commission introduced an incomplete application process in 2017/18, in order to prevent applications being submitted which would be refused owing to lack of necessary information. This has contributed to the small number of refused licences over the last three years, with rejected applications now tending to relate to novel betting products or uncertainty over an applicant’s source of funds.
The table below shows the average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence. This is measured across all applicants, from the date their initial payment is received to the date a final decision is made and their case is closed.
Average time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 99 days | 66 days | 75 days | 123 days | 85 days |
The increase from 66 days to 99 between 2019/20 and 2020/21 was a product of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Commission’s delivery capacity.
The average time is influenced by exceptional cases. These are reflected below in the table showing the longest time taken to make a determination on an application in each of the last five years.
Longest time taken by the Gambling Commission to make a determination on an application for a gambling licence | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
Time (days) | 945 days | 370 days | 254 days | 2023 days | 441 days |
These are complex cases, some of which go to panel followed by appeals to the tribunal and court of appeal. Some cases resulted in the applicant withdrawing the application, or the applicant requesting additional time to provide the necessary information.
The table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission is currently considering, and the length of time that each of the applications has been under consideration.
No. of gambling licence applications the Gambling Commission is considering; and how long each of those applications has been under consideration | ||||
Time (days) | 0-30 days | 21-60 days | 61-90 days | over 90 days |
No. of licence applications | 6 | 23 | 16 | 38 |
The Gambling Commission has granted 1,117 licences in total over the last five years, and the table below shows the number of gambling licence applications that the Gambling Commission has granted and refused during this period.
No. of gambling licences the Gambling Commission has granted / refused in each of the last five years | |||||
Year | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
No. of licences granted | 170 | 216 | 212 | 291 | 228 |
No. of licences refused | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
The Commission introduced an incomplete application process in 2017/18, in order to prevent applications being submitted which would be refused owing to lack of necessary information. This has contributed to the small number of refused licences over the last three years, with rejected applications now tending to relate to novel betting products or uncertainty over an applicant’s source of funds.
Following the Written Statement HCWS652, unconscious bias training was removed from DCMS’s core learning offer from January 2021 and replaced by a new learning module for all staff on ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’. Unconscious bias training is no longer required to be completed by individuals serving on recruitment panels.
DCMS Arms-Length Bodies (ALBs) were made aware of this change and the new ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ course at a meeting of HR Directors on the 14th of January 2021.
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of gambling affiliates. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of gambling affiliates. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of gambling affiliates. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
The figures for Arts Council England funding for opera and brass bands in financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 are given below.
The figures for each year are broken down into primary and secondary funding and then a total. Primary classification indicates that, in this case, opera or brass bands, was a major focus of the activity funded with the assumption most of this amount went to funding this activity. Secondary classification indicates this was a minor focus of the activity and so it cannot be assumed this full amount of funding went towards this activity.
A small number of projects are classified under both opera and brass bands, so these figures cannot be added together, as these projects would be double counted.
ACE Opera Funding:
Year | Primary | Secondary | Total |
2019/20 | £59,230,322 | £26,335,477 | £85,565,799 |
2020/21 | £61,920,159 | £37,675,988 | £99,596,147 |
ACE Brass Bands Funding:
Year | Primary | Secondary | Total |
2019/20 | £375,339 | £765,573 | £1,140,912 |
2020/21 | £392,670 | £5,132,587 | £5,525,257 |
The Government is supportive of bringing major sports events to the UK and our approach is set out in the Gold Framework publication. Fiscal responsibility sits with Her Majesty's Treasury.
The UK is a world-leading host for major sporting events, having successfully delivered some of the biggest events in recent years. The location for this match is a matter for the organisers, promoters and athletes themselves to decide.
The Gambling Commission’s consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction explores new requirements for operators on identifying and intervening where customers may be at risk of experiencing gambling related harm. It covers a range of issues around identifying consumers in vulnerable situations and assessing affordability.
The Commission is working to obtain a wide range of evidence and will be led by the evidence it receives in deciding how to proceed. It has extended the consultation by a month to allow for more evidence to be submitted. The Commission designed its short survey to be consistent with the main consultation and call for evidence and to give the widest range of stakeholders an opportunity to contribute.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight where we need to do more to improve outcomes for men and boys and to talk about some of the work across Government to tackle those issues.
This work ranges from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities looking at outcomes for the whole population - including ethnic minorities and White British people; preparation for an Employment Bill which, subject to further consultation, will make flexible working the default unless employers have good reason not to; delivering the Suicide Prevention Workplan, which sets out action that is being taken across Government departments and the NHS to reduce suicides, including amongst men.
This Government is committed to levelling up opportunity and ensuring fairness for all - regardless of gender or background.
The Gambling Commission requires all operators licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 to make an annual contribution to fund research, prevention and treatment of problem gambling, and publishes a list of organisations to which operators may direct this contribution. The time taken by the Commission to reach a decision about whether an organisation can be included on that list depends on a number of factors. These include the quality and completeness of the information provided by the organisation, the complexity of issues associated with information provided and whether further investigation into independent oversight or potential conflicts of interest is required.
The biggest pay rise given to a member of staff in DCMS in the last 12 months was £20,035.00 which was an increase of 59.95%. This was a member of staff being promoted from close to the old band B minimum (£33,107) to the new band A floor (£51,729), plus a Recruitment & Retention Allowance to retain specialist skills within the organisation.The average pay increase as part of the pay award across the workforce was 2.5%.
I attended an MP-level meeting on the future of coal for heritage railways in March of this year. My Defra Ministerial colleague was in attendance at this meeting, at which discussions included the economic and social benefits of the heritage rail industry, the industry’s efforts to diversify the sector through carbon offsetting and seeking alternative fuels, and the status of extant planning permissions for mines in the UK.
My Defra Ministerial colleague confirmed that the consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood applies only to residential settings, thereby placing heritage railways outwith the scope of this consultation.
Heritage railway representatives took an action from the meeting to contact officials at MHCLG regarding planning permissions for new and existing surface coal mines.
The Gambling Commission’s consultation on changes to its licence conditions and new transparency measures closes on 12 March. Secondary legislation to implement the reforms to society lotteries announced in July 2019 was laid in January 2020 and is scheduled to be debated on 9 March in the House of Lords, and 10 March in the House of Commons. The Gambling Commission expects to publish its response to the consultation in April, subject to the replies it receives.
A 3-month notice period for the sector is also required before the Gambling Commission is able to bring the changed licence conditions into force, so I therefore expect these changes to be introduced in the summer.
The Union flag is generally flown everyday above the DCMS offices. For certain occasions we fly other flags including the Commonwealth Flag, Merchant Navy Flag, Rainbow Flag, Armed Forces Flag, Transgender Flag and Red Ribbon Flag.
We have flown the Flag of St George on St George’s Day since 2007. We also fly the Home Nations flags in support of England, Scotland or Wales when they reach the latter stages of major sporting events.
The Department owns the following:
a) 260 Union Flags plus 114 Union Banners for flying in Windsor
b) 27 Flags of St George
c) 1 Scottish Saltire
d) 1 Flag of Wales
New limits to the per draw sales, annual sales and maximum prize for society lotteries were announced on 16 July 2019. Affirmative secondary legislation is required to change the limits, and the Gambling Commission is also required to consult on changes to its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
I hope to lay the draft Order in Parliament in January 2020, and the changes to come into force during 2020. The Order will include transitional arrangements for the first year, to enable operators to take advantage of the new limits as soon as possible.
The Gambling Commission has already launched its consultation in anticipation of the legislation, and this will help ensure the new limits can come into force as swiftly as possible. Their consultation also covers measures to improve transparency of society lotteries and will run until 12 March 2020. There will then be a further 3 month notice period before the changes can be implemented, which is likely to be in the summer.
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out in the attached tables. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, all Civil Service employers have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the ‘Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance, which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces. This guidance was followed along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19.
In line with the government's plans to live with COVID-19, the department does not operate a mask mandate, though to encourage individual liberty, it does support an employee’s individual choice to wear a mask if they would like to. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Civil Service employers will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.
After two years of working from home and hybrid working, all employees are capable of working from home, and we encourage them to follow the government's common sense guidance to work from home if they have COVID-19 and are exhibiting only mild symptoms.
One in a Million Free School currently has access to an indoor creative arts studio area and an outdoor single Multi-Use Games Area on site. The department does not hold information on the off-site facilities that the school is currently accessing. The site that the department has identified to provide additional sporting facilities for the school is on Bolton Road in Bradford and the department is currently in the process of assessing its suitability for use by the trust.
One in a Million Free School currently has access to both indoor and outdoor facilities for sport, either within the school grounds or through off site arrangements. The Department has identified a site to provide additional sporting facilities for the school.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department has followed, and continues to follow, the latest Government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ‘Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. The guidance is available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2.
It is for individual employers to determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt as they review their workplace risk assessments in light of the updated guidance. Face coverings, which are no longer required by law, are one possible mitigation employers could adopt if the situation warranted it.
The Department fully supports individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace.
Other related bodies to the Department set their own policies on how their staff should work in offices and are not required to report this back centrally.
In October 2020, the Department began phasing out the unconscious bias training by removing the product from the mandatory training schedule.
Following the Ministerial Statement on 15 December 2020, in January 2021 the Department fully removed unconscious bias training.
The Department has made relationships education compulsory for all primary schools, relationships and sex education compulsory for all secondary school pupils and health education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools. Health education includes teaching pupils about the risks associated with gambling. The statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
These subjects will make sure that children and young people are taught about the risks associated with gambling and are able to make informed decisions about their own actions. These subjects will also support pupils to understand the importance of their mental wellbeing and promote safe online behaviour. For example, under the topic of internet safety and harms, the guidance sets out that young people should be taught about the risks related to online gambling, including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online.
To support schools to deliver this content, the Department has produced teacher training modules. This includes teaching pupils about the risks associated with gambling as part of health education. A link to the training modules is available on GOV.UK and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health#primary-teacher-training-modules.
The Department continues to work closely with other Government Departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. The Department is continuing to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, in order to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the effect of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.
On 22 February, the Department published ‘Evidence summary: COVID-19 - children, young people and education settings’, which includes a section on face coverings, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-covid-19-children-young-people-and-education-settings.
The Department recently published updated guidance for schools to support the return to full attendance, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.
In addition, the Department also published updated guidance on the use of face coverings in education for schools and other education institutions that teach people in Years 7 and above in England which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education.
As the guidance outlines, in settings where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and pupils when moving around the premises, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
Since 8 March, the Department has recommended that face coverings should also be worn by staff and pupils in classrooms and in other learning environments, such as workshops, and during activities, unless social distancing can be maintained.
The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of COVID-19 droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.
We recognise that the wearing of face coverings may impact communication, but, on balance, increased use of face coverings will strengthen the current safety measures in place in schools following the increased transmissibility of new COVID-19 variants and whilst prevalence remains high in the community.
We are recommending these additional precautionary measures for a for a time limited period until Easter. As with all measures, we will keep this under review and update guidance as necessary.
The Department commissioned the Cost of School Uniform report in 2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436576/RR474_Cost_of_school_uniform.pdf. This report found that the average expenditure for a school uniform at primary school was £192.14 for boys and £201.04 for girls. For secondary pupils, the average costs were £231.01 for boys and £239.93 for girls.
No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to the school of their choice. The Government is supporting the current Private Members' Bill (Guidance about the Cost of School Uniform) which was introduced to Parliament on 5 February 2021, to make our guidance on the cost considerations for school uniform statutory.
Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 disruption on the attainment and progress of all students is a key research priority for the Government, and we have commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to provide a baseline assessment of catch-up needs for pupils in schools in England and monitor progress over the course of the year. This research is based on assessments that schools are already using over this academic year. Initial findings from the research were recently published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-progress-in-the-2020-to-2021-academic-year-interim-report. The next stages of the research will enable us to break down impacts on different subgroups of pupils, including analysis of how boys’ and girls’ attainment may have been differentially affected by time out of school due to COVID-19.
The Government recognises that extended school and college restrictions have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education and are committed to helping pupils make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister committed to work with parents, teachers and pupils to develop a long-term plan to help pupils make up their learning over the course of this Parliament.
In February 2021, the Department appointed Sir Kevan Collins as Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on the approach for education recovery and the development of a long-term plan to help pupils make up their learning over the course of this Parliament. As an immediate step, we have made available a further £700 million to support education recovery measures. This builds on the £1 billion from last year and brings total available in education recovery to £1.7 billion. Funding will support pupils across nurseries, schools and colleges and provides an additional one-off ‘Recovery Premium’ for schools, expansion of tutoring in schools and colleges, summer schools in 2021 and early language support.
Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have been tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for home use. The tests are highly specific, with low chances of false positives. For this reason, we have confidence in the value and accuracy of lateral flow tests.
Those who test positive using an LFD test at home are being asked to self-isolate and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the positive result. This is a further measure designed to minimise the chance of false positives. We are asking that the family members and close contacts self-isolate to help break the chains of transmission.
Regarding ethics, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have discussed ethical considerations with regard to testing in a number of forums. The Department for Education has not received separate advice from the DHSC Moral and Ethical Advisory Group, with minutes of meetings of this group found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/moral-and-ethical-advisory-group.
Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have been tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for home use. The tests are highly specific, with low chances of false positives. For this reason, we have confidence in the value and accuracy of lateral flow tests.
Those who test positive using an LFD test at home are being asked to self-isolate and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the positive result. This is a further measure designed to minimise the chance of false positives. We are asking that the family members and close contacts self-isolate to help break the chains of transmission.
Regarding ethics, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have discussed ethical considerations with regard to testing in a number of forums. The Department for Education has not received separate advice from the DHSC Moral and Ethical Advisory Group, with minutes of meetings of this group found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/moral-and-ethical-advisory-group.
Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have been tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for home use. The tests are highly specific, with low chances of false positives. For this reason, we have confidence in the value and accuracy of lateral flow tests.
Those who test positive using an LFD test at home are being asked to self-isolate and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the positive result. This is a further measure designed to minimise the chance of false positives. We are asking that the family members and close contacts self-isolate to help break the chains of transmission.
Regarding ethics, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have discussed ethical considerations with regard to testing in a number of forums. The Department for Education has not received separate advice from the DHSC Moral and Ethical Advisory Group, with minutes of meetings of this group found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/moral-and-ethical-advisory-group.
On 21 August 2020, the World Health Organisation published a statement advising that children aged 12 and over should wear a face covering “under the same conditions as adults, in particular when they cannot guarantee at least a 1-metre distance from others and there is widespread transmission in the area.” Therefore, since September 2020, face coverings have been included as an element of the system of controls that schools are putting in place to reduce risk.
The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March 2021, which includes updated advice on face coverings which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf.
The Department has also published its evidence summary, ‘COVID-19 – children, young people and education settings’, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963639/DfE_Evidence_summary_COVID-19_-_children__young_people_and_education_settings.pdf.
As the guidance outlines, where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, the Department recommends that face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
In addition, from 8 March 2021, the Department now also recommends that in schools where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.
