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).
Include abortion rights in the Bill of Rights
Gov Responded - 20 Sep 2022 Debated on - 28 Nov 2022 View 's petition debate contributionsAs Parliament considers the Bill of Rights, the Government must reconsider including abortion rights in this Bill. Rights to abortion must be specifically protected in this legislation, especially as the Government has refused to rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Do not reform the Human Rights Act
Gov Responded - 17 Mar 2022 Debated on - 24 Oct 2022 View 's petition debate contributionsThe proposed Human Rights Act reforms must be withdrawn. The Government must not make any changes to the Human Rights Act, especially ones that dilute people's human rights in any circumstances, make the Government less accountable, or reduce people's ability to make human rights claims.
Limit the Sale and Use of Fireworks to Organisers of Licensed Displays Only
Gov Responded - 13 Aug 2020 Debated on - 8 Nov 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsCurrent legislation allows for public use of fireworks 16 hours a day, every day, making it impossible for vulnerable groups to take precautions against the distress they can cause. Better enforcement of existing law is insufficient; limiting their sale & use to licensed displays only is necessary.
Allow football fans to attend matches at all levels
Gov Responded - 21 Oct 2020 Debated on - 9 Nov 2020 View 's petition debate contributionsFootball is a powerful tool of which allows a range of benefits such as employment, and other important aspects of life. Football can be associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across the community. With Fans attending football games a range of economic benefits are there too.
These initiatives were driven by Scott Benton, 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.
Scott Benton has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to give workers and agency workers the right to request more predictable terms and conditions of work.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th September 2023 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to permit 16 to 19 academies to have a designated religious character; and for connected purposes.
Safety cameras Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Mark Eastwood (Con)
Planning (Local Authority Housing Developments) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Paul Holmes (Con)
Education Employment (Accompaniment to Hearings) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Brendan Clarke-Smith (Con)
We recognise the contribution made by the land-based gambling sector both in terms of jobs and gross value added (GVA) to the economies of coastal towns and other high streets. The government is considering a range of issues relating to the land-based sector as part of the wide-ranging scope of our Gambling Act Review, and will publish a white paper in the coming weeks.
Cashless payments via digital apps, ticket in ticket out systems and debit card payments at cash desks are currently permitted in the land-based gambling sector. It is also possible to pay for chips at a casino gaming table by turning away from the table and completing a debit card transaction with a staff member.
Secondary legislation (The Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) Regulations 2007) currently prohibits the use of debit cards for payment at machine games. However, the government is considering issues around payment mechanisms as part of its wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
Levelling up is at the heart of the Government’s agenda to build back better after the pandemic. The Government will publish a landmark Levelling Up White Paper setting out bold new policy interventions to improve livelihoods and opportunity in all parts of the UK. To support this, the Equality Data Programme considers geographic and socio-economic inequality, alongside other factors, when identifying barriers to opportunity.
The Representative Money scheduled to be paid following the General Election on 12 December 2019 to the end of the current financial year (31 March 2020) will be published in due course on the pages below, as will amounts relating to subsequent financial years.
Since 2016–17 it has been a requirement to publish the amounts paid for the financial year and these can be found on the Parliament website via the following link:
https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/financial-information/financial-assistance-to-opposition-parties/
Budget allocations for Representative Money since 2005–06 are published in Appendix 4 of the following document:
https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN01663
All MPs are able to claim for business costs and expenses in line with the rules established by IPSA in the Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses. All business costs and expenses claimed by MPs, including those who have not taken their seats in the House of Commons, are routinely published and can be viewed on IPSA’s website: www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-costs/your-mp/.
The figures below outline the business costs and expenses of those MPs who have not taken their seats.
Financial Year | MPs with Published costs | Office Costs | Staffing | Staff Absence | Winding-Up Budget | Accommodation / Hotels | Travel | Total | |
2015-16 | 6 | £12,334.65 | £545,454.86 | NA | £89,712.95 | £0.00 | £597.69 | £648,100.15 | |
2016-17 | 4 | £20,504.85 | £434,266.07 | NA | £0.00 | £0.00 | £5,146.49 | £459,917.41 | |
2017-18 | 8 | £115,569.72 | £683,680.99 | £0.00 | £35,163.41 | £7,835.00 | £32,210.58 | £874,459.70 | |
2018-19 | 7 | £115,667.58 | £893,333.79 | £7,879.49 |
| £0.00 | £19,597.03 | £119,282.23 | £1,155,760.12 |
Under a resolution of the House, Representative Money is provided to opposition parties represented by Members who have chosen not to take the Oath. Payment of Representative Money is administered by the House of Commons Members’ Hub. Budget allocations for Representative Money since 2005-6 are published in Appendix 4 of the following document: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN01663 .
The Representative Money allocation figures for the four years in question are as follows:
Financial Year | Period | Main Allocation | Travel Allocation | Total Allocation |
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| £ | £ | £ |
2015/16 * | 01/04/15 - 07/05/15 | 11,511.00 | 329.45 | 11,840.45 |
| 08/05/15 - 31/03/16 | 87,783.00 | 1,898.90 | 89,681.90 |
2016/17 | 01/04/16 - 31/03/17 | 97,556.00 | 2,224.32 | 99,780.32 |
2017/18 * | 01/04/17 - 08/06/17 | 18,737.00 | 431.41 | 19,168.41 |
| 09/06/17 - 31/03/18 | 130,970.00 | 2,901.64 | 133,871.64 |
2018/19 | 01/04/18 - 31/03/19 | 165,864.00 | 3,674.62 | 169,538.62 |
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Since 2016-17 it has been a requirement to publish the amounts paid for the financial year and these can be found on the Parliament website via the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/transparency-publications/hoc-transparency-publications/financial-information/financial-assistance-to-opposition-parties/previous-financial-assistance-to-opposition-parties/.
The Representative Money actual expenditure for each financial year since 2016-17 was as follows:
Financial Year | Period | Main Allocation Spend | Travel Allocation Spend | Total Spend |
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| £ | £ | £ |
2016/17 | 01/04/16 - 31/03/17 | 97,743.00 | 0.00 | 97,743.00 |
2017/18 * | 01/04/17 - 08/06/17 | 18,737.00 | 0.00 | 18,737.00 |
| 09/06/17 - 31/03/18 | 131,824.00 | 0.00 | 131,824.00 |
2018/19 | 01/04/18 - 31/03/19 | 166,005.00 | 0.00 | 166,005.00 |
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Any spend above the Main Allocation has been funded by the parties themselves.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentlemen’s Parliamentary Question of 6 February is attached.
The tiered approach of Local COVID Alert Levels that was in effect prior to 5 November was designed to reduce transmission of the virus which is transmitted through close contact. The baseline of the Tier 3: Very High Alert Level which applied until 5 November, did not include closure of amusement arcades. The government worked with local areas to identify other premises that should be closed.
The government continues to regularly make available scientific evidence supporting its COVID-19 response, including at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19.
Members of the armed forces serving abroad, or away from home in the UK, can vote with a postal vote or by proxy or in person if they are in their constituency on polling day.
Data that segments voters into categories of profession or other demographics is not collected as this could impact the secrecy of the ballot. In any event many armed forces personnel will have registered as ordinary electors and not in any manner that would identify them as service personnel at the time of voting.
We will continue to work with stakeholders to support the voting process for overseas electors, including armed forces serving abroad.
Members of the armed forces serving abroad, or away from home in the UK, can vote with a postal vote or by proxy or in person if they are in their constituency on polling day. We work with the British Forces Post Office to ensure that mail specifically for service personnel, sent to forces post office addresses, is delivered as quickly as possible. We also work Royal Mail on overseas deliveries, through a specific provision to expedite dispatch of mail to overseas addresses.
We will continue to work with these stakeholders and others to support the voting process for overseas electors, including armed forces serving abroad.
The Regulators Code is established under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. It provides a clear, flexible and principles-based framework for how regulators should engage with those they regulate.
The Act does not make provision for sanctions, penalties or investigations in respect of adherence by a regulator with the principles of the Code.
Routine enquires in respect of the Code received by the Office for Product Safety and Standards are managed within internal service standard time limits of five working days.
The Regulators Code is established under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. It provides a clear, flexible and principles-based framework for how regulators should engage with those they regulate.
The Act does not make provision for sanctions, penalties or investigations in respect of adherence by a regulator with the principles of the Code.
Routine enquires in respect of the Code received by the Office for Product Safety and Standards are managed within internal service standard time limits of five working days.
The figures below display the value of Covid-19 grants paid by Blackpool Council to small and medium businesses in their local area.
Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund | £45,005,000 |
Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund | £2,422,000 |
Local Restrictions Support Grant | £32,032,283 |
Additional Restrictions Grant | £4,668,663 |
Christmas Support Payment | £106,000 |
Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant | £3,951,688 |
A full breakdown of grant funding allocated to, and distributed by, each Local Authority, is available here.
The figures below display the value of Covid-19 grants paid by Blackpool Council to small and medium businesses in their local area.
Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund | £45,005,000 |
Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund | £2,422,000 |
Local Restrictions Support Grant | £32,032,283 |
Additional Restrictions Grant | £4,668,663 |
Christmas Support Payment | £106,000 |
Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant | £3,951,688 |
A full breakdown of grant funding allocated to, and distributed by, each Local Authority, is available here.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) were delivered by the British Business Bank (BBB) through commercial lenders. These schemes closed to new applications on 31 March 2021.
A breakdown of loans offered through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) by constituency, borough and regional area are available for download from the British Business Bank website. Regional breakdowns of loans offered through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) are not published due to data protection and commercial considerations.
Network regulation is a matter for the independent regulator, Ofgem. Government supports Ofgem in their work to ensure the price control provides an appropriate framework for distribution networks to invest as needed to support the transition to net zero. This includes capacity to support increased demand for low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, and connecting new sources of low-carbon electricity generation. Government also supports Ofgem in their objective of ensuring network regulation protects consumers, including providing value for money on their energy bills.
As the independent energy regulator, Ofgem regulates electricity distribution companies through a price control framework which governs networks’ revenues, investments and performance standards. In its Decarbonisation Action Plan, Ofgem stated its commitment to creating a regulatory environment which enables and encourages networks to invest for Net Zero. The Government is supportive of this objective.
The Government’s Green Finance Strategy set out our approach to accelerating green finance and catalysing private investment to support delivery of the UK’s climate objectives.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to the petition P002432, “The regulation of the Hair, Barber and Beauty industries”, 20 May 2019, Official Report, Volume 660.
We have published comprehensive guidance for people who provide close contact services, including hairdressers and barbers to ensure they are COVID-secure:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services.
The Ministerial Taskforces have been getting scientific input from Public Health England (PHE) as they draft guidance. Each individual working group which produced the guidance published on 11 May had active PHE presence, and each set of guidance was produced in collaboration with them, the Health and Safety Executive and other Departments. This model was followed by the close contact services taskforce.
The PHE staff who have supported the BEIS taskforces are in regular direct contact with those attending SAGE and have access to the PHE SAGE read-outs. They have endeavoured to reflect closely the SAGE recommendations and have also been responsible for putting some subjects pertinent to BEIS discussions to SAGE, such as persistence of COVID-19 on surfaces, and consideration of social distancing requirements under different scenarios. SAGE information is shared on its website: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response.
The Close Contact Services taskforce comprised stakeholders from a cross section of the sector, including representative organisations. We consulted these stakeholders due to their expertise and real-life knowledge and experience of the challenges faced by the industry during the COVID-19 outbreak.
This taskforce was responsible for developing guidance to help businesses in this sector prepare to reopen safely, and representations have included:
Any Ministerial meeting information will be shared in due course on: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package of support includes?the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF). In addition, on 1 May,?the Government announced that up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities?in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants.
These funds?have supported many thousands of small businesses?with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. ?As of 13 July, local authorities have made grant payments to over 872,520 business premises, totalling £10.7 billion, under the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). As of 13 July, Blackpool Council have made payments to 3,860 business premises, totalling £43,835,000, under the SBGF and the RHLGF.
Officials are keeping in close contact with Local Authorities?to understand how the schemes are rolling out and advising ministers on any additional support?which could be offered to help businesses and support local economies.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy represents the UK at the UPU’s Council of Administration. It attended the UPU Extraordinary Congress in September 2019 where an agreement on international remuneration rates for bulky letters and small packets was reached. Under this agreement, the terminal dues chargeable in the UK for deliveries from countries such as China will rise from 2020 onwards at a faster rate than previously approved.
The UK, with its designated postal operator, Royal Mail, is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which sets international remuneration rates.
Bilateral agreements with other countries are commercial matters for Royal Mail, and the Government does not play a role in these agreements.
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Royal Mail on postal matters, including international postal services.
When foreign companies and traders sell goods online and target UK consumers, they must comply with UK consumer protection laws. It is the responsibility of traders to ensure the products they are selling to UK consumers comply with UK law requiring that all products are safe, of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
The Government does not have the power to suspend fees for motion picture and music copyright licences. This is because copyright licensing is a private, commercial matter between the parties concerned in which the Government is not involved.
However, certain licensing bodies, including some for film and music, have introduced voluntary measures to help mitigate the financial impacts of the outbreak on their licensees. These measures include waiving licence fees when businesses are closed, deferring payments, and the suspension of late payment charges.
The Government currently has no plans to suspend television licence fee payments.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has already announced a host of measures to help small businesses in this period, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), business rate relief, and VAT deferrals. However, the licence fee is an important area of interest, and of course we will keep this matter under review.
On 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared workspaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.
All businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. This is estimated to apply to around 730,000 businesses across England and eligibility is not determined by sector.
Additionally, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. Whilst this Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is primarily aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates and business rates reliefs, local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need so long as they are not eligible for either a Small Business Grant, a Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant or Self-employed Income Support Scheme funding.
Only businesses with their own assessment for business rates and which are eligible for either Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) or Rural Rates Relief (RRR) will be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund. Businesses which are not ratepayers in their own right are not eligible.
The Government understands that for some shared spaces and service offices, individual users may not have their own rating assessment and may not therefore be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund.
Therefore, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared work spaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.
The Department has published consumer guidance for householders who suspect they have received faulty cavity wall insulation. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cavity-wall-insulation-cwi-consumer-guide-to-issues-arising-from-installations.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme requires a 25-year guarantee to be provided to householders for all cavity wall insulation. The guarantee provides instructions if there are problems related to the insulation product or its installation.
Where cavity wall insulation is installed under ECO, the installation must also be compliant with the most recent provisions of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS); this sets out the specifications for the installation of energy efficiency measures in existing dwellings, including cavity wall insulation. The standard sets out requirements which aim to ensure that the installation is suitable for the property and installed to high standards.
TrustMark is delivering the new Government endorsed quality framework for energy efficiency measures which was launched in October 2018. The framework ensures an improved and comprehensive consumer protection process, including guarantees and a redress scheme.
From 1 January 2019 all relevant measures (including cavity wall insulation) installed under the ECO scheme must be delivered by a Trustmark approved installer and compliant with the Trustmark framework requirements.
The BBC's funding model faces major challenges to its sustainability due to changes in the way people consume media.
We remain committed to reviewing the licence fee model ahead of the next Charter period to explore the potential for alternative ways to ensure the BBC remains appropriately funded over the long-term.
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its particular importance to the British rural economy.
In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Horserace Betting Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in Levy income to support the racing industry totalling £83 million in 2018/19. In 2018/19 the Levy returned £83 million and in 2019/20 the Levy returned £97 million to racing. Even with the suspension of racing for a period due to covid the Levy returned £82 million in 2021/22 and then £97 million in 2021/22.
The Government is committed to review the Horserace Betting Levy by 2024. The department engages regularly with racing stakeholders including the British Horseracing Authority and we will consider carefully any information they provide. The Government will continue to work with the industry and the Levy Board to make sure the benefits of the Horserace Betting Levy are maximised.
The Sports Economy team within the Department for International Trade (DIT) are actively engaging with the British horse racing industry to discuss their target markets internationally and how they can be supported in these regions. DIT is also working closely with the industry on the best way of attracting international investors into the British thoroughbred market and opportunities in the form of trade missions surrounding major international meetings with a strong UK presence.
British horseracing and breeding is promoted as part of the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, showcasing the best of the UK in over 164 countries across the globe. This recognises the cultural and economic importance of horse racing to the UK and the role it plays as a soft power asset for the country internationally.
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its particular importance to the British rural economy.
In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Horserace Betting Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in Levy income to support the racing industry totalling £83 million in 2018/19. In 2018/19 the Levy returned £83 million and in 2019/20 the Levy returned £97 million to racing. Even with the suspension of racing for a period due to covid the Levy returned £82 million in 2021/22 and then £97 million in 2021/22.
The Government is committed to review the Horserace Betting Levy by 2024. The department engages regularly with racing stakeholders including the British Horseracing Authority and we will consider carefully any information they provide. The Government will continue to work with the industry and the Levy Board to make sure the benefits of the Horserace Betting Levy are maximised.
The Sports Economy team within the Department for International Trade (DIT) are actively engaging with the British horse racing industry to discuss their target markets internationally and how they can be supported in these regions. DIT is also working closely with the industry on the best way of attracting international investors into the British thoroughbred market and opportunities in the form of trade missions surrounding major international meetings with a strong UK presence.
British horseracing and breeding is promoted as part of the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, showcasing the best of the UK in over 164 countries across the globe. This recognises the cultural and economic importance of horse racing to the UK and the role it plays as a soft power asset for the country internationally.
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its particular importance to the British rural economy.
In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Horserace Betting Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in Levy income to support the racing industry totalling £83 million in 2018/19. In 2018/19 the Levy returned £83 million and in 2019/20 the Levy returned £97 million to racing. Even with the suspension of racing for a period due to covid the Levy returned £82 million in 2021/22 and then £97 million in 2021/22.
The Government is committed to review the Horserace Betting Levy by 2024. The department engages regularly with racing stakeholders including the British Horseracing Authority and we will consider carefully any information they provide. The Government will continue to work with the industry and the Levy Board to make sure the benefits of the Horserace Betting Levy are maximised.
The Sports Economy team within the Department for International Trade (DIT) are actively engaging with the British horse racing industry to discuss their target markets internationally and how they can be supported in these regions. DIT is also working closely with the industry on the best way of attracting international investors into the British thoroughbred market and opportunities in the form of trade missions surrounding major international meetings with a strong UK presence.
British horseracing and breeding is promoted as part of the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, showcasing the best of the UK in over 164 countries across the globe. This recognises the cultural and economic importance of horse racing to the UK and the role it plays as a soft power asset for the country internationally.
All gambling companies providing gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain, wherever they are based, must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with the conditions and codes of practice of their operating licences. They are also held accountable by the Commission for the actions of their commercial partners, such as overseas operators marketed under a different brand for whom they provide services to customers based in Great Britain as part of a ‘white label’ agreement. Licensees are expected to carry out all necessary due diligence to ensure these agreements will not compromise their own regulatory compliance.
All licensed operators must ensure their marketing activities and those of their commercial partners are socially responsible, never targeted at children or vulnerable people, and compliant with the UK Advertising Codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA can refer operators to the Gambling Commission which can and does take enforcement action for non-compliance with the Codes.
The government is closely considering issues around gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, and the powers and resources of the Gambling Commission, as part of its wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
The Department for Health and Social Care is undertaking a review and update of the Public Health England report ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’, to assess the accuracy of its estimates of suicide numbers. The updated report is in the final stage of review and will be published soon.
The Gambling Commission does not commission projects but instead assesses any proposals that it receives. Regulatory settlements are a possible outcome of Gambling Commission enforcement action, and this may include the operator paying a financial amount for socially responsible purposes. When this occurs, the Commission may approve the destination of the financial element against set criteria, including that proposals must be for socially responsible purposes which address gambling related harms or other licensing objectives. More information on this process and destinations is available at the Commission website.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling. The Commission has given the Department no formal advice relating to the findings and estimates in Public Health England’s (PHE) evidence review on gambling related harm. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is reviewing the evidence published in the PHE’s review of the social and economic costs of gambling, and plans to publish an update.
Protecting people from gambling harms remains a priority for the government and the Gambling Commission, and we will be led by the best evidence to ensure the right protections are in place.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
Public Health England commissioned the Delphi study in question alongside their independent review of the evidence on gambling-related harms. As is protocol for studies of this kind, the participants have been kept anonymous but the Commission has not provided any formal advice or notification to the Department on the report’s content or recommendations. DCMS officials have regular discussions with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues relating to gambling regulation and the evidence on gambling.
Issues around the advertising and marketing of gambling and the rules governing land-based gambling form part of the broad scope of the government's Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We are closely considering all evidence on these and other topics, and will set out our conclusions and proposals for reform in a white paper to be published in the coming weeks.
Organisations in the Borough of Blackpool received a total of just over £4.82 million of funding across the entirety of the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF). £2.87 million was awarded in the first round (2020-21), £0.9 million was awarded in the second round (2020-21), and in the final round (2021-22) £1.05 million was awarded.
The Government is conducting a wide-ranging and evidence-led Review of the Gambling Act 2005. This includes consideration of the legislative landscape for casinos, in particular the distinction between the new style casinos allowed by the 2005 Act and the majority of casinos whose licences align with provisions originating in the Gambling Act 1968. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in due course and appropriate consideration of impacts will be made at all stages.
We have seen good early progress in 5G network deployment, and are pleased that two Mobile Network Operators now offer 5G to more than 50% of the UK population. This delivers on our ambition for the majority of the population to have access to 5G by 2027 five years early. Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy will set out how we can realise the full benefits of 5G for the UK. We aim to publish later this year.
We have made reforms to the planning system in England to support the deployment of 5G and help extend mobile coverage. Alongside this, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, currently before Parliament, amends the Electronic Communications Code to encourage faster and more collaborative negotiations for the installation and maintenance of telecoms equipment.
The next generation of mobile technology, referred to as “6G”, is still some years away and is currently in the early stages of development. We want to ensure that the UK continues to be at the forefront of future communications systems and technology. We will set out more details on our policy for 6G in the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy.
Public Health England (PHE)’s evidence review on gambling-related harms estimated the annual cost of harmful gambling to society to be between £841 million and £2.2 billion, or approximately £1.27 billion, however the lack of quantitative causal evidence for some of the harms described did not allow PHE to make a direct assessment of the cost of gambling harm specifically. While the review acknowledged that further research is needed to determine costs attributable directly to gambling-related harm rather than those associated with people who are problem or at-risk gamblers, it is the most comprehensive review of the evidence on gambling-related harm and its associated costs, and has been carefully considered as an important input to our Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We will publish our white paper in the coming weeks.
The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act called for evidence on how best to recoup the regulatory and societal costs of problem gambling. We will publish a white paper in the coming weeks.
Society lotteries are subject to limits on how much they can sell per draw and annually, as well as on the maximum prize they can offer.
In March 2020, we legislated to increase the per draw sales limit for large society lotteries from £4 million to £5 million, to increase the maximum prize limit from £400,000 to £500,000, and to raise the annual sales limit from £10 million to £50 million.
We are currently reviewing the impact of these changes.
As part of the Gambling Commission's duty under the Gambling Act 2005 to advise the government on gambling in Great Britain and provide an effective regulatory function, they collect gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence data via surveys of adults in Great Britain, principally the Health Surveys and quarterly telephone surveys. The data are published as official statistics and they are produced in accordance with the standards set out by the Government Statistical Service in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
The Health Surveys use a face to face methodology; and historically this methodology has provided the best means of delivering a random probability sample, which means every household listed on the Postcode Address File (a list of every point in the UK to which mail is delivered to) is given an equal chance of being selected to take part in the survey. Random probability sampling is generally regarded as the best method to achieve accurate population estimates. The Health Surveys include the PGSI and the DSM-IV screens for problem gambling, and a combined score from both presents an accurate picture of problem gambling. However, some challenges exist with the Health Surveys such as its relative infrequency so the Commission supplement the data with a quarterly telephone survey.
The quarterly telephone survey is currently the Gambling Commissions’ main measure of gambling participation (in the last four weeks) and is intended to supplement the high quality but less frequent prevalence measurement through the Health Surveys.. Telephone interviewing is a widespread method of running a nationally representative survey of a cross-section of the population. The short form PGSI screen is used within the telephone survey to measure problem gambling and the prevalence data compares reasonably closely to the Health Survey figures. However, there are a number of criticisms of telephone surveys, not least that it relies on respondents having telephone access (landline or mobile).
Having recognised some of the challenges above and as part of the Gambling Commissions’ ambition to improve the quality and robustness of their statistics, they have recently consulted on proposals to change the research methodology used to collect gambling participation and problem gambling statistics. The consultation responses indicated a high level of agreement with the proposals, and the Gambling Commission are in the process of commissioning a pilot to test a new approach. Their full response to the consultation is available here https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/print/participation-and-prevalence-research
The Government Grants Functional Standard already includes a requirement for departments to ensure grant agreements provide a clear description of how funding should be spent which precludes the use of public money in paid for lobbying. This is to ensure that public money is used for its intended purpose.