In primary schools, the Department recommends that face coverings should be worn by staff and adult visitors in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas). Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.
The Department is recommending these additional precautionary measures for a limited period until Easter. As with all measures, the Department will keep this under review and update guidance as necessary.
The Department continues to work closely with other Government departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. The Department continues to work to ensure that policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the results and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.
The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March 2021, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf.
The Department has also published its evidence summary, ‘COVID-19 – children, young people and education settings’, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963639/DfE_Evidence_summary_COVID-19_-_children__young_people_and_education_settings.pdf.
As the guidance outlines, where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, the Department recommends that face coverings should be worn by adults and pupils when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
In addition, from 8 March 2021, the Department now also recommends that in schools where pupils in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.
The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of COVID-19 droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.
The Department recognises that the wearing of face coverings may impact communication. However, on balance, increased use of face coverings will strengthen the current safety measures in place in schools and colleges and support the return to face-to-face education.
The Department is recommending these additional precautionary measures for a limited period until Easter. As with all measures, the Department will keep this under review and update guidance as necessary.
The Department continues to work closely with other government departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. We continue to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to continue to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.
The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf
The Department has also published its evidence summary on COVID-19 – children, young people and education settings, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963639/DfE_Evidence_summary_COVID-19_-_children__young_people_and_education_settings.pdf
As the guidance outlines, where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by adults, pupils and students when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
In addition, from 8 March, the Department now also recommends that in those schools and colleges where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.
In primary schools, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and adult visitors in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas). Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.
The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of COVID-19 droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.
The Department recognises that the wearing of face coverings may impact communication. However, on balance, increased use of face coverings will strengthen the current safety measures in place in schools and colleges and support the return to face-to-face education.
The Department is recommending these precautionary measures for a limited time during this period of high COVID-19 prevalence in the community. These measures will be in place until Easter, and as with all measures, we will keep this under review and update guidance at that point.
The Department continues to work closely with other government departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. We continue to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to continue to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.
The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf
The Department has also published its evidence summary on COVID-19 – children, young people and education settings, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963639/DfE_Evidence_summary_COVID-19_-_children__young_people_and_education_settings.pdf
As the guidance outlines, where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by adults, pupils and students when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
In addition, from 8 March, the Department now also recommends that in those schools and colleges where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.
In primary schools, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and adult visitors in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas). Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.
The best available scientific evidence is that, when used correctly, wearing a face covering may reduce the spread of COVID-19 droplets in certain circumstances, helping to protect others.
The Department recognises that the wearing of face coverings may impact communication. However, on balance, increased use of face coverings will strengthen the current safety measures in place in schools and colleges and support the return to face-to-face education.
The Department is recommending these precautionary measures for a limited time during this period of high COVID-19 prevalence in the community. These measures will be in place until Easter, and as with all measures, we will keep this under review and update guidance at that point.
The department does not have a record of any meetings between our ministers or officials with Professor Ellen Townsend in the last 12 months.
The Department has not carried out an assessment of the value for money of sole supply arrangements. The Department publishes guidance for schools on school uniform. Our guidance is clear that when deciding how to source school uniform, the governing body should give highest priority to the consideration of cost and value for money for parents. The governing body should be able to demonstrate how best value has been achieved. The guidance also recommends that schools avoid exclusive single-supply contracts unless a regular competitive tendering process is run to secure best value for parents. The Department believes that this approach provides the right balance to secure open and transparent arrangements and good value for money.
The Government is supporting the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Private Members' Bill to enable us to issue statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform. The Department’s existing guidance on cost considerations will form the basis for the new statutory guidance.
International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight where we need to do more to improve outcomes for men and boys, as well as an opportunity to talk about some of the work being done across Government to tackle those issues.
Work includes preparation for an Employment Bill which, subject to further consultation, will make flexible working the default unless employers have good reason not to; and delivering the Suicide Prevention Workplan, which sets out action that is being taken across Government departments and the NHS to reduce suicides, including amongst men.
The Government is committed to levelling up opportunity and ensuring fairness for all - regardless of gender or background.
Civil Service Local events to mark the day were promoted by our staff networks. A virtual panel event was organised by the Black Asian Minority Ethnic Network in Coventry, to commemorate International Men's Day on the importance of role models and men’s mental health issues.
The highest individual pay award in the last 12 months for an employee of the Department, including its Executive Agencies, in a) percentage and b) cash terms is:
a) 9.94% and
b) £6,250.
These figures relate to two different individuals and do not include staff who have received an increased salary following a promotion or change of role.
?The table below shows the number of times per year that each flag has been flown from the Department for Education’s London headquarters, since 2015.
Flag type | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Union | 365 | 366 | 365 | 365 | 365 |
St. George’s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
Scottish Saltire | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Welsh | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
(a) 2018-19
Loss / Special Payment | Amount (£) | Description |
Loss | 137,750.00 | 1 project that the European Court of Auditors reduced the project value, resulting in a reduction of £137,750 |
Loss | 122,157.55 | 2 projects were subject to Legal proceedings by MMO (Marine Management Organisation). The applicant was found guilty, but the Court judgement was that funding could not be recovered. |
Loss | 64,239.52 | 2 projects where the company is bankrupt and administrators have advised repayment of grant is unlikely |
Loss | 32,559.55 | 9 projects paid at incorrect intervention rate totalling £32,559.55. The irregularity was detected by Audit and covered the period from 2010 - 15. |
Loss | 9,997.88 | 1 Project subject to both Ombudsman referral and MMO Legal consideration |
Loss | 3,449.67 | Invoice number 1000052670 dated 17 June 2015 for £5,249.67 to recover a salary overpayment. Regular repayments had been made but these ceased in January 2017. SSCL have been unable to contact person & there has been no response to the final notice that SSCL (Shared Services Connected Ltd) sent in May 2017. |
Loss | 2,577.94 | 1 project was subject to overpayment, which was detected after final payment at the end of the EFF (European Fisheries Fund) scheme. Identified as part of formal EFF closure activity. |
Loss | 1,897.81 | 3 Projects were detected by Audit activities during the course of the Programme and total £1,897.81. One project was overpaid due to exchange rate calculation, one refused to repay the small OP and cited bankruptcy, with the final applicant being untraceable from 2015. |
Loss | 1,469.90 | Invoice 1000064304 dated 22 April 2016 for £1,469.90 to recover an overpayment of a season ticket advance. SSCL have been unable to contact him & there has been no response to the final notice that SSCL sent in May 2017. |
Loss | 1,108.94 | Damage to cage traps used during badger control culling operation for bovine TB disease controls in 2018 by anti culling activists. 12 cage traps were damaged beyond repair. |
Loss | 580.35 | System error which added an incorrect VAT sum to an invoice. Beyond legal recovery period. |
Loss | 454.14 | Paid £587.50 to wrong supplier. Partially recovered in legacy. Beyond legal recovery period. |
Loss | 193.52 | Travel reimbursement paid to wrong employee who left shortly after. Would require full trace at circa £50 plus staff time to find sufficient records to instigate plus potential chasing costs. Uneconomic to recover. |
Loss | 101.46 | Land line phone calls billed after employee left. Would require full trace at circa £50 plus staff time to find sufficient records to instigate plus potential chasing costs. Uneconomic to recover. |
Loss | 44.40 | Legacy system error which added VAT. Beyond legal recovery period. |
Loss | 42.24 | Credit note for 2 invoices paid in legacy system which was partially recovered in final payment to supplier in February 2012. Beyond legal recovery period. |
Loss | 27.97 | Personal mobile calls billed after employee left. Beyond legal recovery period. |
Loss | 27.00 | SSCL have advised that the remaining balance on the invoice of £27.00 has arisen due to the deduction of bank charges from the customer's payment and exchange rate variances. As the customer is based overseas it is uneconomical to pursue. |
Loss | 5.90 | Personal mobile calls billed after employee left. Uneconomic to recover. |
Loss | 0.23 | Personal mobile calls billed after employee left. Uneconomic to recover. |
Loss | 0.01 | Invoice 1000064804 dated 30 April 2016 for £24,000. This invoice was raised to recover Defra's incorrect payment of invoice 1129585 on 16th March 2016. The invoice has been part paid but given the outstanding amount of £0.01, it is uneconomical to pursue the remaining balance. |
Special Payment | 3,250.00 | A consolatory payment of £3,250 has been recommended by the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman (PHSO). £500 has been paid leaving an outstanding balance of £2,750. PHSO found that there had been maladministration by Defra in relation to the online portal in relation to the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones scheme and that someone had suffered injustice from Defra |
Special Payment | 119.00 | Request for a replacement of a damaged item of clothing - A member of staff had their jacket damaged by a fire door whilst on duty on MMO premises. |
(b) 2019-20
Loss / Special Payment | Amount (£) | Description |
Loss | 20,395.66 | Damage to cage traps, GPS trackers and smart phone with tracking devices used during badger control culling operation for bovine TB (Tuberculosis) disease controls in 2019 by anti culling activists. 5 cage traps, 178 smart phones and 8 trackers were damaged beyond repair. |
Special Payment | 54,596.00 | Derbyshire Lunar Cull – costs to company after cancelled cull programme. |
Special Payment | 5,000.00 | HR staff case (sensitive and details not for circulation outside of Defra Finance and HR teams). |
Special Payment | 1,224.00 | Judicial Review / Costs of cancelled mediation to claimant’s solicitors. |
Special Payment | 1,000.00 | Allegations of failure to arrange reasonable adjustments. |
Special Payment | 75.00 | Missing personal property. |
(c) 2020-21
Loss / Special Payment | Amount (£) | Description |
Loss | 240,257.00 | Historic invoicing not recovered |
Loss | 15,597.62 | Damage to cage traps, GPS (Global Positioning System) trackers and smart phones/sims with tracking devices used during badger control culling operation for bovine TB disease controls in 2020 by anti culling activists. 2 cage traps, 132 smart phones and 38 trackers were damaged beyond repair. |
Loss | 1,445.04 | TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)) from EA (Environment Agency) to Defra. Came in on a TARA (Temporary Additional Responsibility Allowance) and her manager subsequently increased her TARA payments outside of existing policy. Her revised salary was confirmed to her by SSCL HR (Human Resources). Staff member was unaware this additional payment was not allowed. As no fault of the individual HR are proposing that this is written off rather than recovered |
Loss | 740.15 | Sick pay was entered on SOP incorrectly by her manager leading to overpayment of £740.15. Staff member has since died and as such HR do not want to pursue her estate for the recovery of the overpayment |
Special Payment | 9,000.00 | Race and Disability case. Settlement to offset tribunal costs. |
Special Payment | 8,500.00 | Reflects liability on the unfair dismissal claim |
Throughout the pandemic, all Civil Service employers have followed Government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published its COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This document sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance.
The Government’s Working Safely guidance, which was launched on 24 February 2022, continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Civil Service employers will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly.
Throughout the pandemic Defra, our Executive Agencies and Arms-Length Bodies have followed, and continue to follow, the latest Government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the BEIS 'Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)' guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. Guidance on face coverings is currently different for Wales and in Scotland so the respective guidance is followed for our workplaces located within those countries.
Our workplace risk assessments determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt in light of the updated guidance. In line with the revised Government 'working safely' guidance it is expected and recommended that staff wear face coverings in our workplaces in specified areas and when using public transport for work-related travel. Additionally:
a) Within core Defra, face coverings may be required where a risk assessment has identified the need to wear one for a particular work activity or working environment.
b) Within Defra's departmental agencies, face coverings may be required where a risk assessment has identified the need to wear one for a particular work activity or working environment. Within science laboratories, there is currently a mandatory requirement to wear a face covering within specified areas and for certain laboratory-based work activities.
c) Within Defra's non-departmental public bodies and other related bodies, face coverings may be required where a risk assessment has identified the need to wear one for a particular work activity or working environment.
Organisational policies reflect that some people are not able to wear face coverings, and that face coverings may make it harder to communicate with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions, and clear sound. We expect our employees to be mindful and respectful of such circumstances.
Air pollution is a major public health risk and is a particular threat to vulnerable groups including the elderly and those with chronic respiratory and heart diseases. The mortality burden of the air pollution mixture based on both PM2.5 and NO2 in the UK is an effect equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths (Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, 2018).
Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations and its further Supplement in 2018, 61 local authorities were directed to develop plans for delivering NO2 compliance in the shortest possible time. Bradford was identified in the 2018 supplement as having roads exceeding legal levels for NO2, and since then has been working on a local plan to identify and implement measures to address these exceedances in the shortest possible time to safeguard public health.
As the 2017 plan sets out, it is for local authorities to determine what the appropriate solution is for tackling NO 2 concentrations, reflecting the highly localised nature of the problem. In some cases, local authorities will determine that a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is the intervention required. However, given the potential impacts on individuals and businesses, when considering between equally effective alternatives to deliver compliance, Government has been consistently clear that if a local authority can identify measures other than charging zones that are at least as effective at reducing NO2 to legal levels but with less of an impact, those measures should be preferred. Any alternative will need to deliver compliance as quickly as a charging CAZ if it is to be preferred for inclusion in the plans which local authorities develop.
Having gone through a detailed business case development process following guidance provided by the Government's Joint Air Quality Unit, Bradford has identified that a Class C Clean Air Zone is needed in order to deliver the legal obligation to tackle NO2 exceedances in the shortest possible time. Government considered the business case submitted by Bradford earlier this year and has accepted Bradford's evidence that a class C CAZ is required. As part of this approvals process, the business case and supporting evidence were considered by an independent technical panel established to review the evidence submitted by local authorities to support their proposals. The Government is now working with Bradford on the implementation of the CAZ and has also provided Bradford with £31 million from the Clean Air Fund to help local businesses and individuals adapt to the CAZ, including grants to help upgrade vehicles.
Defra draws its training provision from Civil Service Learning (CSL), which included access to unconscious bias training products for all staff including Senior Civil Servants. It is mandatory for civil servants to use CSL for their learning.
In January 2021, CSL took the decision to withdraw the product in line with the Ministerial Statement that outlined why this training should cease. The learning pages on our internal intranet were updated and staff are now directed to the CSL product called Inclusion in the Civil Service, therefore ensuring that unconscious bias training has been phased out in Defra. Natural England took the same action.
The Environment Agency removed unconscious bias training from its list of mandatory learning in January 2021. A short e-learning product remains accessible as a topic of interest.
Defra follows the pay remit guidance set by HM Treasury for staff at delegated grades and Cabinet Office for Senior Civil Servants. For the most recent pay reviews, this meant that Defra implemented average pay awards within the 2.5% limit for delegated grades and 2% for Senior Civil Servants, as set out in the guidance.
The biggest pay rise given to someone in Core Defra in the last 12 months in percentage terms was 68.5%.
The biggest pay rise given to someone in Core Defra in the last 12 months in cash terms was £22,000.
These pay rises are the result of promotions to new roles with greater responsibilities and accountability.
The Environment Agency (EA) assesses the emissions from new energy from waste (EfW) plants as part of its permitting process.