Funded charities can use other funding sources to undertake non-party political activities and campaigning that supports their charitable purpose.
The Government does not make donations to charities. Such funding, whether for a specific restricted purpose or unrestricted, would be classified as a grant.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes charities’ annual returns from the last five reporting years. This includes a breakdown of funding that includes income from government grants and income from government contracts. The most recently published annual return covers the financial period up to 31 December 2019.
The British Red Cross Society has received £147 million in government grants in total over the past five reporting years. A breakdown by financial period end date is below:
31/12/2015 - £32.5 million
31/12/2016 - £22.3 million
31/12/2017 - £33.7 million
31/12/2018 - £22.1 million
31/12/2019 - £36.4 million
The British Red Cross Society also receives income from government contracts. Over the five reporting years described above, the British Red Cross Society received a total of £226.3 million income from government contracts.
This information is published on the Charity Commission for England and Wales website here: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/220949/financial-history
The Gambling Commission monitors the expenses of society lotteries through the regular reporting required of operators by their licences.
Gambling Commission will discuss any concerns with operators as they arise. Society lottery operators are able to make changes to address concerns raised by the Commission. The number of instances where this occurs is not recorded by the Commission, but it has not had any cases where discussions with operators have resulted in formal action related to unreasonable expenses.
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.
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.
In June 2019, the British Tourist Authority launched the Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB) platform. TXGB was a key commitment of the Tourism Sector Deal, and makes it easier for accommodation businesses, including small hotels and bed and breakfasts, to be featured by in-market distributors, alongside attractions and experiences. This helps to promote English destinations and businesses abroad. Almost a hundred businesses are now signed up as distributors on the platform.
Tourism businesses like small hotels and bed and breakfasts that sign up as suppliers can choose the distributors through which they sell their product. The platform ensures that domestic and international consumers have access to the best of the country's tourism offer when booking holidays.
In June 2019, the British Tourist Authority launched the Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB) platform. TXGB was a key commitment of the Tourism Sector Deal, and makes it easier for accommodation businesses, including small hotels and bed and breakfasts, to be featured by in-market distributors, alongside attractions and experiences. This helps to promote English destinations and businesses abroad. Almost a hundred businesses are now signed up as distributors on the platform.
Tourism businesses like small hotels and bed and breakfasts that sign up as suppliers can choose the distributors through which they sell their product. The platform ensures that domestic and international consumers have access to the best of the country's tourism offer when booking holidays.
Officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have been in regular contact with the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) over recent weeks. We have worked with BALPPA, the trade body that represents the industry (including those from Blackpool such as the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, UK Hospitality and other representatives of the indoor play sector) to develop guidance for indoor play and indoor soft play operators to make their venues COVID-secure. On 13 August, the Government announced that indoor play and indoor soft play venues can open from 15 August.
The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and ensure appropriate support and guidance is provided.
To that end, DCMS has established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group which will be focusing on ensuring that COVID-19 secure guidelines are developed in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions, building on the existing guidance and providing intelligence and sector-specific expert input.
These groups specifically include representatives for the dance sector, such as One Dance UK. Full details of the Taskforce can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/culture-secretary-announces-cultural-renewal-taskforce, and the Entertainment and Events Working Group can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cultural-renewal-taskforce-and-supporting-working-groups#entertainment-and-events-members.
Furthermore, on 2 July, the Secretary of State met with Shirley Ballas to discuss the specific challenges faced by those within the ballroom dance sector with respect to safe reopening.
As the Prime Minister confirmed in his announcement on 23 June, providers who run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children – such as commercial dance lessons for children – can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place. Providers of these settings have been able to open since 4 July, provided that they follow the protective measures set out by government.
Protective measures guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak
Providers who offer indoor sports activities (including dance lessons) for children should also refer to the guidance for Keeping workers / volunteers and customers safe during COVID-19 for providers of grassroots sports and gym / leisure facilities. As announced on the 9 July, indoor gyms, sports courts and fitness and dance studios will be able to open from 25 July and cannot be used for holiday clubs and activities for children until that point.
We are committed to reopening creative businesses, including live entertainment and music venues, in Blackpool and across the UK in line with the latest Government regulations and advice.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently set out a five stage roadmap that the government will work through to get the performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running as soon as possible.
The ministerially-chaired Events and Entertainment Working Group was established to support the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce. It focuses on developing covid-19 secure guidance to enable the safe reopening of the performing arts, music and entertainment sectors. Members of the Working Group include the Association of Circus Proprietors, the Music Venue Trust and the Theatres Trust.
DCMS officials are in regular contact with Public Health England and the casino sector to discuss the protections that are needed to allow casinos to reopen safely. This includes arranging a visit for senior public health representatives to assess the measures which are in place. I have spoken with representatives of the sector about the impacts of closure, and the government is working to ensure casinos can open as soon as the medical and scientific advice is that it is safe to do so.
We are committed to reopening creative businesses, including LGBT entertainment and music venues, in Blackpool and across the country in line with the latest Government regulations and advice.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has set out a five stage roadmap that the government will work through to get the performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running as soon as possible.
The ministerially-chaired Events and Entertainment Working Group was established to support the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce. It focuses on developing covid-19 secure guidance to enable the safe reopening of the performing arts, music and entertainment sectors and is attended by a number of trade bodies including the Night Time Industries Association, the Music Venue Trust and the Live Comedy Association.
I have held multiple recent discussions with tourism businesses on this issue. These include meetings last week with the Tourism Industry Council and with senior leaders from across the business events industry. My Department is also collating evidence from tourism businesses across the country on the potential impact of any changes to the current measures.
We will take into account information and feedback from the sector as we review our approach and will continue to be guided by the latest medical advice. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will encourage people to book holidays and support the recovery of the tourism sector.
We have been liaising closely with the sport sector, including the Premier League and English Football League, to discuss a wide range of matters during these difficult times.
This includes whether it would be possible for events to go ahead and in what capacity, whilst making it clear that the Government will not consent to events taking place unless we can be sure it is safe to do so. The Premier League and English Football League will be considering the player, staff, and of course ticket holders in their assessments.
The Government will continue to liaise closely with all the football authorities as the situation develops.
We have been liaising closely with the sport sector, including the Premier League and English Football League, to discuss a wide range of matters during these difficult times.
This includes whether it would be possible for events to go ahead and in what capacity, whilst making it clear that the Government will not consent to events taking place unless we can be sure it is safe to do so. The Premier League and English Football League will be considering the player, staff, and of course ticket holders in their assessments.
The Government will continue to liaise closely with all the football authorities as the situation develops.
The Government is committed to helping the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors through this crisis and beyond. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support the sector during the recovery period.
Our immediate national priority is containing the spread of the virus. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will be encouraging people to embrace the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors once again.
The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. Much progress has already been made, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises, according to the latest Ofcom figures.
This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will invest £5 billion of funding to support gigabit rollout in hard to reach areas.
Lancashire has 97.8% superfast coverage, up from 37% in January 2011. In Blackpool, superfast coverage is 99.5%, compared to the UK average of 96%. Blackpool City Council was successful in their Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Wave 2 bid for funding, and were allocated £3.1 million to upgrade its fibre presence across the city using 20km of the existing duct tramway. A separate company, ITS Technology Group, has extended its gigabit-capable broadband services to the Fylde Coast by harnessing the local, publicly owned Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI). This is currently live in Blackpool and is expanding across the Fylde coast.
We are aware that the COVID-19 outbreak is significantly impacting the tourism industry and connected communities, including those in coastal regions.
My Department regularly engages with stakeholders in the tourism and events sector and across Government on this developing issue. We will continue to monitor its impact on the sector and would urge businesses from all parts of the country to share information with VisitBritain via their Tourism Industry Emergency Response group.
The Chancellor has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, tax relief and cash grant measures, plus £330bn worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK.
We are aware that the coronavirus outbreak is impacting businesses across many industries.
I regularly engage with stakeholders in the tourism sector on this developing issue. My Department and VisitBritain have organised two meetings between the industry and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. I will continue to monitor its impact on tourism businesses across the country and would urge tourism businesses to share information with VisitBritain.
Measures announced in the recent Budget relating to rates relief will also assist SMEs in the hospitality and leisure space.
Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history. It is vital they are protected.
This government is committed to undertaking a fan led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test, and will work closely with the football authorities as we decide the scope and structure of the review.
My predecessor also recently met with the EFL to discuss the progress of their own review into club governance.
I will continue to meet regularly with stakeholders across the Tourism sector to discuss a range of issues.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) previously investigated the practices of hotel booking websites, reporting its conclusions in September 2019. Following this, 25 major hotel booking sites signed up to the CMA’s sector-wide principles for providing online accommodation booking services. The CMA continues to monitor compliance with consumer protection law in the sector.
The Government is committed to supporting people to get involved in sport and physical activity in whatever way best suits them. To date, Government has not invested in, or been approached for investment in, beach soccer.
Subject to eligibility requirements, England Beach Soccer may be able to apply for funding from Sport England’s Small Grants Fund which provides amounts up to £10,000 for projects that help people to lead more active lives. It may also wish to explore making an application to the Football Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund.
My Department has not assessed the effect of the level of commission charged by online booking websites on either small hoteliers or bookings for hotel accommodation.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK's independent competition authority, is responsible for investigating markets where competition or consumer problems are detected. The CMA previously investigated the practices of hotel booking websites, reporting its conclusions in September 2019, and continues to monitor their compliance with consumer protection law in the sector.
Government’s strategy on tackling loneliness stresses the important contribution of all parts of society, including local authorities, throughout the year not just at Christmas.
Government’s work with local authorities includes: working with three local authorities to pilot ways of making information about local activities and services addressing loneliness more easily available; and working with the Local Government Association and National Association of Local Councils to publish a comprehensive guide outlining how councils can create the right structures and conditions locally to tackle loneliness.
In addition, the Let’s Talk Loneliness communications campaign promotes many schemes across the country that bring people together. The campaign website hosts a toolkit of resources and case studies; these have been shared with a network of over 300 organisations and have been widely used.
The government has also established the £11.5m Building Connections Fund; 126 grants were made to successful applicants in December 2018. Projects are now underway, bringing people together across the country. On 15 October 2019 the Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran, announced a new £2 million fund to help organisations at the frontline of tackling loneliness across the country.
Government is committed to understanding the impact of its activity on loneliness and will use this insight to inform future decision-making. The 60 commitments made in the loneliness strategy vary widely and so learning is captured in different ways. Many of these commitments are still in progress and evaluation will emerge over time. For example, an independent evaluation of the £11.5m Building Connections Fund is underway, and the findings will be published from mid-2020 onwards.
The first annual report on government’s work on tackling loneliness will be published shortly, and will set out progress to date.
Cross-departmental working has continued to be effective, with close working between the nine departments involved to ensure successful implementation of the strategy.
Arts Council England funds a number of national music and cultural education programmes across the country which aim to reach those from deprived communities. Alongside this, in 2019, five new Youth Performance Partnerships were launched to provide new opportunities for young people from areas of low cultural engagement and high levels of deprivation to experience high quality performances and to develop practical skills both on and off stage (including dance, art, music, creative writing, lighting, sound, costume and set design). And, as announced in our election Manifesto, we will also offer an Arts Premium to secondary schools to fund enriching activities for all pupils.
In Blackpool, programmes such as Curious Minds have supported the development of an established Local Cultural Education Partnership now led by Blackpool Teaching Schools Alliance which plays an important role in developing strong provision for children in Blackpool. In addition, Into Film, a UK-wide body funded by the government through the BFI, encourages children to engage with film culture through after-school film clubs. There are 8000 across the UK, including 35 in the Blackpool South constituency. Last year, the BFI held two BFI Film Academy taster sessions in the Blackpool area to encourage young people to consider a career in the industry, and also ran a discounted ticket scheme for disadvantaged schools across the country.
All children in the UK are entitled to access a school-based education in England, and this includes all refugee and asylum-seeker children. The department does not collect data on whether children attending schools in England crossed the English Channel in a small boat.
Blackpool local authority receives an annual School Condition Allocation (SCA) to spend on improving the condition of its maintained schools. The SCA funding allocated to Blackpool local authority since the financial year 2019/2020 is set out below. For the financial year 2020/21, the figure includes an extra £166,210 as part of an additional £560 million committed to schools in that year.
Financial year | SCA funding for Blackpool LA |
2019-2020 | £357,830 |
2020-2021 | £524,097 |
2021-2022 | £574,864 |
2022-2023 | £579,194 |
There have been three annual bidding rounds for the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) since December 2019 and, over these rounds, CIF-eligible schools in Blackpool have received a total of £2.1 million in funding.
The Department also provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities meet their statutory duty to provide sufficient mainstream school places, based on their own forecast data. The total funding Blackpool has been allocated between 2019 and 2025 is just over £1.4 million.
Blackpool has also received just over £2.4 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations between 2021 and 2024 to create new places and improve existing provision for children and young with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. It also received just under £850,000 between 2018 and 2021 through the Special Provision Capital Fund to help create new places for pupils with education, health, and care plans.
In addition, there has been a total of £5,304,205 in capital funding allocated to colleges in Blackpool since December 2019.
Capital funding secured through the free schools programme has also led to the opening of Lotus Special School in September 2020 and the completion of all works on the permanent site for the new Armfield Academy in February 2021.
Blackpool benefited from over £10 million of funding through the Opportunity Areas programme between 2017 and July 2022. Blackpool will continue to benefit from continued support as a Priority Education Investment Area (PEIA).
In all 55 Education Investment Areas (EIAs), the Department will be taking steps to support underperforming schools to make necessary improvements, build trust capacity and improve digital connectivity. Over the next 3 years, up to £86 million in trust capacity funding and £150 million for extending the Connect the Classroom programme are being prioritised in EIAs, with all schools in Blackpool receiving the offer of Connect the Classroom funding. In EIAs, the Department is also offering the Levelling Up premium, worth up to £3,000 tax free, to eligible teachers.
In each of the 24 PEIAs, the Department will offer further investment in addition to the significant support available to all EIAs. PEIAs will receive a share of around £40 million of funding to address local needs, and priority access to a number of other programmes offered by the Department.
The Department continues to work with representatives of the tour industry, devolved administrations, trade unions as well as other Government Departments.
The guidance for full school opening enables schools to resume educational day visits but continues to advise against UK overnight educational residential visits. This advice will remain under review and will be updated in line with guidance from Public Health England, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
We are introducing new T Levels from this September – high quality, practical courses designed by employers that will provide a credible alternative to A levels and prepare students for skilled work or further study.
We are currently reforming and simplifying the qualifications system so that learners can easily find high-quality qualifications that give them the skills they need. With our proposals, any qualification, including existing ones, can be approved if they provide learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.
We have also been working across Government to build a package of support measures to boost skills among those who will be hardest hit by the labour market impacts of COVID-19. On 8 July the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in employment support schemes which will substantially expand existing provision. This includes:
Under the 2017 Higher Education and Research Act, a higher education provider in England that wishes to access public grant funding and/or student support funding, is required to register with the Office for Students. This applies to those previously known as a ‘private’ or ‘alternative’ provider, as well as to existing publicly funded institutions.
Registered providers are regulated by the Office for Students and must meet regulatory requirements, which include conditions surrounding quality and financial viability. Once registered, providers are able to submit to the Student Loans Company the courses they wish to attract student support.
Under the 2017 Higher Education and Research Act, a higher education provider in England that wishes to access public grant funding and/or student support funding, is required to register with the Office for Students. This applies to those previously known as a ‘private’ or ‘alternative’ provider, as well as to existing publicly funded institutions.
Registered providers are regulated by the Office for Students and must meet regulatory requirements, which include conditions surrounding quality and financial viability. Once registered, providers are able to submit to the Student Loans Company the courses they wish to attract student support.
The government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, including those from the British Overseas Territories, both economically and culturally.
We have set out our ambition to increase the number of international higher education students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by 2030, within the International Education Strategy.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes statistics on students studying at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by domicile. The latest available data is from 2018/19, published in January 2020.
In 2018/19, HESA estimated there to be 2,130 British Overseas Territory domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs at all levels of study. The table below shows the breakdown by domicile.
Table: Student enrolments by country of domicile, UK HEIs, 2018/19
Domicile[1][2][3] | 2018/19 |
Anguilla | 55 |
Bermuda | 500 |
British Virgin Islands | 180 |
Cayman Islands | 315 |
Falkland Islands | 50 |
Gibraltar | 900 |
Montserrat | 15 |
Pitcairn Islands | 0 |
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | 0 |
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 25 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 95 |
British Overseas Territories Total | 2,130 |
British and EU nationals residing in British Overseas Territories or in other Member States’ overseas territories are currently eligible for Home Fee Status if they are studying at either undergraduate or postgraduate level at English HEIs and have been living in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the overseas territories for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course. They will remain eligible for home fee status for the duration of courses starting in the 2020/21 academic year or before. We will provide sufficient notice for prospective students on fee arrangements ahead of the 2021/22 academic year and subsequent years in future.
The Department for Education (DfE) funds Commonwealth scholarships for five or six PhD scholarships from non-ODA Commonwealth countries. DfE funding for the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships means there will be 150 new scholarships awarded by 2025, all of which are open to British citizens from overseas territories.
[1] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, so components may not sum to totals.
[2] Domicile refers to country of student’s permanent address prior to entry.
British Antarctic Territories and British Indian Ocean Territories are omitted from this analysis as HESA defines them as having ‘no settled inhabitants’. HESA defines 'no settled inhabitants' as no inhabitants apart from military and scientific personnel, staff of contractors and seasonal residents (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c18051/a/domicile).
[3] Source: DfE analysis of the HESA student record https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28.
The government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, including those from the British Overseas Territories, both economically and culturally.
We have set out our ambition to increase the number of international higher education students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by 2030, within the International Education Strategy.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes statistics on students studying at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by domicile. The latest available data is from 2018/19, published in January 2020.
In 2018/19, HESA estimated there to be 2,130 British Overseas Territory domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs at all levels of study. The table below shows the breakdown by domicile.
Table: Student enrolments by country of domicile, UK HEIs, 2018/19
Domicile[1][2][3] | 2018/19 |
Anguilla | 55 |
Bermuda | 500 |
British Virgin Islands | 180 |
Cayman Islands | 315 |
Falkland Islands | 50 |
Gibraltar | 900 |
Montserrat | 15 |
Pitcairn Islands | 0 |
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | 0 |
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 25 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 95 |
British Overseas Territories Total | 2,130 |
British and EU nationals residing in British Overseas Territories or in other Member States’ overseas territories are currently eligible for Home Fee Status if they are studying at either undergraduate or postgraduate level at English HEIs and have been living in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the overseas territories for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course. They will remain eligible for home fee status for the duration of courses starting in the 2020/21 academic year or before. We will provide sufficient notice for prospective students on fee arrangements ahead of the 2021/22 academic year and subsequent years in future.
The Department for Education (DfE) funds Commonwealth scholarships for five or six PhD scholarships from non-ODA Commonwealth countries. DfE funding for the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships means there will be 150 new scholarships awarded by 2025, all of which are open to British citizens from overseas territories.
[1] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, so components may not sum to totals.
[2] Domicile refers to country of student’s permanent address prior to entry.
British Antarctic Territories and British Indian Ocean Territories are omitted from this analysis as HESA defines them as having ‘no settled inhabitants’. HESA defines 'no settled inhabitants' as no inhabitants apart from military and scientific personnel, staff of contractors and seasonal residents (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c18051/a/domicile).
[3] Source: DfE analysis of the HESA student record https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28.
The government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, including those from the British Overseas Territories, both economically and culturally.
We have set out our ambition to increase the number of international higher education students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by 2030, within the International Education Strategy.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes statistics on students studying at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) by domicile. The latest available data is from 2018/19, published in January 2020.
In 2018/19, HESA estimated there to be 2,130 British Overseas Territory domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs at all levels of study. The table below shows the breakdown by domicile.
Table: Student enrolments by country of domicile, UK HEIs, 2018/19
Domicile[1][2][3] | 2018/19 |
Anguilla | 55 |
Bermuda | 500 |
British Virgin Islands | 180 |
Cayman Islands | 315 |
Falkland Islands | 50 |
Gibraltar | 900 |
Montserrat | 15 |
Pitcairn Islands | 0 |
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | 0 |
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 25 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 95 |
British Overseas Territories Total | 2,130 |
British and EU nationals residing in British Overseas Territories or in other Member States’ overseas territories are currently eligible for Home Fee Status if they are studying at either undergraduate or postgraduate level at English HEIs and have been living in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the overseas territories for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course. They will remain eligible for home fee status for the duration of courses starting in the 2020/21 academic year or before. We will provide sufficient notice for prospective students on fee arrangements ahead of the 2021/22 academic year and subsequent years in future.
The Department for Education (DfE) funds Commonwealth scholarships for five or six PhD scholarships from non-ODA Commonwealth countries. DfE funding for the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships means there will be 150 new scholarships awarded by 2025, all of which are open to British citizens from overseas territories.
[1] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, so components may not sum to totals.
[2] Domicile refers to country of student’s permanent address prior to entry.
British Antarctic Territories and British Indian Ocean Territories are omitted from this analysis as HESA defines them as having ‘no settled inhabitants’. HESA defines 'no settled inhabitants' as no inhabitants apart from military and scientific personnel, staff of contractors and seasonal residents (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c18051/a/domicile).
[3] Source: DfE analysis of the HESA student record https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28.
The Department funds the Holocaust Educational Trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ which provides for two students, aged 16-18, and a teacher from every state funded school/sixth form college in England to visit Auschwitz-Bikenau. £2,126,437 is being provided in 2019-20 and £2,193,675 in 2020-21. We expect a minimum of 1,968 students to undertake visits through this programme in 2019-20.
Additionally, £1.7 million for the 2019-20 financial year is being provided for the Bergen-Belsen Commemoration Programme. The programme provides for pupils and teachers from state funded secondary schools in England to visit Bergen-Belsen to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. We expect a minimum of 1,290 pupils to undertake visits through this programme in 2019-20.
The Prime Minister’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will support councils to take tougher action against those who fly-tip. This includes raising the upper limit of spot fines for fly-tipping to £1,000; delivering on our manifesto commitment to increase penalties.
We have also awarded councils nearly £1.2 million to purchase equipment to tackle fly-tipping, such as CCTV, and consulted on reforms to how waste is managed to stamp out criminal activity.
The Environment Agency is currently working with Blackpool Council (the respective Coast Protection Authority) to progress three coastal schemes on its coastal frontage. Consultation has already commenced on the two Bispham schemes and a second consultation event will take place in early 2022.
The sea bees re-profiling work at South Shore has an allocation of £7 million and is programmed to commence 2024/25 through to 2026/27. Initial work on this has not commenced yet. (Sea bees are hexagonal concrete revetments designed to dissipate the energy of the waves.)
The Environment Agency works closely with Local Authorities, Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) to ensure that all projects are well represented within the capital programme.
I am aware of the pressure that the current coronavirus restrictions are placing on zoos and recognise this has been an extremely tough time for the sector. The Government has not yet announced how and when the current coronavirus restrictions applying to zoos and aquaria will be eased. In preparation for an announcement, we have worked closely with BIAZA (British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums) on their reopening guidance to ensure that zoos and aquariums have the information on how to open safely. Defra officials have also met with the CEOs of the largest chartable zoos and BIAZA to understand the measures that zoos have put in place to manage social distancing. We are also aware that a number of zoos and aquariums have secured the Visit Britain 'We’re Good To Go’ COVID-19 industry standard and consumer mark. This mark provides reassurance that the business adheres to Government and public health guidance and that the necessary COVID-19 safety processes have been put in place.
We welcome animal welfare charity campaigns, including those by Cats Protection, encouraging people to both microchip and neuter their cats and we have included such messaging in the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats about responsible ownership of cats, a copy of which can be found on the GOV.UK website. Anyone considering acquiring a kitten should ensure, before they take possession of it and if they do not intend it to breed, that they can arrange for it to be neutered. Many veterinary practices are now carrying out certain non-essential work such as neutering, but it is up to individual vets to decide whether to do this. As always owners should refer to their vets for advice about neutering and breeding control.
The Government is committed to improving the welfare of cats and has a manifesto commitment to introduce compulsory microchipping of cats. In October 2019 Defra published a call for evidence on compulsory microchipping for cats, which attracted over 3,000 responses. We are in the process of assessing the responses with a view to publishing the summary of them in due course.