The EA has assessed the impact of emissions from the proposed plant on air quality. The permit assessment process includes a comparison of the maximum predicted concentrations of different pollutants from the plant against the relevant air quality standards, also taking into account the levels of background pollution already present in the area. The EA will not grant a permit for an EfW plant if it could have a significant impact on air quality.
The EA is currently carrying out a public consultation on this application and the consultation documents contain the EA’s assessment of the emissions from the plant and the measures proposed to regulate those emissions should the permit be granted.
Local authorities take the lead on monitoring levels of air pollution within their boundaries. City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (CBMDC) was one of eight local authorities directed in October 2018, as part of the supplement to the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, to develop a local plan to tackle identified NO2 exceedances, following a Government-funded targeted feasibility study conducted by the council. This study identified persistent long-term exceedances of legal NO2 limit values in and around the city centre including the Shipley area, and that without further action CBMDC would not be compliant with legal NO2 limits until 2027.
Following approval of its plan early this year, CBMDC was subsequently directed and funded to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone in late 2021 that will cover the city centre, Canal Road corridor, Shipley and Saltaire, enabling CBMDC to achieve compliance by 2022.
During the Government’s consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood, Defra officials engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including smokeless fuel manufacturers.
Over the course of the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood, the Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including a number of trade organisations representing the coal industry. One meeting was held at official level with the Coal Merchants’ Federation. There have been no Ministerial meetings with this organisation.
The Government response to the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood was published on 21 February 2020. This outlines plans to restrict the sale, distribution and marketing of wet wood. The proposed policy will require suppliers of wood sold in volumes below 2m3 to have their product tested and certified to show that its moisture content is below 20%, those supplying wood in volumes greater than 2m3 will be required to provide their customers with instructions for seasoning wet wood, which will be accompanied by a warning advising that the wood is not suitable to be burnt without appropriate drying. Further to this, retailers of wood in volumes below 2m3 will be required to store it in a way that ensures its moisture content is kept below 20%.
Defra recognises that on face value, manufactured solid fuels (MSFs) are more expensive than coal, however, we are also aware that MSFs burn more efficiently than coal. Recent tests have found that coal is actually more expensive than MSFs when energy efficiency is taken into account. These tests suggest that coal burned on an open fire is more expensive per unit of heat output in all areas of England compared to the cheapest MSF fuel. The full results of the fuel efficiency tests have been published on gov.uk and can be found at the following link:
The Government recently published its response to the consultation on using cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood, which included proposals for the regulation of the sales, distribution and marketing of bituminous coal and wet wood sold in units of up to 2m3 and restricting the sale of manufactured solid fuels with a sulphur content greater than 2%. A full impact assessment was published alongside the Government response and is available on the GOV.UK website. This analysis estimates the following cumulative emission reductions between 2020 and 2030: 91.53kt of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), 24.9kt of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and 430kt of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/air-quality-using-cleaner-fuels-for-domestic-burning
Every year International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and the important work going on every day to address this. Defra group marked the day through a webinar available to all staff entitled “Why We Need International Men’s Day”. This shared key information and work underway to address these issues. Other webinars included topics such as “Being a 21st Century man”, “Managing mental ill health from a male perspective” and “Raising boys”. The day concluded with a panel Q and A session comprising senior managers, the webinar presenters and the lead of the Women’s Network.
In addition to International Men’s Day, in November Defra group celebrated Carers’ Rights Day which also supports men with caring responsibilities. As part of the ‘Movember’ campaign we highlighted men’s health issues, from cancer to suicide prevention, and the Cancer and Mental Health Networks encouraged employees to support this initiative. More widely across Defra group we promote other gender-based initiatives, such as marking International Women's Day in March.
On an ongoing basis, we continue to support flexible working and shared parental leave for all employees across Defra. This gives men as well as women the opportunity to manage their work-life balance and take time away from the workplace to be with their new children.
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with her Irish counterpart on the Irish Government’s consultation.
We intend that a revised impact assessment will be published alongside our response to the consultation on the cleaner burning of solid fuels and wood in the near future.
As we said when we consulted on our proposals, we want to ensure that our measures achieve environmental benefits but do not have an adverse impact on vulnerable groups. Our response to the consultation will reflect this approach, and we intend to publish this in the near future.
Following the required pause for the 2019 General Election, we are working at pace to publish our response to the consultation on the cleaner burning of solid fuels and wood as soon as possible.
DFID flies flags in accordance with DCMS policy.
In the London office the Union Jack is flown every day that another flag is not flown. The Scottish Saltire is flown every day from the DFID office in East Kilbride, Scotland.
Since 2015, the other flags were flown from the London office as follows:
Date | St. George | Scottish Saltire | Wales Flag |
2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
DFID has two headquarter buildings in the UK; one at 22 Whitehall and the other at Abercrombie house in East Kilbride.
DFID own and fly flags in accordance with DCMS policy. The total number of flags owned across both buildings are:
(a) 9 x Union Jacks
(b) 2 x St George
(c) 4 x Scottish Saltire
(d) DFID does not own any Welsh flags.
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Department promotes UK exports and showcases business at international trade shows. A number of events due to take place during 2019-20 were cancelled due to COVID-19 and the Department was unable to recoup all amounts incurred towards them.
The total number of cases of losses in each year | ||
2018 -2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
23 | 178 | 25 |
The total cost of losses in each year | ||
2018 -2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
£466,443 | £920,363 | £650,195 |
The total number of special payments in each year | ||
2018 -2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
2 | None | None |
The total value of special payments in each year | ||
2018 -2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
£88,000 | None | None |
The Department for International Trade (DIT) continues to follow the Government’s Working Safely guidance, requiring organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. DIT have retained our Personal Risk Assessment process to meet this criteria.
Following the easing of restrictions in England, guidance on social distancing and similar office measures have been removed. To note, DIT have never mandated facemasks in our office buildings.
DIT is committed to encouraging employees to return to the workplace while also supporting flexible working.
The Department remains aligned to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance so does not currently mandate the wearing of face coverings in any of its UK offices. Those working for the Department are expected to follow guidance on face coverings in operation in the geographical area they are working while on official business.
The Department continues to prioritise other control measures such as minimising contact, ventilation, and screens over face coverings on its UK estate. The Department works with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to agree working practices overseas in line with local guidance.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) stopped mandating completion of the Cabinet Office supplied Unconscious Bias (UB) digital (e-learning) training for all staff (including UKEF) in November 2019 when they replaced it with Diversity and Inclusion (2019) training. This was later superseded in 2020 with Inclusion in the Civil Service training.
All the above digital training is/was owned and supplied by Civil Service Learning (CSL) who are an expert service function of the Cabinet Office.
The DIT internal intranet site and Learning Hub were both updated in 2019 to remove reference to the standalone UB training and replaced with the new alternate recommended training. In addition, steps were taken to ensure relevant DIT policies and processes were updated to remove and/or replace reference to the standalone UB digital training as appropriate.
The Department for International Trade is committed to ensuring fairness for all - regardless of gender or background. International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the work going on every day across Government to do this.
To mark International Men’s Day, the department undertook a range of events, including a virtual event held by the Gender network, mentoring sessions for male members of staff by the Permanent Secretary, and a conversation for men from the department hosted by the Second Permanent Secretary. The Permanent Secretary also spoke at two virtual Civil Service-wide events, including the Cross-Government Gender Network event.
Records of flag flying are held by our facilities management provider. Records prior to 2018 are not held.
The Union Jack is flown all year round unless replaced with the flag of St. George.
The flag of St. George was flown 3 times in 2018, 5 times in 2019 and has not yet been flown in 2020.
The Scottish Saltire Flag or Welsh Flag were not flown in the period for which records are held.
The department owns 8 flags which are flown externally. These are: 4 Union Flags, 2 St George’s Flags, 1 Scottish Saltire Flag and 1 Flag of Wales. This list does not include free standing flags in Ministerial offices.
The Department comprises the Core Department together with its 19 agencies and arm’s length bodies, many of which are large organisations who conduct a significant level of transactional activity and may incur a relatively high volume of low value losses. Detailed registers of all Losses and Special Payments are held locally by each agency and arm’s length body, in accordance with MPM paragraph A4.10.7. In order to meet MPM reporting requirements, the central department holds summary level information on the total number and value of Losses and Special Payments across the departmental group and specific details of items above £300,000, as disclosed in the Annual Report & Accounts. Due to the high volume of low value cases, it would not be practicable for the Department to provide a detailed analysis of all Losses & Special Payments below £300,000.
I can confirm that following the publication of the COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 plan on 21 February the Department for Transport and its Agencies has taken steps to ensure our internal Covid-19 policies and principles align with the latest Government guidance.
This includes the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance published on 24 February. This continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees and customers in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high.
These principles align with the current advice provided by the Department and will support and reassure our employees that they can continue to return to the workplace in a safe and controlled way. Our policies will be updated to reflect any further changes in Government advice. This includes where there may be differences in approach in the devolved administrations.
The Department is waiting for Bradford Council to submit the feasibility study for the proposed Shipley Eastern Bypass, following which it will be assessed.
The project at Menston station is currently at detailed design phase to provide a new step-free accessible route and tactile paving, with works anticipated to be completed in 2023.
We are waiting for Bradford Council to submit the initial business case which will then be assessed.
HS2 Ltd produces data on senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality and publishes all transaction over £25,000 and all corporate card transactions over £500. This is available on gov.uk and is updated quarterly. It is not possible to find the information you have requested within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
HS2 Ltd produces data on senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality and publishes all transaction over £25,000 and all corporate card transactions over £500. This is available on gov.uk and is updated quarterly. It is not possible to find the information you have requested within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
HS2 Ltd produces data on senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality and publishes all transaction over £25,000 and all corporate card transactions over £500. This is available on gov.uk and is updated quarterly. It is not possible to find the information you have requested within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
HS2 Ltd produces data on senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality and publishes all transaction over £25,000 and all corporate card transactions over £500. This is available on gov.uk and is updated quarterly. It is not possible to find the information you have requested within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
HS2 Ltd produces data on senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality and publishes all transaction over £25,000 and all corporate card transactions over £500. This is available on gov.uk and is updated quarterly. It is not possible to find the information you have requested within a reasonable cost and timeframe.
The Secretary of State for Transport has regular contact with the US, including the US Secretary of Transportation.
On 20 September the US government confirmed that they will be allowing vaccinated Brits into the US from early November, reciprocating the policy introduced by the UK on 2 August. This demonstrates the hard work and progress made by the UK-US Experts Working Group to restart transatlantic travel and kick start the economy. The Experts Working Group will continue to work together to ensure the return of safe and sustainable international travel.
The Department for Transport, its departmental agencies and related bodies are following the relevant guidance for each location and are undertaking all mitigations identified in each building’s risk assessment. All organisations fully support individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace.
The information requested cannot be retrieved in the format requested in the time available. Officials from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will write to the Honourable Member when the information is available.
The information requested cannot be retrieved in the format requested in the time available. Officials from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will write to the Honourable Member when the information is available.
Guidance on how to apply for a driving licence is published on GOV.UK and can be found here.
The volume of driving licences issued in each of the last five years is shown in the table below:
Year | Number of Driving Licences Issued |
2016 – 2017 | 10.4 million |
2017 – 2018 | 11.2 million |
2018 – 2019 | 10.6 million |
2019 – 2020 | 11.2 million |
2020 – 2021 | 8.8 million |
Guidance on how to apply for a driving licence is published on GOV.UK and can be found here.
The volume of driving licences issued in each of the last five years is shown in the table below:
Year | Number of Driving Licences Issued |
2016 – 2017 | 10.4 million |
2017 – 2018 | 11.2 million |
2018 – 2019 | 10.6 million |
2019 – 2020 | 11.2 million |
2020 – 2021 | 8.8 million |
HS2 Ltd has a Group Personal Pension plan in place for its employees so there are no future liabilities. The annual provision for employer contributions to that plan are published in the Annual Report & Accounts.
For further information please follow the below link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-ltd-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021
The highest earning individual at HS2 Ltd is the Chief Executive, Mark Thurston. We publish information regarding remuneration of those earning over £150,000 annually: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries
Staff numbers and average salaries (as at 31 March) are disclosed annually in the Company’s Annual Report and Accounts. However, as of 28 June 2021, HS2 Ltd directly employs 1,597 staff with an average salary of £60,198.44. The salaries are full-time equivalent Basic Pay (annual entitlement at point of reporting). This figure does not include Non-Executive Directors, Independent Panel Members, Project Representatives and non HS2 Ltd staff (secondees, Engineering Delivery Partners, agency staff, etc).
HS2 Ltd headquarters is at 2 Snowhill, Snowhill, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6GA. In addition, it occupies space at 1 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 2DN and Albany House, Petty France, London, SW1 9EA. The Company also rents one room in Barlow House, Minshull Street, Manchester, M1 3DZ.
This list does not include site offices that are leased and occupied by suppliers working on behalf of HS2 Ltd.
(a) The HS2 Ltd London whole office estate costs are as follows:
2018/19 £7,270,000
2019/20 £5,180,000
2020/21 £5,280,000
Note the figures include rent, VAT on rent, utilities, facilities management costs, National Non Domestic rates and other building costs. Accommodation costs are disclosed in the HS2 Annual Report and Accounts.
(b) The total for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21 £17,730,000
In response to the Written Statement of 15 December 2020, HCWS652, the Department has stopped providing interventions where the evidence does not support their continued use, this has been the case with unconscious bias training.
Most of Civil Service unconscious bias training was delivered via an e-learning platform, and is no longer available through this platform. The Department no longer promotes unconscious bias training to be included as part of any other training that is delivered elsewhere.
The Department is committed to maintaining a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. This includes deploying a range of evidence-based interventions within the Department, for example training to improve fairness in recruitment decisions, or new learning offerings targeted at working on creating more inclusive work cultures. We are using data to inform where bias may be occurring and to help eradicate it, for example in our approach to recruitment. This approach will allow us to ensure that activity can be focused on those interventions which do make a difference in order to progress this important work.
Since 15 June, passengers travelling on the public transport network have been required to wear a face covering, unless exempt. On 14 December, the Secretary of State reviewed the regulations and deemed that this requirement remained necessary and proportionate in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As set out in the roadmap, the Government will complete a review of social distancing and other long-term measures, which will inform decisions on the timing and circumstances under which the wearing of face coverings and other measures may be lifted. We have seen continued high compliance with face covering regulations and the latest evidence indicates that face coverings are likely to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 where used correctly. As such their continued use is important to ensure that those who need to travel now and in the future are able to do so in safety and with confidence.
The feasibility study for the proposed Shipley Eastern Bypass is being produced by Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council. I understand Bradford MBC are due to submit the study to my Department for consideration shortly.
In a message on my official twitter account, I recognised the incredible contribution men and boys make to our society, and, in recognition of the mental health problems that 1 in 8 men face, made clear that support is available.
Between the period of 01/10/2019 - 30/09/2020 the biggest pay rise given to someone in the Department was (a) 6.9% in percentage terms and (b) £7,064 in cash terms. The mean average award for all staff for the same period was 2%.
The Department is not undertaking any inquiries. It is currently contributing to the Home Office’s inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack.