In 2018/19 DFID provided £65.5 million to UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) including £47.5 million to UNRWA’s programme budget, which includes their education programme. On average UNRWA spends 58% of this budget on education enabling UNRWA to educate more than 533,000 children, half of whom are girls. Around 325,000 children attend schools in Gaza and the West Bank.
The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks. Ministers have regularly raised the issue of incitement in the education sector with the PA’s Minister for Education,?which the Secretary of State did most recently in February this year.?We are pleased that the PA are undertaking a review of their textbooks and updating them in time for the new academic year in September.
DFID is investing in infrastructure on the island of Montserrat to promote economic growth and build resilience to natural disasters. This includes resurfacing the runway at the John Osborne airport. This action is necessary to prevent the airport from being closed by the regulator, thereby cutting off a key source of access to and from the island.
DFID is also providing support through the UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UK CIF) managed by the Caribbean Development Bank for improved port facilities in Montserrat. Procurement is underway for the design and build of a new jetty and associated works.
Under the Withdrawal Agreement Article 152, paragraph 3 confirms that the Overseas Territories (OTs) shall benefit from EDF11 until its closure. Based on current patterns of expenditure, we reliably estimate they will continue to have access to EDF 11 until 2024 and possibly beyond.
After we leave the EU, we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. The UK Government will take account of the impact of EU Exit on the Overseas Territories, including the question of access to EDF funds, to ensure that we discharge our full responsibilities to the OTs.
Between 2013/14 – 2017/18 DFID’s average direct bilateral expenditure, under the sector codes Reproductive Health care, Maternal and Neonatal health, and Training of Personnel was nearly £218 million each year. This excludes direct bilateral expenditure on family planning, which is reported separately. To note, this £218 million does not cover DFID’s core contributions to multilateral organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) which also provide reproductive health care services in developing countries.
Data for all sector codes and spend are available on the Statistics for International Development website, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development-uk-gross-public-expenditure-gpex.
As DFID takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for safe abortion.
We regularly engage states through our network of consulates on how we can enhance our strong, existing trade relationships. My predecessor also met with the Governor of Arkansas in April last year to discuss how we could boost trade further.
We welcome continued interest from states in strengthening trade ties and will continue to focus on how best we can work together to deliver the greatest impact for business.
The United Kingdom is strongly committed to our trade and investment relationship with Israel, one of the Middle East’s most dynamic and innovative economies. In 2020, our services trade totalled £1.7 billion, which is an increase of 84.5% since 2010. Financial services and professional business services were our largest exports to Israel in 2020.
On 1st February, the Department for International Trade launched a public consultation on a new free trade deal that will play to British and Israeli strengths as fellow tech superpowers, boosting our strong trade relationship in digital, services and life sciences.
Making multilateral progress on services trade liberalisation is a priority for the UK as an independent trading nation. As an active member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the UK is advancing market access negotiations through the Joint Initiatives on Services Domestic Regulation and E-Commerce, which draw on and have a much broader membership than the Trade in Services Agreement. Demonstrating further global services leadership, we are co-sponsoring exploratory market access discussions on environmental services and financial services at the WTO. We will continue to advocate strongly for services trade liberalisation in our multilateral and plurilateral engagement, including through the UK Presidency of the G7 trade track and through the G20.
In 2019, total trade between the United Kingdom and Qatar was £7.2 billion, an increase of 37% (£1.9 billion) from 2018 and there are significant existing investment links between our countries. HM Government is committed to supporting more bilateral trade and investment.
My Department will continue to work with our Qatari counterparts to identify ways to boost trade and investment and remove barriers to trade. To explore opportunities to support our bilateral trade, the United Kingdom-Qatar Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) has been established and, in June, our third Working Group took place with the Qatar Investment Authority to promote the United Kingdom as a top investment destination and discuss future investment opportunities.
In 2019, total trade between the United Kingdom and Bahrain was £1.3 billion, an increase of 10% (£117 million) from 2018 and there are significant existing investment links between our countries. HM Government is committed to supporting more bilateral trade and investment.
My Department will continue to work with our Bahraini counterparts to identify ways to boost trade and investment and remove barriers. Through recent engagement, Bahrain simplified certification requirements for goods, enabling British businesses to continue to export to Bahrain during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A previous Government made an initial assessment of the possibility of introducing trials of 80 mph limits.
The safety of road users is our priority, and any change to speed limits would be evidence-led, looking at the impact on safety, air quality and carbon emissions as well as road conditions.
The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.
The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.
The headline findings were:
Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.
The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.
The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.
The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.
The headline findings were:
Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.
The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.
The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.
The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.
The headline findings were:
Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.
The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.
The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.
The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.
The headline findings were:
Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.
The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.
The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.
The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.
The headline findings were:
Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.
The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.
The total funding provided to Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport for Bus and Light Rail services for March 2020 to October 2022 is £9.5m, broken down below.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Bus Services since March 2020 is £216,052.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Light Rail Services since March 2020 is £3,520,190.
The additional funding provided to Blackpool Transport for Bus Services since March 2020 is £5,779,425.
The provision of tram services is largely devolved in England. It is for local transport authorities and operating companies to determine ticket prices.
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has supported tram systems with exceptional financial support. In total, the Government will have provided around £250 million to English tram and light rail systems outside London. This funding has helped keep services running and reduced any need for local authorities and operators to pass financial pressures on to passengers.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including local authorities, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter. As an energy intensive sector, it is expected many Light Rail systems will benefit significantly from this scheme.
While we recognise that bringing new routes into a regional airport is likely to increase its passenger footfall, it is important to recognise that Public Service Obligations (PSOs) are a route support measure to strengthen connectivity.
We will consider whether there are further opportunities to utilise PSOs, alongside other policy measures, towards meeting our ongoing regional connectivity and levelling-up objectives. We will also continue to consider applications for PSOs on vital routes into London and lifeline services for remote communities that are in danger of being lost.
Airports operate in a private capacity and their funding streams are subject to their own private and commercial activities. The DfT has not undertaken any assessment in relation to the usage of capital and revenue funding to support development of airports.
The Department for Transport is in regular contact with the travel industry regarding the challenges facing the sector as a result of COVID-19. The sector is crucial to the UK’s economy and businesses across the industry are able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.
This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, two business interruption loan guarantee schemes for different sizes of business, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.
The Department for Transport is in close contact with the travel sector ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures and address specific industry issues.
The Government recognises the challenging times facing the travel sector as a result of COVID-19. The sector is crucial to the UK’s economy and businesses across the industry will be able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.
This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme which facilitates access to finance for businesses affected by the outbreak. Firms are also able to access ‘Time to Pay’ scheme which eases restrictions with tax bills and VAT deferrals.
The Department for Transport and other departments are in close contact with the travel sector ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures should be considered to address specific industry issues.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s register records the name and address of registered keepers and their vehicles. As it does not include any information about an individual’s employment status, no assessment is made of the level of compliance with vehicle tax of drivers employed in the gig economy.
Additionally, all motorists require motor insurance to cover minimum third-party risks. This must cover all purposes for which the driver is using the vehicle, such as for employment. As such the Department does not conduct assessments of compliance in individual sectors.
All drivers and riders must ensure that they comply with road traffic regulations. The Department has not made an assessment, and does not plan to carry out an assessment, of the potential merits of introducing a compulsory registration scheme for all drivers employed in the gig economy for delivering food for either online retailers or takeaways and restaurants.
The Department is rapidly developing plans for e-scooter trials. We are hosting meeting with local authorities and rental e-scooter providers who may be interested in participating in trials, setting out our proposals. We have also launched a consultation on the rules that would apply during trials. Legislative proposals to enable trials will follow shortly after the consultation closes.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget 2020 that £500 million is being made available in 2020/21 to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to repair potholes. The North West’s share is £53 million. The Department will shortly publish details of the individual funding allocations we are making available, including (a) Lancashire and (b) Blackpool.
The Secretary of State keeps the performance and role of Transport for the North under regular review. The legislation which established Transport for the North as a statutory Sub-National Transport Body enables the organisation to bring forward proposals for additional functions to be devolved to them. To date, the Secretary of State has not received any such proposals.
Ministers meet regularly with Transport for the North to discuss delivery of the Government’s infrastructure programme. The Government is committed to increasing infrastructure investment that will support levelling up and drive growth and productivity across our Northern communities.
The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.
The annual Bus Service Operators Grant the Government provided for Blackpool Borough Council during 2018/19 was £41,141.
We have announced an additional £30 million of additional funding to improve current services and restoring lost services. Blackpool Council has been allocated £41,640 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met. This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users
On 11 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced there will be £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Blackpool and the wider North West.
The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.
I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.
I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.
The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.
I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.
I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.
The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.
I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.
I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.
The Department currently has no plans to develop a new Jobcentre Plus site in Blackpool.
In Blackpool, all customers have access to the Plan for Jobs offer, delivering a comprehensive range of support to help people back into work. Mainstream employment support is supplemented through DWP’s local Flexible Support Funded (FSF) provision, in response to needs identified within the local community, delivering tailored support to enhance employment prospects.
The local jobcentre team have the flexibility and discretion to make awards through Flexible Support Fund (FSF) that will enhance the employment prospects of the claimants and other customers with whom they are engaged. This includes single parents. Payments of FSF are discussed with the claimant on an individual basis as part of the support provided by Work Coaches on a day-to-day basis as part of the Jobcentre Plus offer.
Financial assistance for childcare costs is available to eligible parents undertaking activity to move them closer to the labour market or into work. Work Coaches regularly discuss support available during their interactions with claimants which includes support available for upfront childcare costs through FSF.
The jobcentre team continue to work with local employers to deliver Sector Work Based Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in various sectors including care, construction, and education. SWAP’s deliver short vocational training linked directly to vacancies within a particular employer or in a specific sector, helping customers to learn the skills and behaviours that employers in particular industries look for.
In additional the team are working in partnership with local organisations including Blackpool Council, Blackpool and Fylde College, and the Blackpool Football Club Community Trust, to provide a range of employment support programmes in the community.
On 11 July the Secretary of State announced an in depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life and those with severe conditions.
The Department understands how important it is to support those nearing the end of their life and is taking this work forward as a priority. We have made progress on all areas of this work, and will be engaging with clinicians and claimants over the coming months.
Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.
We have no plans to make such an assessment. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure abortions, including telemedicine abortions, are only performed in accordance with the legal requirements set down by Parliament in the 1967 Abortion Act.
The Department has published Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for the approval of independent sector places for termination of pregnancy in England, which set outs the conditions and requirements for all independent sector providers to be approved for undertaking abortion care. The RSOPs include guidance for providers and practitioners on the provision of home-use early medical abortion (EMA) and sets out the expectation that home-use EMA must be carried out in line with clinical guidelines published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
The Department has also published guidance to support practitioners to complete the EMA1 abortion form, which must be completed by the practitioner terminating the pregnancy to certify their opinion, formed in good faith, that the pregnancy will not exceed 10 weeks at the time when the first EMA pill is taken.
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.
As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.
The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasize the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.
The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal requirements set down by Parliament in the 1967 Abortion Act.
Home use of early medical abortion pills is permitted if the pregnancy has not exceeded 10 weeks gestation at the time the first medicine in the course is administered. If there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the woman should attend an in-person appointment.
We have no plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of this policy’s operation.
Parliament decides the circumstances under which abortion is permitted. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to change the law on abortion. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal requirements set down by Parliament in the 1967 Abortion Act.
Home use of early medical abortion pills is permitted if the pregnancy has not exceeded 10 weeks gestation at the time the first medicine in the course is administered. If there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the woman should attend an in-person appointment. If she does not attend in-person, the doctor would not be able to form an opinion in good faith that the pregnancy is below 10 weeks gestation and therefore would not be able to prescribe abortion pills for home use.
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.
As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.
The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.
As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.
The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.
As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.
The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.
Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.
The Department has not held discussions with abortion providers regarding potential changes to the 1967 Abortion Act.
No assessment has been made. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance. Any change to the law in this area would be a matter of conscience for individual Parliamentarians rather than for the Government.
No assessment has been made. The Government has no current plans to commission a review into the impact of home use of pills for abortion on women’s health and safety.
There are no current plans to review or hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022.
There are no current plans to review or hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022.
Following amendments to the 1967 Abortion Act that allow women in England and Wales to take early medical abortion (EMA) pills at home, the Department have taken forward work to ensure that robust safeguarding processes for home-use EMA are embedded across all services. This included publication of national safeguarding guidance for under 18 year olds accessing EMA services, and strengthening the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures, which all independent abortion providers must comply with, to require providers to have robust safeguarding processes in place to identify and support women and girls who need it.
There are no plans to change the existing systems in place to ensure that under 16 year olds receive safe, age appropriate abortion care. All independent sector services wishing to perform termination of pregnancy must be approved by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before they are able to provide abortion services. The CQC inspect independent sector abortion services. If a CQC inspection identifies instances of non-compliance, then appropriate regulatory action will be taken.
The Department expects all abortion providers to have due regard to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health national guidance on safeguarding under 18 year olds accessing early medical abortion services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded across all abortion services. This guidance is available at the following link:
The following table shows the number of people with diabetes in Blackpool South Parliamentary Constituency that had a urine-to-albumin ratio (UACR) test during the audit year, January 2021 to March 2022, broken down by diabetes type.
| Blackpool South | England | ||||
Diabetes type | Total | UACR | Percentage | Total | UACR | Percentage |
Type 1 | 380 | 150 | 39.5 | 250,125 | 124,440 | 49.8 |
Type 2 and other | 5,725 | 3185 | 55.6 | 3,289,925 | 1,997,825 | 60.7 |
Source: National Diabetes Audit
The following table shows the number of people with diabetes in NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board that had a urine-to-albumin ratio (UACR) test during the audit year, January 2021 to March 2022, broken down by diabetes type.
| NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | England | ||||
Diabetes type | Total | UACR | Percentage | Total | UACR | Percentage |
Type 1 | 7,645 | 3,230 | 42.2 | 250,125 | 124,440 | 49.8 |
Type 2 and other | 102,135 | 60,635 | 59.4 | 3,289,925 | 1,997,825 | 60.7 |
Source: National Diabetes Audit
Data is not held at the individual constituency level. Data is available from the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and its predecessor, the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group, which is comprised of Blackpool South, Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituencies. The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease within the geographical footprints of the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group in each year since 2019.
Year | Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board | Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group |
2019/20 | 69,282 | 9,574 |
2020/21 | 66,411 | 8,779 |
2021/22 | 66,355 | 8,534 |
The requested data is not held in the format requested.
The requested data is not held in the format requested.
The information requested is not held centrally.
We do not have estimates of the costs of providing healthcare to people who have crossed the English Channel by small boats. A breakdown of healthcare costs for people who have entered the country this way is not available.
Healthcare for those seeking asylum is delivered by a number of bodies, reflecting different parts of an individual’s journey through the immigration system.
Information about healthcare for migrants is in the Department’s Migrant Health Guide and available at the following link:
Providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and young people accessing abortion services throughout their pathway, including complying with all legal requirements and ensuring staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse, including sexual violence or evidence of coercion.
The Department commissioned the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to develop safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing early medical abortion services. The guidance, published in August, aims to ensure that children and young people’s holistic and safeguarding needs are identified and implemented in early medical abortion settings. This includes managing physical, psychological and wider care needs as appropriate.
The guidance emphasises the importance of abortion providers having strong working relationships and networks with wider health services including primary care, community and acute paediatrics and counselling services for children and young people.
Providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and young people accessing abortion services throughout their pathway, including complying with all legal requirements and ensuring staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse, including sexual violence or evidence of coercion.
The Department commissioned the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to develop safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing early medical abortion services. The guidance, published in August, aims to ensure that children and young people’s holistic and safeguarding needs are identified and implemented in early medical abortion settings. This includes managing physical, psychological and wider care needs as appropriate.
The guidance emphasises the importance of abortion providers having strong working relationships and networks with wider health services including primary care, community and acute paediatrics and counselling services for children and young people.
NHS England will invest £20 million over the next three years to expand opt-out testing in emergency departments in the highest prevalence local authority areas, including Blackpool.
Since 2013 the Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual and reproductive health services, including free and confidential HIV testing through the Public Health Grant. In 2021/22, the Public Health Grant was adjusted to include the cost of financing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of acquiring HIV infection. Blackpool received £18,705,648, of which £69,525 was allocated to PrEP provision. Funding for PrEP is now included within the Public Health Grant and embedded within its baseline for 2022/23. In 2022/23 Blackpool has been allocated £19,231,130.
The Department has issued Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) which allow pharmacists to substitute a specified alternative hormone replacement therapy (HRT) product if the prescribed product is not available. There are currently 14 SSPs in place for five HRT medicines, to manage and mitigate medicine supply issues. Enabling the supply of an alternative product in accordance with an SSP is a safe, effective way to ensure HRT continues to be available.
The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ set out a target to deliver a 10% increase in elective activity compared to pre-pandemic levels, rising to 30% by 2024/25. In 2021/22, the Department provided an additional £39 billion to support health and care services, including a £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund to increase elective activity.
n Lancashire and South Cumbria, £60.5 million was allocated for the recovery of elective services. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust received £15.1 million from this allocation, with a further £2.5 million from specialised commissioners to support the restoration of tertiary activity.
Allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs) made through NHS England, including NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, are adjusted for health inequalities and unmet need in the weighted capitation formula, which was recently reviewed by the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. ICB allocations were published in April 2022 and are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2022-23/
The Department issues funding to NHS England which determine allocations to integrated care boards. National Health Service trusts receive payment by activity commissioned by integrated care boards to provide a range of healthcare services.
The funding received by Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, including funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is published in the Trust’s published Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/20 and 2020/21. The Trust has not yet published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22.
In 2020/21 and 2021/22 we have invested £33 million in the deployment of the HIV prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis in specialist sexual health clinics, which has been made routinely available in England, including Blackpool.
NHS England is investing £20 million for opt-out HIV testing in 21 local authority areas with the highest HIV prevalence, including Blackpool, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines. All sites aim to be fully established during 2022/23.
Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust receives an annual capital allocation for its operational needs. In addition, the Trust has received £22.7 million for local infrastructure schemes over the last three years. The Trust received £5.1 million for investment in its estate and digital initiatives from the Elective Recovery Targeted Investment Fund announced in September 2021. In 2020/21, the Trust received £2.8 million for the expansion of the emergency department and £1.9 million to address backlog maintenance across its estate. In 2021/22, we also provided the Trust with £12.9 million for improvements to Fylde Coast Emergency Department to expand and develop an ambulatory village and centralise clinical care.
In line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ clinical guidelines, feticide should be performed before medical abortion after 21 weeks and six days of gestation to ensure that there is no risk of a live birth. We are aware of a small number of incidents where late gestation abortions have occurred after taking early medical abortion pills and these are being investigated appropriately.
Independent clinical advice states that an ultrasound should be provided in certain conditions, including if a woman is unable to provide her last menstrual period with reasonable certainty or if there is a high risk of ectopic pregnancy. The Department has published guidance on the new legal requirement for doctors prescribing abortion pills for use at home to record their good faith opinion that the pregnancy will not have exceeded 10 weeks when the first pill is taken.
The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.
The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.
The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.
No specific assessment has been made as the Department does not set clinical practice.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is currently reviewing its report ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’. The College has established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness which is expected to report on its findings by the end of 2022.
The Department does not set guidelines for clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’. The Royal College is currently reviewing this guidance.
During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.
We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.
During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.
We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.
In 2018, a human papillomavirus (HPV) programme targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45 years old who attend sexual health clinics was introduced, after a recommendation from the JCVI as they are a high-risk group for HPV exposure and some related cancers. Clinicians can offer the HPV vaccine to individuals in this age group who have a similar risk profile to the eligible MSM population.
From January to June 2020, the Department was not notified of any abortions in England and Wales where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 24 weeks gestation or above. The Department was also not notified of any abortions where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 28 weeks gestation for residents of England and Wales, from January to June 2020. This aligns with our response to FOI-1250644.
Regular meetings are held with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing abortion services.
All services registered by the CQC to provide termination of pregnancy services are subject to ongoing monitoring and providers have a statutory duty to report incidents to the CQC. Where concerns or evidence of risk are identified, the CQC will follow up to ensure the safety of woman accessing those services and will use its enforcement powers where necessary to protect people. In addition, Prevention of Future Deaths Reports play a valuable role in drawing matters of concern to the attention of the Government, its agencies and others to determine if action is needed or should be taken.
The Department continues to carefully monitor the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing this service.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The Royal College’s guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.
The information is not held in the format requested as abortion notification forms (HSA4) submitted by clinics and hospitals to the Chief Medical Officer at the Department do not record the number of individual women. From 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020 eight complications involving haemorrhage after early medical abortion for residents of England and Wales were notified to the Department, where one or both medications were taken at home. No complications related to perforation, sepsis or cervical tear were notified. We do not hold information on ruptured ectopic pregnancies. Data for 2021 will be published in June 2022.
The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications data and we anticipate this work will be completed shortly. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion including home use of early medical abortion pills.
To improve the accuracy of the data collected, the Department is working closely with a range of statutory bodies, professional organisations and abortion providers to identify additional sources of information that could be used to complement complications data collected via HSA4 abortion notification forms and improve the flow of data on abortion complications between different organisations, such as independent and National Health Service abortion providers and wider NHS health and care services.
It would be for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.
The Department has made no such estimate. Abortion providers should provide women with information on what to do with the pills if they choose not to take them after they have been received, for example returning pills to a pharmacy, clinic or general practitioner for safe disposal.
We have met with a number of Parliamentarians and a range of stakeholders to discuss the consultation and implementation of the temporary measure. The consultation has now closed and we are carefully considering all of the responses received and plan to publish our response later this year.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with regional teams as well as community eating disorder services and commissioners to manage demand and support teams. The data shows that community eating disorder services continue to expand access to treatment to increasing number of children and young people and their families.
On 5 March 2021, we announced £79 million of funding for to expand mental health support for children and young people in 2021/22. This includes funding to treat an additional 2,000 children and young people with eating disorders. This is in addition to the new early intervention services to open in 18 sites across the country for 16 to 25 year olds, announced in November 2020.
Private hospital settings providing National Health Service commissioned care can access testing through their local commissioning NHS trust or clinical commissioning group. Private hospitals who do not provide NHS-commissioned care may access publicly funded asymptomatic testing through national workplace testing.
Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists sets out that healthcare staff caring for women requesting abortion should identify those who require more support in the decision-making process and pathways to additional support, including counselling and social services, should be available. As part of their consultation, clinicians will discuss possible complications with the woman and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.
In 2019 the United Kingdom met the UNAIDS target for the third consecutive year, with 94% of people living with HIV being diagnosed, 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment and 97% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. As well as developing a new sexual and reproductive health strategy, this year we have also committed to publish a HIV Action Plan which will set out actions to reach zero new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. This work will be informed by the report and recommendations of the independent HIV Commission. The Department will work in collaboration with key partners including the Government Equalities Office on both the strategy and HIV Action Plan.
In March 2020, we announced that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) will be routinely available across England in 2020/21 as part of the Government’s aim to end HIV transmission by 2030. This year we provided £11 million to local authorities for routine commissioning of PrEP and this is already in place in the majority of areas. Routine commissioning of PrEP will benefit tens of thousands of people and, along with other measures, will take us closer to our ambition of zero HIV transmissions by 2030.
Public Health England, in collaboration with stakeholders, is currently developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the routine commissioning of PrEP. This will use established surveillance systems and include measures of PrEP need and use among key population groups to inform equitable delivery and access.
A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified no items of correspondence received since March 2020. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.
We have no central record of any other representations and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Clinicians will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The RCOG guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.
Private hospitals settings providing National Health Service commissioned care can access testing through their commissioning body, normally their local commissioning NHS trust or clinical commissioning group. Private hospitals who do not provide NHS-commissioned care may access publicly funded asymptomatic testing through National Workplace Testing which is accessible to organisations who are registered in England, employ 50 people or more and whose employees cannot work from home. Tests are currently being provided free to both public and private sector employers until at least 31 March 2021. The Government’s support will be kept under review and will engage with employers before any changes to the support offer are made.
Organisations who do not meet the criteria for National Workplace Testing can contact their local authority to gain information on their local asymptomatic testing offer.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly engages with colleagues across Government on mental health and suicide prevention and meets regularly with suicide and self-harm prevention stakeholders, including meetings of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
The Department does not set clinical practice. It is for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to consider whether to revise their guidelines, having looked at the available evidence.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:
We do know that the virus spreads readily in any indoor environment where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together, so the transmission risk in indoor settings, such as casinos, remains high. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies provided advice to the Department and considered the risks of transmission through different routes and environments in a paper which is available at the following link:
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has not looked at the evidence to offer prenatal screening for fetal sex as a population screening programme.