An additional service between Kings Cross, Shipley and Bradford will be delivered in July 2020. The outstanding committed services will be delivered as soon as capacity is available.
The introduction of the additional services was originally delayed from May 2019 because of delays to the introduction of LNER’s new Azuma trains, in line with guidance from the Industry Programme Management Office Steering Group established following the May 2018 timetable issues. Since then it has become clear that capacity constraints in the Bradford area mean that integrating the LNER services with the existing, intensive Northern commuter services, while protecting their reliability, will be challenging. Infrastructure upgrades may be needed to resolve these capacity constraints
I and my officials met by video conference with Network Rail and LNER, with the Honourable Member present, on 1 June 2020.
The Department has not made a specific recent estimate of the cost to the public purse. The additional services were contracted as part of an overall package in 2015 from Virgin Trains East Coast, the then franchisee, and delivery of them was not affected by the transfer of services to LNER. LNER expects the additional services to be revenue generative, and to have additional wider economic benefits for the areas and communities they serve
An additional service between Kings Cross, Shipley and Bradford will be delivered in July 2020. The outstanding committed services will be delivered as soon as capacity is available.
The introduction of the additional services was originally delayed from May 2019 because of delays to the introduction of LNER’s new Azuma trains, in line with guidance from the Industry Programme Management Office Steering Group established following the May 2018 timetable issues. Since then it has become clear that capacity constraints in the Bradford area mean that integrating the LNER services with the existing, intensive Northern commuter services, while protecting their reliability, will be challenging. Infrastructure upgrades may be needed to resolve these capacity constraints
I and my officials met by video conference with Network Rail and LNER, with the Honourable Member present, on 1 June 2020.
The Department has not made a specific recent estimate of the cost to the public purse. The additional services were contracted as part of an overall package in 2015 from Virgin Trains East Coast, the then franchisee, and delivery of them was not affected by the transfer of services to LNER. LNER expects the additional services to be revenue generative, and to have additional wider economic benefits for the areas and communities they serve
An additional service between Kings Cross, Shipley and Bradford will be delivered in July 2020. The outstanding committed services will be delivered as soon as capacity is available.
The introduction of the additional services was originally delayed from May 2019 because of delays to the introduction of LNER’s new Azuma trains, in line with guidance from the Industry Programme Management Office Steering Group established following the May 2018 timetable issues. Since then it has become clear that capacity constraints in the Bradford area mean that integrating the LNER services with the existing, intensive Northern commuter services, while protecting their reliability, will be challenging. Infrastructure upgrades may be needed to resolve these capacity constraints
I and my officials met by video conference with Network Rail and LNER, with the Honourable Member present, on 1 June 2020.
The Department has not made a specific recent estimate of the cost to the public purse. The additional services were contracted as part of an overall package in 2015 from Virgin Trains East Coast, the then franchisee, and delivery of them was not affected by the transfer of services to LNER. LNER expects the additional services to be revenue generative, and to have additional wider economic benefits for the areas and communities they serve
An additional service between Kings Cross, Shipley and Bradford will be delivered in July 2020. The outstanding committed services will be delivered as soon as capacity is available.
The introduction of the additional services was originally delayed from May 2019 because of delays to the introduction of LNER’s new Azuma trains, in line with guidance from the Industry Programme Management Office Steering Group established following the May 2018 timetable issues. Since then it has become clear that capacity constraints in the Bradford area mean that integrating the LNER services with the existing, intensive Northern commuter services, while protecting their reliability, will be challenging. Infrastructure upgrades may be needed to resolve these capacity constraints
I and my officials met by video conference with Network Rail and LNER, with the Honourable Member present, on 1 June 2020.
The Department has not made a specific recent estimate of the cost to the public purse. The additional services were contracted as part of an overall package in 2015 from Virgin Trains East Coast, the then franchisee, and delivery of them was not affected by the transfer of services to LNER. LNER expects the additional services to be revenue generative, and to have additional wider economic benefits for the areas and communities they serve
The Department became aware in late 2018 that the additional train services would not be delivered in May 2019 due to delays to the delivery of the IEP fleet and as a consequence of the revised industry approach to timetable development following the May 2018 timetable change. Following our recent meeting on this issue, I look forward to working with my Honorable Friend to ensure these services are delivered as soon as is feasible.
The Union Jack has been flown every day since 2015 at the Department for Transport’s London headquarters building. The Department does not own any of the other flags mentioned.
The Department for Transport owns 5 Union Jack flags. The Department does not own any of the other flags mentioned.
LNER intends to introduce the outstanding direct services as soon as possible and is working to finalise timescales. I’ve asked LNER to meet the Honourable gentleman to provide an update.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost to the Department.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published their COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This document sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. Government guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance.
We continue to follow specific devolved administration guidance for Wales and Scotland.
DWP has two mandatory e-learning modules: Public Sector Equality Duty and Inclusion in the Civil Service.
Throughout the pandemic, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has followed, and continues to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
All of our offices comply with the legal requirements of the UK government and where appropriate, of the devolved administrations. The wearing of face coverings remains a legal requirement in both Scotland and Wales
In England there is no such legal requirement but the latest BEIS guidance “encourage(s) the use of face coverings by workers or customers in enclosed and crowded spaces” https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2
DWP therefore strongly encourages the wearing of face coverings by customers in our job centres and colleagues when in communal areas.
Throughout the pandemic, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has followed, and continues to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
All of our offices comply with the legal requirements of the UK government and where appropriate, of the devolved administrations. The wearing of face coverings remains a legal requirement in both Scotland and Wales
In England there is no such legal requirement but the latest BEIS guidance “encourage(s) the use of face coverings by workers or customers in enclosed and crowded spaces” https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2
DWP therefore strongly encourages the wearing of face coverings by customers in our job centres and colleagues when in communal areas.
DWP takes fraud and error very seriously. Estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain in the financial years from 2005/2006 to 2020/2021 are available in the link below.
The Department for Work and Pensions is increasingly moving from detecting fraud and error to actively preventing it from happening and has optimised its digital capability and organisational design to enable this. The recent money secured via the Spring Budget will enable the Department to expand the Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS), develop pre-payment ‘risking’ techniques (Transaction Risking) and maintain the new Enhanced Checking Service, who intervene on high risk claims before they get in to payment.
Where fraud does enter the benefit system, there are dedicated teams to investigate this. The Department is committed to the use of appropriate penalties and the recovery of monies from the perpetrators, where fraud is established. To support this work, DWP’s Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt team is undertaking an ambitious recruitment programme which will significantly further expand our counter-fraud capacity.
We will continue to work with other Government departments and law enforcement agencies nationally and across borders to ensure appropriate intelligence and resources are shared, enabling the totality of any criminality to be identified and investigated.
DWP takes fraud and error very seriously. Estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain in the financial years from 2005/2006 to 2020/2021 are available in the link below.
The Department for Work and Pensions is increasingly moving from detecting fraud and error to actively preventing it from happening and has optimised its digital capability and organisational design to enable this. The recent money secured via the Spring Budget will enable the Department to expand the Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS), develop pre-payment ‘risking’ techniques (Transaction Risking) and maintain the new Enhanced Checking Service, who intervene on high risk claims before they get in to payment.
Where fraud does enter the benefit system, there are dedicated teams to investigate this. The Department is committed to the use of appropriate penalties and the recovery of monies from the perpetrators, where fraud is established. To support this work, DWP’s Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt team is undertaking an ambitious recruitment programme which will significantly further expand our counter-fraud capacity.
We will continue to work with other Government departments and law enforcement agencies nationally and across borders to ensure appropriate intelligence and resources are shared, enabling the totality of any criminality to be identified and investigated.
DWP takes fraud and error very seriously. Estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain in the financial years from 2005/2006 to 2020/2021 are available in the link below.
The Department for Work and Pensions is increasingly moving from detecting fraud and error to actively preventing it from happening and has optimised its digital capability and organisational design to enable this. The recent money secured via the Spring Budget will enable the Department to expand the Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS), develop pre-payment ‘risking’ techniques (Transaction Risking) and maintain the new Enhanced Checking Service, who intervene on high risk claims before they get in to payment.
Where fraud does enter the benefit system, there are dedicated teams to investigate this. The Department is committed to the use of appropriate penalties and the recovery of monies from the perpetrators, where fraud is established. To support this work, DWP’s Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt team is undertaking an ambitious recruitment programme which will significantly further expand our counter-fraud capacity.
We will continue to work with other Government departments and law enforcement agencies nationally and across borders to ensure appropriate intelligence and resources are shared, enabling the totality of any criminality to be identified and investigated.
In the department (DWP), every year, International Men’s Day (IMD) offers an opportunity to highlight some key issues and policies that are available to support men. Our policies range from our flexible working hours, the introduction of shared parental leave, which allows men to take time away from the workplace and bond with their new children, benefitting that crucial long-term relationship for both parent and child, to our support for Domestic Abuse and Mental Health through our community of 1600+ Mental Health First Aiders.
In DWP we have a series of national events taking place over the week to mark IMD. The DWP’s Director General Gender Champion opened an IMD session which included male senior leaders talking about their own personal journey.
DWP have partnered with The Good Lad Initiative (GLI), following the success of last year’s events. The specific events cover Thinking about Masculinities and Workplace Cultures and Allyship and Inclusion - men reflecting on their own workplace cultures and positions as leaders and communication skills needed to be effective and compassionate bystanders and to generate debate around the question
DWP has also updated its Gender and Wellbeing pages with support available to colleagues and a number of blogs have been published by colleagues of all genders with titles ranging from “Men who inspire me”, “how talking has helped me” to men’s mental health.
Building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the pandemic, a new £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme has been created to support children, families and the most at risk over winter. The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to help with food and bills, and will cover the period to the end of March 2021.
The Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018, will also be expanded across England next year. It will cover Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021, and cost up to £220m. It will be available to children in every local authority in England, building on previous programmes – including this summers, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities.
In May, the Government provided £16m to charities to provide food for those struggling due to the immediate impacts of the pandemic. Earlier this month, a further £16m was announced to fund local charities through well-established networks and provide immediate support to front-line food aid charities who have a vital role to play in supporting people of all ages.
Building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the pandemic, a new £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme has been created to support children, families and the most at risk over winter. The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to help with food and bills, and will cover the period to the end of March 2021.
The Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018, will also be expanded across England next year. It will cover Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021, and cost up to £220m. It will be available to children in every local authority in England, building on previous programmes – including this summers, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities.
In May, the Government provided £16m to charities to provide food for those struggling due to the immediate impacts of the pandemic. Earlier this month, a further £16m was announced to fund local charities through well-established networks and provide immediate support to front-line food aid charities who have a vital role to play in supporting people of all ages.
Building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the pandemic, a new £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme has been created to support children, families and the most at risk over winter. The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to help with food and bills, and will cover the period to the end of March 2021.
The Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018, will also be expanded across England next year. It will cover Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021, and cost up to £220m. It will be available to children in every local authority in England, building on previous programmes – including this summers, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities.
In May, the Government provided £16m to charities to provide food for those struggling due to the immediate impacts of the pandemic. Earlier this month, a further £16m was announced to fund local charities through well-established networks and provide immediate support to front-line food aid charities who have a vital role to play in supporting people of all ages.
The latest data on the level of unemployment available for Shipley, Bradford and West Yorkshire is for the period July 2019-June 2020. This is before the introduction of the tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England
The department is increasing unemployment support for people in all areas of the country, including Shipley, Bradford and West Yorkshire, through the Plan for Jobs package. Kickstart and Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) were recently launched with the Job Finding Support Service to follow. In addition, 13,500 extra Jobcentre Work Coaches are being recruited nationally to support claimants to re-enter employment.
Within the last 12 months, the largest increase in pay, both in percentage and cash terms, awarded within the Department for Work and Pensions was a 15.8% increase in the amount of £17,700. The recipient was a Senior Civil Servant (SCS) Pay Band 2 member of staff.
The uplift was the result of a pay exception on appointment following a level transfer from another Government Department. This was based on the recipient’s high level of skill and experience, their sustained performance, the increased responsibility associated with the role as well as their relative position on the pay range in comparison with their peers. DWP fully complied with the pay exception control process for this increased pay on appointment, meeting all relevant criteria.
On 20 March the Government announced a temporary increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance of £20 per week. Legislation allows this measure to continue for the 20/21 tax year.
We made the decision to temporarily suspend the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), old-style JSA and ESA, and Income Support.
Arrangements after the 30th June will be communicated in due course.
Our priority throughout this health emergency continues to be to protect the public and staff, while ensuring people get the benefits they are entitled to quickly and safely. Face to face assessments remain suspended while we review what activity we can gradually start reintroducing in line with the latest public health advice. We will confirm next steps as soon as possible.
Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment (WCA) outcomes are published quarterly. The latest figures covering the number and outcome of completed initial and repeat WCAs, by month of completed assessment up to December 2019, can be found at:
Additional breakdowns of the ESA WCA figures can be found at:
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 statistics for completed assessments to March 2020 and June 2020 will be published in September and December 2020 respectively.
Statistics on Work Capability Assessments for Universal Credit claimants are intended for publication in the near future as Official Statistics.
We already have escalation routes in place. We have had assurance from Area Directors that escalation routes are open and working and have sufficient capacity. We are exploring alternatives to further refine the process.
We have previously advised Macmillan if they could provide specific examples of where a Jobcentre has not been able to support them or has not had capacity, that these could be shared with their National Account Manager within National Employer & Partnership Team in DWP.
In addition, we have now mobilised 10 senior safeguarding leaders who between them will cover all our regions, these roles are temporary and will be reviewed in 3 months. These leaders don’t replace any of our existing routes into DWP where there is a concern about a customer, but they are there to be the region’s escalation point if a solution cannot be found locally, or it is a serious and complex case. These leaders will also be active members of multi-agency boards in their geography.
The table below provides how many people aged 100 years old and over, who receive the State Pension in each country outside the UK.
| Caseload |
Abroad not known | 20 |
Alderney | - |
Australia | 340 |
Austria | - |
Bangladesh | - |
Barbados | 10 |
Belgium | - |
Benin | - |
Bermuda | - |
Brazil | - |
Canada | 190 |
Cayman Islands | - |
Chile | - |
Cyprus | 10 |
Denmark | - |
Djibouti | - |
Equatorial Guinea | - |
France | 30 |
Germany | 10 |
Greece | - |
Guernsey | 10 |
Hong Kong | - |
India | - |
Israel | 10 |
Italy | 20 |
Jamaica | 70 |
Jersey | 10 |
Kenya | - |
Latvia | - |
Lithuania | - |
Luxembourg | - |
Monaco | - |
Montserrat | - |
New Zealand | 150 |
Norway | - |
Not known | 20 |
Pakistan | 20 |
Poland | - |
Portugal | - |
Republic of Ireland | 100 |
Republic of Yemen | 10 |
Sierra Leone | - |
Somalia | - |
South Africa | 30 |
Spain | 50 |
St Kitts and Nevis | - |
St Lucia | - |
St Vincent and The Grenadines | - |
Sweden | - |
Switzerland | - |
Thailand | - |
The Netherlands | - |
Trinidad and Tobago | - |
United Arab Emirates | - |
USA | 210 |
Zimbabwe | - |
|
|
Total | 1,390 |
Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, August 2019.
Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Caseloads identified with ‘-‘ are negligible, but non-zero.
Caseloads exclude suspended cases.
The government won on all grounds in the High Court action of this matter - defending the actions of the Coalition government 2010-2015, the labour government 1997-2010 and the Conservative government 1992-1997; the department does not comment on live litigation.
The departmental group includes 25 arm’s length bodies, 135 clinical commissioning groups and 219 National Health Service providers. Each legal entity within the group discloses the losses and special payments within its annual report and accounts. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts includes the consolidated number and total value of losses and special payments for the entire departmental group.
The Department does not collect details relating to all losses and special payments below £300,000 from its underlying group bodies, therefore this information is not available for the departmental group. The Department’s losses and special payments from 2018/19 to 2020/21 is shown in the attached tables.
Throughout the pandemic, the Department has followed the Government’s guidance in setting out its internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along with carrying out health and safety risk assessments that include the ongoing risk from COVID-19.
On 21 February 2022, the Government published their COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. This sets out how and when the remaining restrictions will be lifted in England. The Government’s guidance was subsequently amended, including the Working Safely guidance.
The Government’s Working Safely guidance, which was revised on 24 February 2022, continues to require organisations to carry out a risk assessment which includes the risk from COVID-19. It also sets out additional actions organisations can take to protect employees in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning, asking people to wash their hands frequently and asking people with COVID-19 to stay away. The guidance advises that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings where they come into contact with people they do not normally meet, when rates of transmission are high. Civil Service employers will continue to follow this guidance and align their policies accordingly. There is no mandation for Departmental colleagues to wear masks in offices.
The Secretary of State announced on the 31 January that the Government intends to revoke the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and social care, subject to consultation.
We have today published the Government’s response to the consultation undertaken. This confirms that we will revoke the vaccination as a condition of deployment requirements.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including tinnitus, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
The NIHR’s support for tinnitus research was over £1.5 million between 2016/17 and 2021/22. This included funding for research projects and funding for NIHR managed infrastructure to support tinnitus research. Current NIHR funding includes £15 million over five years from April 2017 to support deafness and hearing loss research in NIHR’s Manchester, University College London and Nottingham Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs). The Nottingham BRC has a core research theme on tinnitus and noise sensitivity.
The white paper ‘Reforming the Mental Health Act’, published in January 2021, set out proposals to expand access to an advocate to voluntary or informal patients and to consider an ‘opt out model’. These proposals received significant support at public consultation and we are now exploring the associated costs and practicalities. This includes examining current independent mental health advocate uptake and existing opt out models which have been successfully implemented in some areas.
A COVID-19 risk assessment has been carried out following the framework provided by the Health and Safety Executive. In line with this assessment, the Department does not currently require face coverings to be worn by staff in departmental buildings. Those who do wish to wear them will be supported to do so safely.
The information requested on the proportion of people who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and those who contracted the virus in the last three months is not available. The following table shows the number of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 whilst in hospital between 7 April and 30 June.
Month | Number of patients |
7 - 30 April | 1,957 |
May | 1,479 |
June | 2,799 |
Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
Note:
The following table shows the number of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 between 1 April and 30 June.
Month | Number of patients |
April | 5,258 |
May | 2,569 |
June | 4,158 |
Source: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare
Note:
The women’s health strategy for England is in development. The Department does not have a specific men’s health strategy. However, relevant issues are identified and policy developed on a condition specific basis, for example in cardiovascular disease and mental health. There are no current plans to launch a consultation on men’s health outcomes.
No specific comparative assessment has been made on the number of men and women receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
The ‘UK COVID-19 vaccine uptake plan’ published in February sets out the Government’s approach to ensure that all groups have the opportunity to receive the vaccine. The plan is available at the following link:
The women’s health strategy for England is in development. The Department does not have a specific men’s health strategy. However, relevant issues are identified and policy developed on a condition specific basis, for example in cardiovascular disease and mental health. There are no current plans to launch a consultation on men’s health outcomes.
We have no current plans to do so.
On 17 July we launched the process for trusts to express an interest in being selected for funding for eight new hospitals to be built by 2030 in England.
The Department welcomes applications from all trusts, including Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, who meet the criteria. Local health systems have received confirmation of their capital funding for 2021/22 which enables them to progress priority investments agreed with local health partners.
The Department has made no specific assessments. Trusts are legally responsible for maintaining their estates and providing healthcare services, with their boards deciding which investments they make. The Estates Returns Information Collection is completed by all trusts, including mental health trusts, on an annual basis and contains information relating to the costs of providing, maintaining and servicing the National Health Service estate, including the capital cost of bringing the full estate to a defined standard. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement draw on this assessment and other data to secure and direct national funding.
The Department has made no specific assessments. Trusts are legally responsible for maintaining their estates and providing healthcare services, with their boards deciding which investments they make. The Estates Returns Information Collection is completed by all trusts, including mental health trusts, on an annual basis and contains information relating to the costs of providing, maintaining and servicing the National Health Service estate, including the capital cost of bringing the full estate to a defined standard. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement draw on this assessment and other data to secure and direct national funding.
It is not possible at present to quantify the number of people left disabled as a result of a COVID-19 vaccination. Disability has a wide-ranging definition, including the length of time for which a condition persists. It should be noted that a report of an adverse drug reaction does not mean that it was caused by the drug or vaccine. Clinical decisions on whether a vaccine has caused a disability are considered on a case by case basis and will include consideration as to whether there may have been other factors involved, such as other pre-existing conditions. Any functionality outcomes for such patients evolve over time and depend on multiple factors such as type of adverse event that occurred, patient’s age and underlying conditions.
The Civil Service is committed to maintaining a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. This includes deploying a range of evidence-based interventions but where the evidence does not support its continued use, as is the case with unconscious bias training, we have removed from our mandatory training.
In line with advice and guidance from Civil Service Human Resources, we provide training that focuses on inclusion.
It is not possible at present to quantify the number of people left disabled as a result of a COVID-19 vaccination. Disability has a wide-ranging definition, including the length of time for which a condition persists. It should be noted that a report of an adverse drug reaction does not mean that it was caused by the drug or vaccine. Clinical decisions on whether a vaccine has caused a disability are considered on a case by case basis and will include consideration as to whether there may have been other factors involved, such as other pre-existing conditions. Any functionality outcomes for such patients evolve over time and depend on multiple factors such as type of adverse event that occurred, patient’s age and underlying conditions.
This data is not available in the format requested.
The technical briefing published by Public Health England provides the latest data regarding hospitalisations and deaths by variant, including the Delta variant and data on those who are vaccinated with one and both doses and unvaccinated. This data is available at the following link:
The end date for the Omega Diagnostics contract is March 2022, with the option for a further year extension if necessary. The contract is a flexible contract which does not contain any commitment to volume or value. Manufacturers worldwide with tests validated for use in the United Kingdom were invited to make proposals including licencing production and were evaluated on the basis of a range of criteria including cost, performance and location/ability to provide security of supply. We engaged with the UK Rapid Test Consortium and members were invited to provide capability statements on their ability to manufacture at scale. Based on these statements, qualified Consortium members were invited to enter precontract agreements and contract discussions.
The following table shows the equipment loaned to Omega Diagnostics and the purpose of each loan. The equipment loaned is specific mass production technology to allow increased production for lateral flow antigen tests. All equipment has been loaned under strict contractual arrangements that constrain its use solely for the purpose of Government need in addressing the pandemic. No other use of the equipment is permitted.
Equipment | Function/purpose of loan |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
The end date for the Omega Diagnostics contract is March 2022, with the option for a further year extension if necessary. The contract is a flexible contract which does not contain any commitment to volume or value. Manufacturers worldwide with tests validated for use in the United Kingdom were invited to make proposals including licencing production and were evaluated on the basis of a range of criteria including cost, performance and location/ability to provide security of supply. We engaged with the UK Rapid Test Consortium and members were invited to provide capability statements on their ability to manufacture at scale. Based on these statements, qualified Consortium members were invited to enter precontract agreements and contract discussions.
The following table shows the equipment loaned to Omega Diagnostics and the purpose of each loan. The equipment loaned is specific mass production technology to allow increased production for lateral flow antigen tests. All equipment has been loaned under strict contractual arrangements that constrain its use solely for the purpose of Government need in addressing the pandemic. No other use of the equipment is permitted.
Equipment | Function/purpose of loan |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
The end date for the Omega Diagnostics contract is March 2022, with the option for a further year extension if necessary. The contract is a flexible contract which does not contain any commitment to volume or value. Manufacturers worldwide with tests validated for use in the United Kingdom were invited to make proposals including licencing production and were evaluated on the basis of a range of criteria including cost, performance and location/ability to provide security of supply. We engaged with the UK Rapid Test Consortium and members were invited to provide capability statements on their ability to manufacture at scale. Based on these statements, qualified Consortium members were invited to enter precontract agreements and contract discussions.
The following table shows the equipment loaned to Omega Diagnostics and the purpose of each loan. The equipment loaned is specific mass production technology to allow increased production for lateral flow antigen tests. All equipment has been loaned under strict contractual arrangements that constrain its use solely for the purpose of Government need in addressing the pandemic. No other use of the equipment is permitted.
Equipment | Function/purpose of loan |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Laminator | Laminating |
Reel to reel | Plotting |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Foil wrapper | Wrapping |
Thermal transfer printer | Wrapping |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Automated assembler | Cassette assembling |
Converging conveyor | Wrapping |
Desiccant dispenser | Wrapping |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
Cutter | Cassette assembling |
The UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) is not a Government organisation therefore the information requested on its creation and internal processes is not held centrally.
No funding has been allocated through the UK-RTC.
Members of the Consortium who have been awarded contracts have done so through compliant procurement processes unrelated to the UK-RTC.
The UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) is not a Government organisation therefore the information requested on its creation and internal processes is not held centrally.
No funding has been allocated through the UK-RTC.
Members of the Consortium who have been awarded contracts have done so through compliant procurement processes unrelated to the UK-RTC.
The UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) is not a Government organisation therefore the information requested on its creation and internal processes is not held centrally.
No funding has been allocated through the UK-RTC.
Members of the Consortium who have been awarded contracts have done so through compliant procurement processes unrelated to the UK-RTC.
The UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) is not a Government organisation therefore the information requested on its creation and internal processes is not held centrally.
No funding has been allocated through the UK-RTC.
Members of the Consortium who have been awarded contracts have done so through compliant procurement processes unrelated to the UK-RTC.
The UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC) is not a Government organisation therefore the information requested on its creation and internal processes is not held centrally.
No funding has been allocated through the UK-RTC.
Members of the Consortium who have been awarded contracts have done so through compliant procurement processes unrelated to the UK-RTC.
The Department has entered into contracts with Innova for the provision of self-test lateral flow devices (LFDs) and Innova, Abbott and Orient Gene, through their distributor Tanner Pharma, for the provision of assisted LFDs.
No contract was awarded to Abingdon Health Limited in October 2020.
The Department continues to use the appropriate procurement procedures within the Public Contract Regulations to award contracts to suppliers. All suppliers pass through a rigorous regulatory and validation process to ensure that they meet the same high quality standards.
No contract was awarded to Abingdon Health Limited in October 2020.
The Department continues to use the appropriate procurement procedures within the Public Contract Regulations to award contracts to suppliers. All suppliers pass through a rigorous regulatory and validation process to ensure that they meet the same high quality standards.
This contract was awarded in January 2021, before the current lockdown easing measures were announced. The contract is flexible and does not contain committed volumes of purchasing of tests. We are able to alter the amount of tests bought through this contract on a monthly basis and have the necessary contract clauses to exit the contract at short notice if required.
The contract was awarded under Regulation 32 measures in procurement procedures, based on the urgent nature of the requirement for lateral flow antigen tests and the lack of sovereign capability to produce these products in the United Kingdom. Worldwide manufacturers with tests validated for use in the UK were invited to make manufacturing proposals, including licencing production and were evaluated on the basis of a range of criteria including cost, performance and location/ability to provide security of supply.
This contract was awarded in January 2021, before the current lockdown easing measures were announced. The contract is flexible and does not contain committed volumes of purchasing of tests. We are able to alter the amount of tests bought through this contract on a monthly basis and have the necessary contract clauses to exit the contract at short notice if required.
The contract was awarded under Regulation 32 measures in procurement procedures, based on the urgent nature of the requirement for lateral flow antigen tests and the lack of sovereign capability to produce these products in the United Kingdom. Worldwide manufacturers with tests validated for use in the UK were invited to make manufacturing proposals, including licencing production and were evaluated on the basis of a range of criteria including cost, performance and location/ability to provide security of supply.
The collection of data on cancelled operations has remained paused in order to release capacity across the National Health Service to support the ongoing pandemic response.
Information on the capital and revenue spend on both mental and physical health is not held in the format requested. There is no specific measure for spending on ‘physical health’ and some spending on physical health conditions will include treatment for mental health. While spend on specialist mental health services is available, it is not known how much non-specialist activity is devoted to mental health.
The information requested is not held.
This information is not held centrally.
This data is not held centrally.
Public Health England (PHE) has made no such assessment.
PHE collects data on disease surveillance for example on flu and other respiratory pathogens. However, these reports do not show the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunity of children and adults.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 March (HCWS884), from 1 April, we will formally establish the new United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA will be the country’s permanent standing capacity to prepare for, prevent and respond to threats to health.
While Public Health England’s remit has spanned both health protection and health improvement, the UKHSA will be focused entirely on planning for, preventing and responding to the risk of future infectious disease pandemics and other major health threats. The UKHSA will work with partners around the world, lead the UK’s global contribution to global health protection research and hold responsibility for health security scientific capabilities including those at Porton Down and Colindale.
The transition of responsibilities and capabilities from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace into the new Agency will take place over the coming months, with the UKHSA fully operational from October 2021. Key performance metrics for the UKHSA will be determined as part of this transition.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 March (HCWS884), from 1 April, we will formally establish the new United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA will be the country’s permanent standing capacity to prepare for, prevent and respond to threats to health.
While Public Health England’s remit has spanned both health protection and health improvement, the UKHSA will be focused entirely on planning for, preventing and responding to the risk of future infectious disease pandemics and other major health threats. The UKHSA will work with partners around the world, lead the UK’s global contribution to global health protection research and hold responsibility for health security scientific capabilities including those at Porton Down and Colindale.
The transition of responsibilities and capabilities from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace into the new Agency will take place over the coming months, with the UKHSA fully operational from October 2021. Key performance metrics for the UKHSA will be determined as part of this transition.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 March (HCWS884), from 1 April, we will formally establish the new United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA will be the country’s permanent standing capacity to prepare for, prevent and respond to threats to health.
While Public Health England’s remit has spanned both health protection and health improvement, the UKHSA will be focused entirely on planning for, preventing and responding to the risk of future infectious disease pandemics and other major health threats. The UKHSA will work with partners around the world, lead the UK’s global contribution to global health protection research and hold responsibility for health security scientific capabilities including those at Porton Down and Colindale.