Every year the UK NSC hosts a call for new topics to be considered. The UK NSC’s call for new topics is open and will close on 6 December 2020. The UK NSC welcomes submissions.
More information about the 2020 annual call can be found at the following link:
https://phescreening.blog.gov.uk/2020/09/15/annualcall2020/
Information on how to submit a proposal can be viewed at the following link:
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with colleagues across Health Education England, Public Health England, Care Quality Commission, NHSX and the Department to bring together local and national intelligence of the impact of digital and remote working during the COVID-19 outbreak. This will include consideration of patients with mental health conditions.
Local initiatives are in place to address digital barriers to access remote services, including access for the most excluded citizens. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local service providers to ensure the homeless have access to the right healthcare and support including registering with a general practitioner and access to mental health services. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working with Groundswell to understand the experiences of people who are homeless, in order to drive improvements in the services they receive.
While we have no specific evidence relating to betting shops, we know that the virus spreads readily in any indoor environment where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together, so the transmission risk in indoor settings, such as bookmakers, remains high. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies provided advice to the Department and considered the risks of transmission through different routes and environments in a paper which is available at the following link:
Between January to June 2020, notifications on form HSA4 indicate that abortions took place at 10 weeks gestation or above where both sets of pills were taken at home (out of a total number of 23,061 abortions) and 40 abortions took place at 10 weeks gestation or above where only the second set of pills was taken at home (out of a total number of 30,977 abortions). This is out of a total number of 54,038 abortions where either both sets or one set of the abortion pills was taken at home.
We continue to closely monitor the impact of the temporary approval for women’s homes to be classed as a place where both sets of medication for early medical abortion can be taken up to 10 weeks gestation.
Since the 1 April the Department has not been notified of any maternal deaths relating to abortion. The Department is aware of reports of two women who died after seeking abortion treatment earlier this year. Both sought care before the temporary approval came into force on 30 March and physically attended an abortion clinic. Both deaths have been appropriately investigated and in one case investigations are continuing. For the other case, the coroner concluded that there was no evidence to suggest the pregnancy or abortion contributed to the death either directly or indirectly.
The Department continues to closely monitor the impact of the temporary approval for women’s homes to be classed as a place where both sets of medication for early medical abortion can be taken up to 10 weeks gestation. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers.
The Government has committed to undertake a public consultation on making permanent the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. Further details on the consultation will be available in due course.
The work around validating and publishing baseline data on access to mental health services for 18 to 25-year olds is currently underway.
NHS England does not yet have a revised publication or dissemination date. Work on the development of metrics has been slowed due to the pandemic but is continuing in order to ensure delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to increase access and improve experience of care for this age group.
No comparative assessment has been made on the rate of complications to date.
The Department does not hold data on coercive abortion. Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. Individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse in adult women and know how to respond.
No comparative assessment has been made on the rate of complications to date.
The Department does not hold data on coercive abortion. Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. Individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse in adult women and know how to respond.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working on revised, patient-facing information on Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and where to get support. This document will help clarify
that people are meant to be engaged in conversations before a DNACPR recommendation is made and how to ask for a review, if such recommendation is made.The guidance will be published shortly following consultation with key stakeholders and people with lived experience.
The additional funding for children and young people’s eating disorder services was added to the overall clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding and distributed using the main CCG allocation formula.
The CCG allocation formula as a whole is based on a number of different components which, together, are intended to take account of the different aspects of healthcare need in a population, including mental health needs.
The technical guide to CCG allocations explains how these formulae are developed and used. This can be found at the following link:
The indicative funding profile for children and young people’s eating disorder services in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20-2023/24 correlates to the national workforce and activity trajectories also set out in the Implementation Plan. These were modelled on the indicative workforce costs to achieve the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time standard by the end of 2020/21 and being maintained thereafter.
Funding is then allocated as part of overall clinical commissioning group budgets, using a statistical formula to make geographic distribution fair and objective so that it more clearly reflects local healthcare needs and helps to reduce health inequalities.
An assessment has not been made at this stage of the effectiveness of Israel’s use of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent plasma) on patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. However, all international evidence on the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients will be considered when the results of the trials are available, in addition to the findings from the clinical trials currently taking place in the United Kingdom.
Clinical trials in the UK include patients receiving convalescent plasma, to determine if it can help those with the virus. NHS Blood and Transplant is collecting convalescent plasma to supply the clinical trials and for wider treatment, if it is shown to be effective in reducing disease symptoms.
NHS England commissions all specialist cleft palate services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.
The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.
Delivery of the service is through a network of care managed and delivered from the specialist centre. The network will commonly include outreach services and relies on strong links to and coordination with local community services. These local community services are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups including local speech and language therapy; local ear, nose and throat services and audiology; and community and local paediatric care. These locally delivered services work collaboratively with the Centres.
Spend on related cleft lip and palate services in 2018/19 (the most recent year for which financial data is currently available) was £28.6 million.
NHS England commissions all specialist cleft lip services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.
The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.
Abortion providers will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.
Any complication known to the practitioner terminating the pregnancy should be reported to the Chief Medical Officer on form HSA4. All serious incidents should be reported by the provider to their commissioner, the Care Quality Commission and other relevant organisations in line with the framework published by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the following link:
https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/serious-incident-framework/
The measures were put in place to ensure that the vast majority of women and girls could continue to access abortion services whilst limiting COVID-19 transmission. This change was made on a temporary basis only and is time limited for two years, or until the pandemic is over. The Department is keeping under review when the temporary approval will be removed.
Abortion providers will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.
Any complication known to the practitioner terminating the pregnancy should be reported to the Chief Medical Officer on form HSA4. All serious incidents should be reported by the provider to their commissioner, the Care Quality Commission and other relevant organisations in line with the framework published by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the following link:
https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/serious-incident-framework/
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not have a statutory responsibility to report routinely on complications arising from abortion procedures. It may, however, report on such issues if they have been identified during the course of an inspection, or if a number of reported issues results in the CQC deciding to inspect the provider, and any concerns would be highlighted in its resulting provider inspection report. The CQC engages regularly with the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement on these matters.
NHS England commissions all specialist cleft lip services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.
The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.
Care covers pre-natal and post-natal diagnosis and advice including feeding advice, corrective surgery including specialist and outreach nursing, lip and palate repair, speech assessment, investigation and treatment/surgery, children’s dentistry, bone grafting, orthodontics, dento-alveolar surgery, restorative dentistry including implant treatment, rhinoplasty, orthognathic surgery, audiology/Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) (hearing and ENT problems), clinical psychology, genetics, and revision treatment.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The RCOG guidance has recently been updated and now includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends in its guidance ‘Abortion Care’ that services should consider providing abortion assessments by phone or video call, as evidence shows that community services and telemedicine appointments improve access to abortion services.
The Schedule to the Abortion Regulations 1991 set out the forms for the purpose of certifying the opinion of a registered medical practitioner under the Act. The regulations also set out the form for notification of abortions to the Chief Medical Officer.
Mental health services, including eating disorder services have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuing to support people with eating disorder issues.
Services across the country are adapting their protocols, as needed, to ensure that medical monitoring continues in way that is safe for both patients and workforce. Examples of adaptation include using dedicated rooms with strict cleaning timetables for weighing patients, working with primary care or local neighbouring teams to undertake measurements and utilising digital means or telephone or video consultations to share information between clinicians and people with eating disorders.
Services are adapting delivery of evidenced based therapies, as clinically appropriate to do so, to provide ongoing support and treatment and keep people with eating disorders engaged during this time.
The Required Standard Operating Procedures set out in the Department’s Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy require that all women requesting an abortion should be offered the opportunity to discuss their options and choices with a trained counsellor and this offer should be regularly repeated. Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists sets out that healthcare staff caring for women requesting abortion should identify those who require more support in the decision-making process and pathways to additional support, including counselling and social services, should be available. All abortion providers should ensure that women have the time and space to discuss their reasons for seeking abortion. Impartial, accurate information is supplied to help the woman consider her options so she can reach an informed choice this should include information on the impact of a COVID-19 diagnosis on pregnancy if this is a particular concern.
The changes to abortion regulation made on 30 March 2020 is on a temporary basis only and is limited for two years, or until the COVID-19 pandemic is over. It is not permanent.
Eating disorder services across the country are adapting their protocols, as required, to ensure that medical monitoring continues in way that is safe for both patients and the workforce.
Examples of this adaptation include using dedicated rooms for weighing patients with strict cleaning timetables, working with primary care or local neighbouring teams to undertake measurements and utilising digital means or telephone or video consultations to share information between clinicians and people with eating disorders.
Eating disorder services have not been paused during COVID-19 and are working around the clock to support people with eating disorder issues through the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. Where people with eating disorders need support, they should contact their general practitioner or local community eating disorder service or mental health crisis service.
Community eating disorder services are deploying innovative digital tools to connect with people and provide ongoing support, assessment and treatment. They are also adapting the delivery of evidence-based therapies, where it is clinically appropriate to do so, to provide ongoing support and treatment and keep people with eating disorders engaged during this time. Guidance has been published to help services manage their capacity and demand for community mental health services during the COVID-19 outbreak.
National Health Service mental health services have remained open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and we have continued to support the NHS to provide services in other innovative ways, such as through greater use of digital channels. It is important that people with eating disorders are able to continue with their agreed meal plans during social isolation arrangements. People in contact with eating disorder services should discuss arrangements for their eating plans with the team in charge of their care.
We have published guidance online that explains what steps people can take if they are unable to access food. This guidance has been shared with local authorities, retailers and charities to help them respond to enquiries from those seeking help. The guidance can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-food-and-essential-supplies
On 23 March 2020, the Government ordered hotels and guest houses to close to reduce social contact, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. The exception to this is where hotels, guest houses, hostels and bed and breakfasts are providing rooms to support homeless and other vulnerable people through arrangements with local authorities or to provide accommodation for key workers.
Further information on closing certain businesses and venues is available at the following link:
Mental health should be an integral part of medical education and training so that all doctors have the necessary knowledge and experience of mental health to assess patients holistically, considering the individuals’ physical, social and psychological needs. All newly qualified doctors, as a condition of their registration with the General Medical Council (GMC), must explain and illustrate by professional experience the principles for the identification, safe management and referral of patients with mental health conditions.
The Government is committed to provide the best training experience for all doctors in training and works with the GMC and relevant stakeholders to ensure doctors in training receive the necessary mental health training to meet the current and future needs of patients. The GMC, at the request of the Department held a roundtable on 21 November 2019 to use their influence to improve educational knowledge and skill in the recognition and treatment of eating disorders.
Since 2016, the government has funded a programme supporting primary and secondary schools in England to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. The programme has reached over 1,800 schools so far. I am clear that no child should be bullied for any reason at all.
Undergraduate training is set by individual Medical Royal Colleges against standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC) and the curricula for postgraduate specialty training.
The GMC’s General Professional Capabilities Framework sets out the essential generic capabilities needed for safe, effective and high-quality medical care in the United Kingdom. The framework, which the GMC requires colleges to embed in all curricula, covers the knowledge, skills and behaviours that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
Diagnosing and treating eating disorders is an important area of medical practice. It is included within the curriculum for all doctors, including for general practitioners (where most eating disorders initially present) and in more depth within training for psychiatry, particularly child and adolescent psychiatry.
In response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report, a working group has been set up to address the recommendations and ensure they feed into planned improvements to eating disorder services. The group meets every quarter and includes representatives from the Department and the General Medical Council (GMC)
The GMC, at the request of the Department, held a roundtable on 21 November 2019 to discuss steps to improve education, knowledge and skills in the recognition and treatment of eating disorders. The GMC is also working with the Faculty of Eating Disorders, Beat and other key stakeholders, including medical schools and Health Education England, to explore how education and training in eating disorders can be strengthened through the development of a common understanding and shared resources.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out the improvements expected in mental health services by 2021. This is underpinned by the report Stepping Forward to 2021 – the mental health workforce plan for England.
As at November 2019, there are 661 consultants working in child and adolescent psychiatry1 this is 33 (or 5.3%) more than in 2010. Data are not collected on the number of consultant psychiatrists working within children and young people’s eating disorder services.
Through their program of work, Enhancing Junior Doctors Working Lives, Health Education England (HEE) is promoting the benefits of psychiatry training. HEE has also increased the number of Psychiatry placements available for junior doctors undertaking foundation training.
Note:
1Data taken from NHS Hospital and Community Health (HCHS) data set.