The transition of responsibilities and capabilities from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace into the new Agency will take place over the coming months, with the UKHSA fully operational from October 2021. Key performance metrics for the UKHSA will be determined as part of this transition.
The data collected on each individual positive case from a specific date does not show whether that individual is later admitted to hospital.
Public Health England has not received any ministerial directions since its inception in April 2013.
The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment. However, the Scientific Group for Emergencies and Public Health England regularly monitor and review the international evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings.
Masks which fall under the classification of personal protective equipment (PPE) must meet stringent safety and technical standards, which are available at the following link:
Any mask manufactured to a standard will have passed essential health and safety requirements. A product regulator such as the Health and Safety Executive or the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will have confirmed they are safe for use. For fabric face coverings, microplastic inhalation should not arise as the Government’s guidance states that a face covering should cover nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably and therefore be made of a material the wearer finds breathable, such as cotton.
There remains significant uncertainty on scenarios for future hospital bed occupancy levels for COVID-19 and flu. Planning guidance for the National Health Service for the financial year 2021-2022 will be published shortly by NHS England and NHS Improvement.
The NHS Long Term Plan guarantees that investment in primary medical and community services will grow faster than the overall National Health Service budget. The Plan commits to a record level of additional annual investment in primary medical and community care of an extra £4.5 billion in real terms by 2023/24. In 2020, committed to at least a further £1.5 billion in cash terms for general practice until 2023/24.
Recognising additional pressures on general practice as a result of the pandemic, NHS England has made available £150 million to help expand general practitioner capacity up to the end of March 2021. The potential need for further COVID-19 funding for the early part of 2021/22 is being kept under review.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England (PHE) regularly monitor and review the international evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings. PHE has also undertaken rapid reviews of the evidence related to the effectiveness of face coverings in the community for reducing the transmission of COVID-19 with the latest update in January 2021.
Copies of the reviews ‘Face coverings in the community and COVID-19: a rapid review’ and ‘Face coverings in the community and COVID-19 A rapid review (update 1)’ are enclosed. Both documents contain references to the scientific literature that was reviewed as part of the study.
Departmental Ministers have been present at two meetings where Professor Ferguson was invited to attend.
Departmental officials have been present at over 60 meetings where Professor Ferguson also attended. In addition, there are a range of standing weekly meetings where Professor Ferguson is a member or participant and Departmental officials are also present or provide the secretariat function.
Face coverings are largely intended to protect others and not the wearer against the spread of infection. Evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings is constantly developing.
In June 2020, Public Health England (PHE) used an established methodology to complete a rapid review of the evidence related to face coverings in the community and COVID-19 and concluded that “the beneficial effects of wearing masks may be increased when combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as hand washing and social distancing.” A second review, published in January 2021, found evidence consistent with the findings of the first review, that the use of face coverings in the community helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, PHE continue to advocate the same measures of wearing face coverings in specified community settings. We keep our face covering policy under review, guided by the advice of scientific and medical experts.
No formal assessment has been made.
There are currently no plans to permanently increase bed capacity across the National Health Service. However, we continue to work closely with the NHS on capacity planning to ensure we have sufficient beds to meet future demand. Our hospitals continue to flex their bed capacity as part of planning to meet the demand from both elective and emergency streams and we are working hard with trusts to maximise the number of open beds.
COVID-19 is known to spread primarily through respiratory particles and the advice of our scientific experts has been that the risk of transmission is greater in enclosed, indoor spaces. Therefore, we do not expect face coverings that are incorrectly discarded as litter to pose a major source of transmission and hence a risk to public health.
In January 2021, Public Health England (PHE) updated their rapid evidence review of the international literature on the effectiveness of face coverings for reducing community transmission of COVID-19. This review concluded that the use of face coverings in the community can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community when used as part of a range of mitigations (including social distancing). PHE continues to monitor the evidence on the use of face coverings, including the DANMASK study, which reported inconclusive results.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place) (England) Regulations 2020, on the wearing of face coverings in shops, came into force on 24 July 2020. They include a requirement for a review to be undertaken within six months of coming into force. This internal review took place in January and concluded that the Regulations remain necessary, proportionate to protect public health and minimise the spread of COVID-19 and therefore should remain in force. The Principal Regulations will expire after 12 months from the day on which they came into force.
We keep our face covering policy under constant review, guided by the advice of our scientific and medical experts.
In June 2020, Public Health England (PHE) completed a rapid review of the evidence related to face coverings in the community and COVID-19 and concluded that “the beneficial effects of wearing masks may be increased when combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as hand washing and social distancing.” A second review, published in January 2021, found evidence consistent with the findings of the first review, that the use of face coverings in the community helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, PHE continue to advocate the same measures of wearing face coverings in specified community settings, alongside social distancing and good hand hygiene. We keep our face covering policy under review, guided by the advice of our scientific and medical experts.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation (Lord Bethell) joined meeting 13 of the Moral and Ethical Advisory Group via teleconference on 10 June 2020 at which Professor Robert Dingwall was also present.
The Chief Medical Officer attended a roundtable meeting of scientists, chaired by the Prime Minister on 20 September 2020, at which Professor Carl Heneghan was present.
In making its recommendations to the Government, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered the evidence from a number of different studies and their conclusions are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-21-april-2020
In June 2020, Public Health England (PHE) used an established methodology to complete a rapid review of the evidence related to face coverings in the community and COVID-19 and concluded that “the beneficial effects of wearing masks may be increased when combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as hand washing and social distancing”. A second review, published in January 2021, found evidence consistent with the findings of the first review, that the use of face coverings in the community helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, PHE continue to advocate the same measures of wearing face coverings in specified community settings, alongside social distancing and good hand hygiene.
In making its recommendations to the Government, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered the evidence from a number of different studies and their conclusions are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sage-minutes-coronavirus-covid-19-response-21-april-2020
In June 2020, Public Health England (PHE) used an established methodology to complete a rapid review of the evidence related to face coverings in the community and COVID-19 and concluded that “the beneficial effects of wearing masks may be increased when combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as hand washing and social distancing”. A second review, published in January 2021, found evidence consistent with the findings of the first review, that the use of face coverings in the community helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, PHE continue to advocate the same measures of wearing face coverings in specified community settings, alongside social distancing and good hand hygiene.
The annual data for mental health services presents numbers and percentages of individuals in contact with National Health Service-funded secondary mental health, learning disability and autism services including those referred throughout the year. This takes into account the fact that some individuals may have been referred multiple times during a year. Data is broken down by age and percentage of the population. Data relating solely to the rate of referrals per 100,000 population is not available.
Due to changes in the dataset in 2016/17, it is not possible to provide comparable rates for years prior to 2017/18. The annual data is published by NHS Digital as part of its annual mental health bulletin and the most recent publication, published on 28 January, is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-bulletin
The following table shows the number of people in the Test and Trace Programme at each civil service grade.
Grade | Total |
Administrative Officer | 2 |
Executive Officer | 138 |
Higher Executive Officer | 399 |
Senior Executive Officer | 212 |
Grade 7 | 301 |
Grade 6 | 181 |
Senior Civil Servant Payband 1 | 108 |
Senior Civil Servant Payband 2 | 31 |
Senior Civil Servant Payband 3 | 2 |
Information on the number of deaths in care homes involving COVID-19 notified to the Care Quality Commission in England is published by the Office of National Statistics is available at the following link:
Given the incubation period of the virus and local differences in application of testing protocols, it is not possible to definitively determine the number of people who contracted the virus while in hospital in England to date. NHS England and NHS Improvement publish daily deaths data, but the number of those who may have caught COVID-19 in hospital is not collected.
The information in the attached table shows that adult and child referrals to secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder services increased during the first and second month of 2020 compared with 2019. Referrals then decreased from March and increased again from June onwards. Data for November and December 2020 have not yet been published. We have provided the last two years of data, to data quality.
In England, latest published data shows that a total of 1,763 vaccination sites have now been established including 158 large scale vaccination centres in total and 6 mass vaccination centres in Yorkshire.
The location of vaccination sites is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/vaccination-sites/
Public Health England has not yet conducted an analysis of the ratio of COVID-19 hospital admissions to community infections.
The total number of National Health Service beds available in acute hospitals is not available in the format requested.
The restrictions on social and economic activity are necessary to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and in pursuing these policies we do take account of the burden on people, and on the economy. It was necessary to announce a national lockdown on 4 January to curb the spread of COVID-19 whilst we continue to vaccinate as many people as possible.
The Government keeps the restrictions under continual review and will make changes as and when the data and science support it but we expect that the national lockdown to last until at least mid-February.
This information is not held in the format requested. It is not possible to provide information on the estimated nosocomial infection rate for COVID-19 throughout 2020 in England.
The information is not available in the format requested.
Data is not held in the format requested.
The Health and Wellbeing Team, part of the Department’s Human Resources function, ran a 60 minute radio show for Departmental staff featuring three guest male speakers from across the Civil Service. In addition, the male Head of Wellbeing wrote a blog published on the Department’s intranet on the challenges that men often face in the modern world, with links on how to access emotional and mental health support.
The safety profile, including the nature and frequency of any adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccine(s) will be reviewed as part of any Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency authorisation, and evaluated against the benefits of the vaccine(s). Once authorised, this will be described in the product information available to health professionals and vaccines.
The safety profile, including the nature and frequency of any adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccine(s) will be reviewed as part of any Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency authorisation, and evaluated against the benefits of the vaccine(s). Once authorised, this will be described in the product information available to health professionals and vaccines.
Face coverings are largely intended to protect others and not the wearer against the spread of infection. Evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in community settings is constantly developing, and research is being conducted all over the world, leading to a variety of observations and suggested conclusions that vary in their degree of confidence.
As part of the recently announced £1.5 billion capital investment in the National Health Service for 2020-21, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust will receive £224,000 to upgrade its accident and emergency department and £1.7 million to address backlog maintenance at Airedale General Hospital. Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust will receive £10,000 for maintenance at Lynfield Mount Hospital.
Future NHS capital funding will be determined as part of the Department’s settlement at the upcoming Spending Review. Once our capital settlement has been confirmed with HM Treasury, we will consider carefully how future projects are prioritised within it. We recently confirmed funding for 40 hospitals, with a further eight schemes invited to bid for future funding to deliver 48 hospitals by 2030. A proportion will be mental health hospitals, and details on the bidding process will be released in due course.
NHSX offices are located in London and Leeds, in buildings shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department. NHSX is not headquartered in London - it works across both sites.
NHSX is a joint unit, and staff are employees of either NHS England and NHS Improvement or the Department. Vacancies are usually advertised for both Leeds and London, although some posts have been targeted at Leeds. The information requested on the number of permanent NHSX staff in London by pay band is shown in the following tables.
Departmental employees
Civil Service Grade | Number based in London |
Administrative Officer | 1 |
Executive Officer | 7 |
Higher Executive Officer | 7 |
Fast Stream | 6 |
Senior Executive Officer | 8 |
Grade 7 | 33 |
Grade 6 | 8 |
Senior Civil Servant | 13 |
Total | 83 |
NHS England and NHS Improvement employees
Agenda for Change Payband | Number based in London |
Band 4 | 1 |
Band 5 | 9 |
Band 6 | 6 |
Band 7 | 19 |
Band 8a | 12 |
Band 8b | 18 |
Band 8c | 15 |
Band 8d | 10 |
Band 9 | 14 |
ESM 1 | 10 |
ESM 2 | 4 |
ESM 3 | 2 |
Total | 120 |
NHSX is supporting digital transformation of the National Health Service and social care throughout England and takes a national and international view of the best technology to do this. NHSX sets the standards for digitisation, and provides front-line support, to allow local health and social care providers to secure the appropriate digital solutions, which means we have truly national scope.
In accordance with the Government’s levelling-up agenda, we are aiming to reduce our estates space in London with the Leeds office becoming the bigger site.
NHSX offices are located in London and Leeds, in buildings shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department. NHSX is not headquartered in London - it works across both sites.
NHSX is a joint unit, and staff are employees of either NHS England and NHS Improvement or the Department. Vacancies are usually advertised for both Leeds and London, although some posts have been targeted at Leeds. The information requested on the number of permanent NHSX staff in London by pay band is shown in the following tables.
Departmental employees
Civil Service Grade | Number based in London |
Administrative Officer | 1 |
Executive Officer | 7 |
Higher Executive Officer | 7 |
Fast Stream | 6 |
Senior Executive Officer | 8 |
Grade 7 | 33 |
Grade 6 | 8 |
Senior Civil Servant | 13 |
Total | 83 |
NHS England and NHS Improvement employees
Agenda for Change Payband | Number based in London |
Band 4 | 1 |
Band 5 | 9 |
Band 6 | 6 |
Band 7 | 19 |
Band 8a | 12 |
Band 8b | 18 |
Band 8c | 15 |
Band 8d | 10 |
Band 9 | 14 |
ESM 1 | 10 |
ESM 2 | 4 |
ESM 3 | 2 |
Total | 120 |
NHSX is supporting digital transformation of the National Health Service and social care throughout England and takes a national and international view of the best technology to do this. NHSX sets the standards for digitisation, and provides front-line support, to allow local health and social care providers to secure the appropriate digital solutions, which means we have truly national scope.
In accordance with the Government’s levelling-up agenda, we are aiming to reduce our estates space in London with the Leeds office becoming the bigger site.
NHSX offices are located in London and Leeds, in buildings shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department. NHSX is not headquartered in London - it works across both sites.
NHSX is a joint unit, and staff are employees of either NHS England and NHS Improvement or the Department. Vacancies are usually advertised for both Leeds and London, although some posts have been targeted at Leeds. The information requested on the number of permanent NHSX staff in London by pay band is shown in the following tables.
Departmental employees
Civil Service Grade | Number based in London |
Administrative Officer | 1 |
Executive Officer | 7 |
Higher Executive Officer | 7 |
Fast Stream | 6 |
Senior Executive Officer | 8 |
Grade 7 | 33 |
Grade 6 | 8 |
Senior Civil Servant | 13 |
Total | 83 |
NHS England and NHS Improvement employees
Agenda for Change Payband | Number based in London |
Band 4 | 1 |
Band 5 | 9 |
Band 6 | 6 |
Band 7 | 19 |
Band 8a | 12 |
Band 8b | 18 |
Band 8c | 15 |
Band 8d | 10 |
Band 9 | 14 |
ESM 1 | 10 |
ESM 2 | 4 |
ESM 3 | 2 |
Total | 120 |
NHSX is supporting digital transformation of the National Health Service and social care throughout England and takes a national and international view of the best technology to do this. NHSX sets the standards for digitisation, and provides front-line support, to allow local health and social care providers to secure the appropriate digital solutions, which means we have truly national scope.
In accordance with the Government’s levelling-up agenda, we are aiming to reduce our estates space in London with the Leeds office becoming the bigger site.
NHSX offices are located in London and Leeds, in buildings shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department. NHSX is not headquartered in London - it works across both sites.
NHSX is a joint unit, and staff are employees of either NHS England and NHS Improvement or the Department. Vacancies are usually advertised for both Leeds and London, although some posts have been targeted at Leeds. The information requested on the number of permanent NHSX staff in London by pay band is shown in the following tables.
Departmental employees
Civil Service Grade | Number based in London |
Administrative Officer | 1 |
Executive Officer | 7 |
Higher Executive Officer | 7 |
Fast Stream | 6 |
Senior Executive Officer | 8 |
Grade 7 | 33 |
Grade 6 | 8 |
Senior Civil Servant | 13 |
Total | 83 |
NHS England and NHS Improvement employees
Agenda for Change Payband | Number based in London |
Band 4 | 1 |
Band 5 | 9 |
Band 6 | 6 |
Band 7 | 19 |
Band 8a | 12 |
Band 8b | 18 |
Band 8c | 15 |
Band 8d | 10 |
Band 9 | 14 |
ESM 1 | 10 |
ESM 2 | 4 |
ESM 3 | 2 |
Total | 120 |
NHSX is supporting digital transformation of the National Health Service and social care throughout England and takes a national and international view of the best technology to do this. NHSX sets the standards for digitisation, and provides front-line support, to allow local health and social care providers to secure the appropriate digital solutions, which means we have truly national scope.
In accordance with the Government’s levelling-up agenda, we are aiming to reduce our estates space in London with the Leeds office becoming the bigger site.
NHSX offices are located in London and Leeds, in buildings shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department. NHSX is not headquartered in London - it works across both sites.
NHSX is a joint unit, and staff are employees of either NHS England and NHS Improvement or the Department. Vacancies are usually advertised for both Leeds and London, although some posts have been targeted at Leeds. The information requested on the number of permanent NHSX staff in London by pay band is shown in the following tables.
Departmental employees
Civil Service Grade | Number based in London |
Administrative Officer | 1 |
Executive Officer | 7 |
Higher Executive Officer | 7 |
Fast Stream | 6 |
Senior Executive Officer | 8 |
Grade 7 | 33 |
Grade 6 | 8 |
Senior Civil Servant | 13 |
Total | 83 |
NHS England and NHS Improvement employees
Agenda for Change Payband | Number based in London |
Band 4 | 1 |
Band 5 | 9 |
Band 6 | 6 |
Band 7 | 19 |
Band 8a | 12 |
Band 8b | 18 |
Band 8c | 15 |
Band 8d | 10 |
Band 9 | 14 |
ESM 1 | 10 |
ESM 2 | 4 |
ESM 3 | 2 |
Total | 120 |
NHSX is supporting digital transformation of the National Health Service and social care throughout England and takes a national and international view of the best technology to do this. NHSX sets the standards for digitisation, and provides front-line support, to allow local health and social care providers to secure the appropriate digital solutions, which means we have truly national scope.
In accordance with the Government’s levelling-up agenda, we are aiming to reduce our estates space in London with the Leeds office becoming the bigger site.
NHS Test and Trace regional convenors and Community Testing Programme Liaison Teams support local areas in designing schemes through to delivery. The regional convenors work with other members of the regional partnership team including the regional directors of public health, to provide a link to NHS Test and Trace, the Department and support coordination between areas and with Government agencies. As participating local areas are identified, local Liaison Teams can offer further guidance, detailed planning, logistical and communications support and share lessons learnt from other testing pilots and programmes.
No specific assessments have been made. The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy during the ongoing pandemic. Evidence suggests that regular physical activity can promote good physical health and help manage stress and anxiety.
Throughout the pandemic, parks and outdoor green spaces have remained open. People are allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with their household or on their own, or with one person from another household or support bubble.
The reasons for ‘undernutrition’, which is more generally referred to as malnutrition, are varied and complex. ‘Undernutrition’ amongst children can be both a cause and a consequence of ill health and may be linked to clinical, social and economic factors. It may develop as a result of limited access to food, a disorder or disease that results in a poor appetite, makes eating or absorbing food difficult or results in a greatly increased requirement for energy and nutrients.
Estimates of the number of children who suffer from ‘undernutrition’ is not available.
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) reports the number of children who are underweight in England. NCMP data for 2019/20 shows that the number of underweight children in England aged four to five years old is 3,771 out of 399,470 measured (0.9%) and the number of children aged 10-11 years old is 6,969 out of 491,138 measured (1.4%). This is stable compared with previous years and is below the 2% level expected in a healthy population. This data is available at the following link:
Underweight may reflect undernutrition in a child but may also reflect a small build. A child of any weight status (underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese) may suffer from undernutrition if a diet is lacking the nutrients required for healthy growth.
The Department and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) jointly produced the paper ‘Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity: Executive Summary’ for the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies in which the ONS estimated that of the 32,000 COVID-19 deaths, which occurred between 21 March and 1 May 2020, 25,000 of them were deaths that would not have occurred otherwise within 12 months. Therefore, 7,000 of the 32,000 COVID-19 deaths are deaths which would have likely occurred within 12 months, had they not contracted COVID-19.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 September 2020 to Question 83713.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 September 2020 to Question 83713.
The Department’s most recent internal guidance is attached.
The Office of the Leader of the House provides guidance to all departments on the practice of answering Written Questions. The full guide is available at GOV.UK at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
Answers are cleared by a senior member of the civil service responsible for the relevant policy areas. The answers are then reviewed by special advisers before submitting to the relevant Minister for final clearance.
The largest pay rise given to someone in the Department in the last 12 months was 3% of base salary and £2,121 in cash terms.
The Government has expanded the number of places available in medical schools in England and there are now an extra 1,500 student doctors who entered training over the past three years. As part of this expansion, five new medical schools have been opened around England.
The names of senior civil servants and senior officials in departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies earning £150,000 and above as of 30 September is published annually on GOV.UK. Information on staff below this level is not held in the format requested.
The pay rates of individual consultants engaged from each supplier is commercially sensitive.
A full public consultation and impact assessment has been carried out for the proposal to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in stores. This includes an assessment of the impact on small businesses. The Government’s response to the consultation and the impact assessment will be published shortly.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs recently met with representatives from the food and drink industry to discuss measures set out in “Tackling Obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”.
A full public consultation and impact assessment has been carried out for the proposal to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in stores. This includes an assessment of the impact on small businesses. The Government’s response to the consultation and the impact assessment will be published shortly.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs recently met with representatives from the food and drink industry to discuss measures set out in “Tackling Obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”.
We publish data on the number of pillar 2 tests processed in each local authority weekly alongside the Test and Trace statistics publication on GOV.UK at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-test-and-trace-statistics-england-weekly-reports
A full public consultation and impact assessment has been carried out for the proposal to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in stores. This includes an assessment of the impact on small businesses. The Government’s response to the consultation and the impact assessment will be published shortly.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent public body and grants that it makes under Section 17 of the Equality Act 2006 decisions are matters for the Commission itself. I have therefore asked the Commission’s Chief Executive Officer to write to my Hon friend with the information requested. I will place a copy of the letter in the libraries of both Houses.
We have published a range of guidance to care homes, as well as other care providers, unpaid careers and local authorities on how to continue giving care during the COVID-19 outbreak.
A list of the guidance we have published for care homes in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak since the start of 2020 is attached.
Further relevant guidance on adult social care can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-social-care-guidance
The Union flag is flown on most days and other flags are occasionally flown for events. The Department does not keep records of how many times flags are flown.
The Department owns two Union flags, one St George flag and one Flag of Wales. The Department does not own the Scottish Saltire.
The information is not held in the format requested.
The information is not held in the format requested.
Urgent treatment centres (UTCs) are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as they best know the needs of their local population.
The local accident and emergency (A&E) delivery board have been considering options for the future, including the development of a UTC, but will evaluate them all fully before reaching a conclusion.
The cities of Gloucester, Lichfield, Hereford, Lancaster, Bradford, Salisbury, Winchester, Carlisle, Wells, Oxford, Ripon, Worcester do not have an urgent treatment centre (UTC).
Canterbury, Salford and Manchester do not currently have UTCs but plans are in place for delivery during 2020.
The cities of Chelmsford, Exeter, St Albans, Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield are in health systems that are currently undergoing consultations about service reconfiguration and no decisions about UTC requirement have yet been made.
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations' obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Losses and special payments above £50,000 and less than £300,000 for financial years April 2018-March 2021 are as follows:
Year | DFID | FCO | FCDO |
2018-19 | |||
Four store losses related to commodities of £65,540, £299,037, £104,919, £197,686. | Waved claim £182,000 relating to Chevening Scholarships. | ||
Three special payments to subcontractors after supplier entered administration of £137,090, £290,000, £139,882. | |||
2019-20 | |||
Two fruitless payments relating to expired drugs, and destruction of medicine unable to be delivered of £255,632 and £57,137. | |||
One special payment £85,142 outside contract terms. | |||
2020-21 | |||
One waived claim £56,534 following overpayment of supplier. | |||
Two special payments (1) for hardship payments to Chevening scholars of £72,384; and (2) an extra contractual payment in response to Covid-19 of £250,883. |
Financial year 2020-21 was the first year where FCO and DFID were combined into one entity. Results for 2018-19 and 2019-20 split disclosures between the 2 former departments.
The Prime Minister has announced the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions Russia has ever seen. This has included sanctions on the export of high-tech and other goods critical to Russia's strategic interests. We continue to consider further import and export measures against Russia that will constrain Russia's ability to sustain its aggression against Ukraine. We are in regular dialogue with our partners on the measures that would have most impact.
Throughout the pandemic the FCDO has, and will continue to ensure its Covid-19 related policies and practices align with the relevant HMG and Scottish Government guidance for our staff and buildings in England and Scotland respectively.
The FCDO does not collect statistics for the number of people convicted of murder, or victims of murder who were transgender, around the world.
The Government firmly believes that the chance to live with dignity, free from violence or discrimination, should not depend on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. We directly challenge governments that criminalise homosexuality, at the highest possible level. The UK is currently co-chair and a founder-member of the Equal Rights Coalition, a grouping of 42 countries committed to working together to promote LGBTI equality globally. We work with partner countries and through international organisations, including the UN, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth, to promote inclusion.
We believe that the strongest, safest and most prosperous societies are those in which all citizens can live freely without fear of violence or discrimination. The international community must uphold the universality of human rights.
FCDO recognises that men and boys, as well as women and girls, suffer from harmful social norms and violence. International Men's Day offers an opportunity to reflect on how outcomes for men and boys can be improved, as well as how men and boys can play a key role in advancing gender equality.
FCDO's policy and programmes look to support men and boys as survivors and victims of violence as well as responding to violence against women and girls. Last year we appointed male and female survivor champions to support our work on the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. We work with whole communities to challenge the acceptability of violence and bring about social change. For example, in Pakistan we supported an intervention which achieved significant reductions in corporal punishment at school and peer violence for boys as well as girls.
Men and boys can also be powerful change agents in their communities and positive role models. Many of our Girls' Education Challenge projects include activities to target boys and engage them as champions of gender equality. For example, in Mozambique and Nepal, marginalised boys as well as girls will be trained in peer education, life and vocational skills, and business initiatives.
The UK is committed to playing a leading role in sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are one of a range of measures we have taken, in concert with others, to defend our security and enhance our capabilities against Russian malign activity. During the transition period, EU sanctions on Russia will continue to apply in the UK. These measures do not currently include sanctions on the import of coal.
The department has recorded losses and special payments below £300,000 for the years in question as follows:
2020-21 | 2019-20 | 2018-19 |
£127,481 | £89,850 | £146,936 |
Throughout the pandemic, the Treasury has followed government guidance in setting out its internal COVID-19 related policies. The Treasury continues to follow this guidance and align its policies accordingly.
Certain cryptoassets, offering new ways to transact and invest, are part of a trend of rapid innovation in financial technology. However, these developments also present new challenges and risks – including risks to consumers and to financial system. HM Treasury engages regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on opportunities, risks and regulatory issues posed by cryptoassets.
The Government established a Cryptoassets Taskforce in 2018, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FCA. The Cryptoasset Taskforce is responsible for assessing developments in the cryptoasset market, and deciding what, if any, regulation is required in response. HM Treasury and UK authorities, including the FCA, have taken a series of actions to support innovation while mitigating risks to stability, market integrity, and consumers. These include launching a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime for cryptoassets in 2020, overseen by the FCA; confirming an intention to legislate to regulate cryptoasset promotions, ensuring they are fair, clear and not misleading, the rules for which will be set by the FCA; and consulting on a proposal to ensure cryptoassets known as ‘stablecoins’ meet the same high standards expected of other payment methods. The Government will issue a response to this consultation shortly.
The Government has adopted a staged and proportionate approach to cryptoassets regulation, which is sensitive to risks posed, and responsive to new developments in the market. The Government is carefully considering what, if any, regulation might need to follow as the cryptoasset market grows and evolves in the UK.
The use of tokens to facilitate securities transactions is an important development for the financial sector. The representation of traditional securities, such as equities or debt, on a distributed ledger (the ‘tokenisation’ of assets) could have substantial implications for the way assets are traded or capital is raised. A firm or sole practitioner that issues securities on the blockchain will fall within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) if it provides the services of a cryptoasset exchange provider “by way of business”. To comply with the MLRs, cryptoasset firms must demonstrate systems, controls, policies and procedures adequate to deal with the particular risks of the cryptoasset market.
Certain cryptoassets, offering new ways to transact and invest, are part of a trend of rapid innovation in financial technology. However, these developments also present new challenges and risks – including risks to consumers and to financial system. HM Treasury engages regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on opportunities, risks and regulatory issues posed by cryptoassets.
The Government established a Cryptoassets Taskforce in 2018, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FCA. The Cryptoasset Taskforce is responsible for assessing developments in the cryptoasset market, and deciding what, if any, regulation is required in response. HM Treasury and UK authorities, including the FCA, have taken a series of actions to support innovation while mitigating risks to stability, market integrity, and consumers. These include launching a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime for cryptoassets in 2020, overseen by the FCA; confirming an intention to legislate to regulate cryptoasset promotions, ensuring they are fair, clear and not misleading, the rules for which will be set by the FCA; and consulting on a proposal to ensure cryptoassets known as ‘stablecoins’ meet the same high standards expected of other payment methods. The Government will issue a response to this consultation shortly.
The Government has adopted a staged and proportionate approach to cryptoassets regulation, which is sensitive to risks posed, and responsive to new developments in the market. The Government is carefully considering what, if any, regulation might need to follow as the cryptoasset market grows and evolves in the UK.
The use of tokens to facilitate securities transactions is an important development for the financial sector. The representation of traditional securities, such as equities or debt, on a distributed ledger (the ‘tokenisation’ of assets) could have substantial implications for the way assets are traded or capital is raised. A firm or sole practitioner that issues securities on the blockchain will fall within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) if it provides the services of a cryptoasset exchange provider “by way of business”. To comply with the MLRs, cryptoasset firms must demonstrate systems, controls, policies and procedures adequate to deal with the particular risks of the cryptoasset market.
Certain cryptoassets, offering new ways to transact and invest, are part of a trend of rapid innovation in financial technology. However, these developments also present new challenges and risks – including risks to consumers and to financial system. HM Treasury engages regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on opportunities, risks and regulatory issues posed by cryptoassets.
The Government established a Cryptoassets Taskforce in 2018, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FCA. The Cryptoasset Taskforce is responsible for assessing developments in the cryptoasset market, and deciding what, if any, regulation is required in response. HM Treasury and UK authorities, including the FCA, have taken a series of actions to support innovation while mitigating risks to stability, market integrity, and consumers. These include launching a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime for cryptoassets in 2020, overseen by the FCA; confirming an intention to legislate to regulate cryptoasset promotions, ensuring they are fair, clear and not misleading, the rules for which will be set by the FCA; and consulting on a proposal to ensure cryptoassets known as ‘stablecoins’ meet the same high standards expected of other payment methods. The Government will issue a response to this consultation shortly.
The Government has adopted a staged and proportionate approach to cryptoassets regulation, which is sensitive to risks posed, and responsive to new developments in the market. The Government is carefully considering what, if any, regulation might need to follow as the cryptoasset market grows and evolves in the UK.
The use of tokens to facilitate securities transactions is an important development for the financial sector. The representation of traditional securities, such as equities or debt, on a distributed ledger (the ‘tokenisation’ of assets) could have substantial implications for the way assets are traded or capital is raised. A firm or sole practitioner that issues securities on the blockchain will fall within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) if it provides the services of a cryptoasset exchange provider “by way of business”. To comply with the MLRs, cryptoasset firms must demonstrate systems, controls, policies and procedures adequate to deal with the particular risks of the cryptoasset market.
Throughout the pandemic, the Civil Service / HM Treasury and its agencies and related bodies has followed, and continues to follow, the latest government guidance in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace, including any variations between the four nations of the UK.
In England, the BEIS ‘Working Safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)’ guidance provides sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff. The guidance is available via this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs#offices-7-2.
It is for individual employers to determine which mitigations are appropriate to adopt as they review their workplace risk assessments in light of the updated guidance. Face coverings, which are no longer required by law, are one possible mitigation employers could adopt if the situation warranted it.
HM Treasury fully supports individuals who choose to wear a face covering in the workplace.
The FCA’s competition objective, as set out in section 1E of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000 (FSMA), requires the FCA to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers in markets for regulated financial services. Activities relating to cryptoassets do not constitute regulated financial services, except where a cryptoasset qualifies as a Specified Investment under the Regulated Activities Order or is e-Money. The FCA’s competition objective therefore does not apply with respect to most markets for cryptoassets. Where a cryptoasset is a Specified Investment or e-Money, the cryptoasset business should already have been registered with the FCA for anti-money laundering supervision, independently of the new supervisory regime for cryptoasset businesses.
The FCA’s decision to extend the Temporary Registration Regime for cryptoasset businesses to 31 March 2022 will allow firms that are currently on the temporary register to continue operating whilst their applications are assessed, and preserve consumers’ access to a range of cryptoasset firms in the intervening period. This strikes an appropriate balance between mitigating the risk of money laundering in the cryptoasset sector, and ensuring that cryptoasset businesses based in the UK, and the customers they serve, are not subject to undue disruption.
The FCA’s competition objective, as set out in section 1E of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000 (FSMA), requires the FCA to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers in markets for regulated financial services. Activities relating to cryptoassets do not constitute regulated financial services, except where a cryptoasset qualifies as a Specified Investment under the Regulated Activities Order or is e-Money. The FCA’s competition objective therefore does not apply with respect to most markets for cryptoassets. Where a cryptoasset is a Specified Investment or e-Money, the cryptoasset business should already have been registered with the FCA for anti-money laundering supervision, independently of the new supervisory regime for cryptoasset businesses.
The FCA’s decision to extend the Temporary Registration Regime for cryptoasset businesses to 31 March 2022 will allow firms that are currently on the temporary register to continue operating whilst their applications are assessed, and preserve consumers’ access to a range of cryptoasset firms in the intervening period. This strikes an appropriate balance between mitigating the risk of money laundering in the cryptoasset sector, and ensuring that cryptoasset businesses based in the UK, and the customers they serve, are not subject to undue disruption.
The Government’s consultation on proposals for protecting access to cash for the long term will be open until 23 September 2021. Following the consultation, the Government will set out next steps for delivering on its commitment for legislating to protect access to cash.
The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/access-to-cash-consultation.
As detailed in its consultation, the Government proposes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) becomes the lead regulator for oversight of the retail cash system, including having responsibility for monitoring and enforcing new legislative cash access requirements. In adopting this approach, the Government intends that the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and Bank of England continue with their existing functions with regards to cash; coordinated actions by the FCA and PSR on cash as part of the COVID-19 response have shown that joint working between the regulators, at both strategic and operational levels, is working effectively.
The Government has, and continues to be, closely engaged with the FCA, PSR, Bank of England, and industry in developing its cash access proposals, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, which provides a forum for the public bodies to formally co-ordinate respective approaches to access to cash. The Group is chaired by HM Treasury and attended by the Bank of England, PSR, and FCA.
The Government’s consultation on proposals for protecting access to cash for the long term will be open until 23 September 2021. Following the consultation, the Government will set out next steps for delivering on its commitment for legislating to protect access to cash.
The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/access-to-cash-consultation.
As detailed in its consultation, the Government proposes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) becomes the lead regulator for oversight of the retail cash system, including having responsibility for monitoring and enforcing new legislative cash access requirements. In adopting this approach, the Government intends that the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and Bank of England continue with their existing functions with regards to cash; coordinated actions by the FCA and PSR on cash as part of the COVID-19 response have shown that joint working between the regulators, at both strategic and operational levels, is working effectively.
The Government has, and continues to be, closely engaged with the FCA, PSR, Bank of England, and industry in developing its cash access proposals, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, which provides a forum for the public bodies to formally co-ordinate respective approaches to access to cash. The Group is chaired by HM Treasury and attended by the Bank of England, PSR, and FCA.
The Government does not believe that such training achieves its intended aims, and after the announcement in December, the Treasury removed all unconscious bias training and reference to it from our online learning management system. We have also stopped this being mandatory training for new starters.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
The Government is committed to retaining the UK’s global leadership position in fintech by creating a regulatory environment which promotes innovation whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards, including for anti-money and counter-terrorist financing. Having an effective anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime underpins the competitiveness of British financial services firms and the UK as a whole, by providing confidence that our financial system is clean and safe, and that new technologies can be used both reliably and safely.
Any steps taken in light of the consultation on the Government’s regulatory approach to cryptoassets will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.
In order to properly assess whether a cryptoasset firm meets the requirements for registration set out in the Money Laundering Regulations, the FCA are required to assess whether a firm and its officers, managers or beneficial owners are “fit and proper” with regard to the risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. The FCA are therefore assessing firms’ business models holistically, and it has been necessary, in many cases, for them to request additional information from the applicant firm. A significant reason for this has been that many applications have contained insufficient information on their business mode and evidence to demonstrate that the firm meets the required standard. The application process for cryptoasset firms has therefore taken longer than originally anticipated.
The mean length of time in days that a cryptoasset firm has had their application for registration under review by the FCA is 248 days. The median length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 252 days. The maximum length of time in days that a company has had their application for registration under review is 527 days.
The Government believes that the FCA’s expertise in the regulation of financial products, its membership of the Cryptoasset Taskforce, and its experience as anti-money laundering supervisor for other asset-based financial services firms makes it the right supervisor for the cryptoasset sector. As a result of the longer than anticipated time being taken to process applications, I can confirm that the FCA has increased considerably the resources allocated to assessing applications.
n a statement to the House of Commons in November, the Chancellor set out the Government’s vision for the UK’s financial services sector. This vision is of a sector that is more open; more technologically advanced; and a world-leader in the use of green finance, serving the communities and citizens of this country.
Since November, numerous steps have been taken to progress this vision, and these were strengthened further at Budget and by the passing of the Financial Services Act in April.
In addition, we have set out our response to Ron Kalifa’s review of UK Fintech to ensure we continue to build on our existing strengths as a world leader in financial technology.
We are also taking forward each of the recommendations in Lord Hill’s recent Listings Review that were addressed to the Treasury. We have shared our plans to consult on reforms to the wider capital markets regime this summer, with the aim of supporting competitiveness whilst ensuring the UK maintains high regulatory standards.
The government is also building new and deeper financial services relationships with countries across the globe via new trade agreements and through regular and established economic and financial dialogues.
Whether it be through our international engagement or domestic reviews, we are ensuring that the UK continues to be a world leader in financial services.
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
Specifically, LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK's members have made £5 million available to fund ATMs at the request of communities with poor access to cash.
LINK also publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK online. As of April 2021, they reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the breakdown by constituency.
On bank branch closures, these decisions are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis. However, the Government firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible. In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority published guidance setting out their expectations of firms when they are deciding to close a branch or free-to-use ATM. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers' everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services, and consider possible alternative access arrangements.
More broadly, the Government recognises that cash is important to the daily lives of millions of individuals and businesses across the UK, and has therefore committed to legislating to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
The Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses as part of the Financial Services Act 2021, and has announced that it will consult this summer on further legislative proposals for protecting cash for the long term.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
The Government is committed to ensuring the UK’s financial services sector continues to remain global and competitive.
In a statement to the House of Commons in November, the Chancellor set out the Government’s vision for the UK’s financial services sector. This vision is of a sector that is more open; more technologically advanced; and a world-leader in the use of green finance, serving the communities and citizens of this country.
Since November, the Financial Services Act has been passed, which delivered a broad range of measures that significantly advanced these objectives.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriately robust AML control frameworks, and to employ fit and proper personnel.
On 16 December 2020 the FCA announced that it was establishing a ‘Temporary Registration Regime’, under which relevant firms are eligible to continue trading pending a decision. This is due to expire on 9 July 2021.
As of 24 May 2021, 5 cryptoasset businesses have received registration from the FCA since 10 January 2020. Of the firms assessed to date over 90% have withdrawn their application following FCA intervention. There are 167 cryptoasset businesses with outstanding applications for AML/CTF registration with the FCA. 77 new cryptoasset businesses have applications pending full assessment.
On 7 January HM Treasury published a consultation on the broader regulatory treatment of cryptoassets, with a focus on cryptoassets known as stablecoins. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This consultation has now closed. The government is processing responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any future regulatory regime for cryptoassets set out by the Government in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to stimulate competition and innovation in the industry.
HM Treasury officials are in regular contact with the FCA, as well as individual firms, industry groups and associations and consumer facing organisations to listen to their concerns on the full range of financial services related issues including cryptoassets.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriately robust AML control frameworks, and to employ fit and proper personnel.
On 16 December 2020 the FCA announced that it was establishing a ‘Temporary Registration Regime’, under which relevant firms are eligible to continue trading pending a decision. This is due to expire on 9 July 2021.
As of 24 May 2021, 5 cryptoasset businesses have received registration from the FCA since 10 January 2020. Of the firms assessed to date over 90% have withdrawn their application following FCA intervention. There are 167 cryptoasset businesses with outstanding applications for AML/CTF registration with the FCA. 77 new cryptoasset businesses have applications pending full assessment.
On 7 January HM Treasury published a consultation on the broader regulatory treatment of cryptoassets, with a focus on cryptoassets known as stablecoins. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This consultation has now closed. The government is processing responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any future regulatory regime for cryptoassets set out by the Government in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to stimulate competition and innovation in the industry.
HM Treasury officials are in regular contact with the FCA, as well as individual firms, industry groups and associations and consumer facing organisations to listen to their concerns on the full range of financial services related issues including cryptoassets.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriately robust AML control frameworks, and to employ fit and proper personnel.
On 16 December 2020 the FCA announced that it was establishing a ‘Temporary Registration Regime’, under which relevant firms are eligible to continue trading pending a decision. This is due to expire on 9 July 2021.
As of 24 May 2021, 5 cryptoasset businesses have received registration from the FCA since 10 January 2020. Of the firms assessed to date over 90% have withdrawn their application following FCA intervention. There are 167 cryptoasset businesses with outstanding applications for AML/CTF registration with the FCA. 77 new cryptoasset businesses have applications pending full assessment.
On 7 January HM Treasury published a consultation on the broader regulatory treatment of cryptoassets, with a focus on cryptoassets known as stablecoins. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This consultation has now closed. The government is processing responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any future regulatory regime for cryptoassets set out by the Government in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to stimulate competition and innovation in the industry.
HM Treasury officials are in regular contact with the FCA, as well as individual firms, industry groups and associations and consumer facing organisations to listen to their concerns on the full range of financial services related issues including cryptoassets.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriately robust AML control frameworks, and to employ fit and proper personnel.
On 16 December 2020 the FCA announced that it was establishing a ‘Temporary Registration Regime’, under which relevant firms are eligible to continue trading pending a decision. This is due to expire on 9 July 2021.
As of 24 May 2021, 5 cryptoasset businesses have received registration from the FCA since 10 January 2020. Of the firms assessed to date over 90% have withdrawn their application following FCA intervention. There are 167 cryptoasset businesses with outstanding applications for AML/CTF registration with the FCA. 77 new cryptoasset businesses have applications pending full assessment.
On 7 January HM Treasury published a consultation on the broader regulatory treatment of cryptoassets, with a focus on cryptoassets known as stablecoins. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This consultation has now closed. The government is processing responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any future regulatory regime for cryptoassets set out by the Government in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to stimulate competition and innovation in the industry.
HM Treasury officials are in regular contact with the FCA, as well as individual firms, industry groups and associations and consumer facing organisations to listen to their concerns on the full range of financial services related issues including cryptoassets.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriately robust AML control frameworks, and to employ fit and proper personnel.
On 16 December 2020 the FCA announced that it was establishing a ‘Temporary Registration Regime’, under which relevant firms are eligible to continue trading pending a decision. This is due to expire on 9 July 2021.
As of 24 May 2021, 5 cryptoasset businesses have received registration from the FCA since 10 January 2020. Of the firms assessed to date over 90% have withdrawn their application following FCA intervention. There are 167 cryptoasset businesses with outstanding applications for AML/CTF registration with the FCA. 77 new cryptoasset businesses have applications pending full assessment.
On 7 January HM Treasury published a consultation on the broader regulatory treatment of cryptoassets, with a focus on cryptoassets known as stablecoins. It also included a call for evidence on the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial markets. This consultation has now closed. The government is processing responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any future regulatory regime for cryptoassets set out by the Government in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to stimulate competition and innovation in the industry.
HM Treasury officials are in regular contact with the FCA, as well as individual firms, industry groups and associations and consumer facing organisations to listen to their concerns on the full range of financial services related issues including cryptoassets.
The UK is committed to having a robust AML regime for cryptoassets which will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.
On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. Due to the complexity and standard of applications received, the FCA was not able to process and register all applications by the 10 January 2021 deadline. A significant number of firms have failed to implement appropriatel