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the full time equivalent (FTE) number of doctors, and nurses and health visitors employed in the Lancashire area as at November 2019, the latest available data, compared to November 2010.
| November 2010 | November 2019 | Change | % Change |
Doctors | 1,479 | 1,881 | 402 | 27 |
Nurses and health visitors | 4,439 | 5,794 | 1,356 | 31 |
The Lancashire area is defined as those working at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East Lancashire CCG or NHS West Lancashire CCG.
The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered by NHS East Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE.
- | - | All regular GPs (excludes locums) | All nurses |
NHS East Lancashire CCG | September 2019 | 193 | 132 |
September 2015 | 198 | 117 |
The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered NHS West Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE.
- | - | All regular GPs (excludes locums) | All nurses |
NHS West Lancashire CCG | September 2019 | 58 | 30 |
September 2015 | 57 | 26 |
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline, ‘Neuropathic pain in adults: pharmacological management in non-specialist settings’, updated July 2019, sets out evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals in pharmacological treatments for neuropathic pain. This guidance can be found at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg173
In addition, NICE is currently developing guidance on the assessment and management of chronic pain, with an expected publication date of 19 August 2020. Guidance scope for the NICE clinical guidance document in development can be found at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ng10069/documents/final-scope
Government continues to support the integrated provision of health and social care because of the improvements it brings to the quality of care people receive. Integrated provision has been found to improve health, quality of life and patient satisfaction.
Integration across health and social care commissioning also enables improved co-operation and joint decision-making between health and social care partners in delivering shared outcomes. A number of local areas have reported improved outcomes through the adoption of integrated approaches.
At the national level, evidence of savings due to integrated provision is limited, therefore, the department does not have an estimate of the annual savings of integration.
The Care Act 2014 enshrined in law asset and strengths-based approaches to how we design and deliver care and support, with social workers and other professionals co-producing care and support to deliver better outcomes for individuals, communities and services.
An evaluation of the Care Act was completed in 2019 and findings will be published in early 2020, including a summary of lessons learned for implementation of major policy and legislative changes.
The data requested is not collected or held centrally.
There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The UK Government is committed to supporting the economic development of Montserrat as part of our enduring commitment to the Overseas Territories. The FCDO is funding a five-year £30 million capital investment programme which will deliver a package of infrastructure projects, including a subsea fibre cable and a new hospital. The FCDO is also providing £28.3 million to develop a new port which will improve access to the island. The UK also provides approximately 65 per cent of the Government of Montserrat's recurrent budget which supports the delivery of key public services and funding to improve local resilience from a variety of government funding streams.
The Foreign Secretary is in regular and close contact with Vice President Sefcovic to find solutions to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Our priority is protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and political stability in Northern Ireland.
The UK condemns the recent drone attack on MV PACIFIC ZIRCON. We remain committed to assuring the safety of shipping in the Middle East region, including through the Gulf of Oman. The UK is a member of the International Maritime Security Construct, along with several Gulf partners, which addresses the threat in the region by providing reassurance to commercial shipping and deterring further threats. We note recent reporting that Iran may be behind the attack. We will work with partners to ensure that those responsible are held to account.
The UK has played a leading role alongside our G7 allies in driving the response to Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
On 7 April, the Foreign Secretary met her G7 counterparts at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels. They reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our readiness to assist further, including providing weapons and financial assistance to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression.
The Foreign Secretary will meet her G7 counterparts again in Germany next month.
As a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the UK is regularly involved in discussions on the outstanding issues related to Iran's implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, most recently at the quarterly meeting 7-11 March 2022. Ahead of the meeting, the UK consulted with international counterparts and during the Board session issued a joint statement with France and Germany noting Iran's recent agreement with the IAEA to make progress on this issue, and reinforcing that Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA by providing technically credible information, documentation and answers to questions requested by the IAEA.
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.
On 19 August, the UK issued a joint statement with France and Germany underlining our grave concern at the latest reports of the IAEA. These reports confirm that Iran has produced uranium metal enriched up to 20% for the first time, and has significantly increased its production capacity of uranium enriched up to 60%.
60% enrichment constitutes an important step towards developing a nuclear weapon. No State without nuclear weapons has ever before produced Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU). We urge Iran to halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA and return to the negotiations in Vienna as soon as possible with a view to bringing them to a swift, successful conclusion.
The Quartet Principles call on parties to renounce violence as a means of achieving their goals. Hamas continues to embrace violence. We continue to call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel. Hamas' military wing has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK since 2001 and the UK maintains a no contact policy with Hamas in its entirety.
The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping and to maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation. Growing tensions around strategic maritime choke points threatens the ability of trade to safely pass through international waters. The UK continues to underline the need for a reduction in tensions on all sides.
The UK, with France and Germany, triggered the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA's) Dispute Resolution Mechanism on 14 January 2020 in response to Iran's systematic non-compliance with the deal. Our priority continues to be to bring Iran back into compliance with its commitments and to return the US to the deal. Negotiations on a return to the JCPOA are currently ongoing in Vienna.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not track foreign governments funding of UK grassroots organisations to change UK abortion laws so is unable to provide this information.
The UK is proud to defend universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. Investing in SRHR can reduce some of the factors that lead girls to drop out of school, such as early pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, period poverty and shame.
Grassroots organisations are critical to achieving lasting transformation. The barriers to achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights are multi-dimensional and complex, and particular to a country or community context. Grassroots organisations are well placed to understand this context, to be a voice for people affected by these barriers and to define where actions should be focused. An example of UK support is to the Robert Carr Fund which supports networks of grassroots organisations that seek to serve key populations affected by HIV, and ensure that their issues and concerns are raised and addressed.
The UK Government's relationship with the British Red Cross is established under the BRC's Royal Charter. There are no current plans to review this relationship.
We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.
We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.
The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it.
The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence and we have raised this issue with UNRWA.
UNRWA informed us that they had identified the material in question through their own regular monitoring and took swift action to correct the issue. The Agency also conducted a review to identify and address any education materials in breach of its policies. UNRWA has reported that these materials are no longer circulated and are not used in current lessons.
We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.
The FCDO monitors UNRWA's self-learning material via different tools including programme monitoring and annual assessments to assess UNRWA's implementation of the curriculum framework. This ensures lessons taught with UNRWA self-learning materials are in line with UN values.
On 4 January, Iran commenced uranium enrichment up to 20 per cent at the Fordow plant in violation of its JCPoA commitments. The E3 issued a statement on 7 December 2020 making it clear that Iran should not implement any measures set out in its recently adopted nuclear law. We remain in regular touch with the IAEA, who have a mandate to monitor and verify Iranian nuclear activity, on this and other JCPoA compliance matters.
We remain deeply concerned by Iran's continued and systematic non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). We note with great concern both Iran's recent announcement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it intends to install an additional three cascades of advanced centrifuges at the Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz, and the recent law passed by the Iranian Parliament, which - if implemented - would substantially expand Iran's nuclear programme and limit IAEA monitoring access. We have been clear, both at the 16 December Joint Commission and at the 21 December ministerial meeting of JCPoA participants, that Iran must not implement these measures and must return to full compliance with its commitments under the deal. We also made this point clearly at the UN Security Council meeting on 22 December on the Secretary General's ninth report on the implementation of UNSCR 2231.
The UK remains firmly committed to the JCPoA. Along with France and Germany, we have consistently worked to preserve the JCPoA framework over the last two years. We have made clear at every stage that we favour a diplomatic solution to resolve our concerns over the Iranian nuclear programme. And we have worked tirelessly to keep the diplomatic door open for renewed talks between Iran and the US. President-elect Biden has said that if Iran returns to compliance with the deal, the US would re-enter the agreement and seek to both strengthen it and extend it. We welcome this commitment. This is an important opportunity to restart engagement between Iran and the US, and to realise the objectives of the JCPoA.
The UK has a strong track record of investment in maternal and newborn health through strengthening health systems, alongside other essential services, including family planning. Since the 2018 ICAI report, we have taken a series of steps to improve our approach, embedding a focus on quality, respectful maternity care. These were recognised and commended by ICAI in their 2020 follow-up review.
The UK Government has a manifesto commitment on ending the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and children by 2030. We have invested in staff knowledge and skills, and are supporting our partners, including the World Health Organisation, to promote, deliver, and measure quality maternal health care. We support the Global Financing Facility for women, children, and adolescent health in its efforts to strengthen quality and sustainability of services in 36 countries. This action is more important than ever given the negative indirect impacts of COVID-19, which is reducing access to maternity care, and other essential health services.
Our position regarding the US notification to snapback sanctions pursuant to UNSCR 2231 has been very clearly expressed to the UN Security Council Presidency and all UN Security Council members. E3 Foreign Ministers have made clear that the US ceased to be a participant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) following their withdrawal from the deal on 8 May 2018. We cannot therefore support the US' action, which is incompatible with our current efforts to support the JCPoA. We remain committed to the JCPoA and have always said we regret the US' withdrawal from the deal.
However, Iran's continued non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA remains deeply concerning and seriously undermines the non-proliferation benefits of the agreement. We have called for a ministerial Joint Commission meeting to address Iran's non-compliance and find a way forward. We are clear that Iran must engage seriously with this process, and that its current actions put the JCPoA at risk.
Hizballah's destabilising influence threatens regional stability and endangers Lebanon and its people. The UK has long had a no contact policy with the whole organisation. Hizballah was proscribed in its entirety in March 2019 and an asset freeze put in place against the entire organisation in January 2020. The UK does not provide any assistance or funding directly to Hizballah, Hizballah-led ministries or Hizballah-led institutions. Following proscription, we went through a due diligence process with all our programme implementing partners to ensure that they were fully aware of the implications of the UK decision to proscribe Hizballah in its entirety. We regularly raise our concerns about Hizballah at the UN Security Council, and call on all parties to abide by the provisions of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
The UK welcomed the historic Israel-United Arab Emirates normalisation deal. The Foreign Secretary discussed wider US efforts to normalise Israel and Arab state ties in a meeting with Jared Kushner on 3 September, following both of their recent visits to the Middle East. The UK welcomes all efforts towards peace and we continue to work closely with international partners strongly advocating a two-state solution and a regional approach to peace. We believe that negotiations on a two state solution will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, but international action has a role in facilitating progress. The changing regional context and converging Arab and Israeli interests presents an opening to develop Arab-Israeli relations and create the conditions for serious Israeli-Palestinian talks to resume. The Arab League and Arab states have a key role in the peace process and we are in close contact on this issue.
Hamas, including Izz Al-Din Al-Qassem, is subject to financial sanctions in the UK through the EU counter-terrorism sanctions regime CP931. Her Majesty's Government is transferring existing EU sanctions regimes into UK law through regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, and the Secretary of State and the Treasury have made regulations providing for counter terrorism sanctions after the end of the transition period. We will look to carry over existing EU designations at the end of the transition period.
The Government is committed to supporting the sustainable economic development of the British Overseas Territories (OTs). The Territories have some autonomy over their own trade relationships, and many already have established trading links with their neighbours. Working jointly with the Department for International Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is exploring opportunities for the OTs to strengthen their global trade standing. This has included considering their interests in future Free Trade Agreements, posts connecting to our overseas network, and the GREAT campaign.
The UK's Overseas Territories (OTs) have preferential access to the UK market, which means that they are able to export goods to the UK tariff and quota free. The British Government has ensured that this access will continue at the end of the transition period. The UK has established trade links with some OTs, and stands ready to support UK and OT businesses that want to strengthen their trade links.
The UK’s financial promotions regime, underpinned by Section 21 and Section 238 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), seeks to ensure that consumers are provided with clear and accurate information that enables them to make appropriate decisions for their individual circumstances. Under this regime, the FCA has imposed rules on the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes, including that such schemes cannot be promoted to ordinary members of the public.
Enforcement relating to the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes is generally a matter for the FCA, which is operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond directly to the honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The UK’s financial promotions regime, underpinned by Section 21 and Section 238 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), seeks to ensure that consumers are provided with clear and accurate information that enables them to make appropriate decisions for their individual circumstances. Under this regime, the FCA has imposed rules on the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes, including that such schemes cannot be promoted to ordinary members of the public.
Enforcement relating to the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes is generally a matter for the FCA, which is operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond directly to the honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The UK’s financial promotions regime, underpinned by Section 21 and Section 238 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), seeks to ensure that consumers are provided with clear and accurate information that enables them to make appropriate decisions for their individual circumstances. Under this regime, the FCA has imposed rules on the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes, including that such schemes cannot be promoted to ordinary members of the public.
Enforcement relating to the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes is generally a matter for the FCA, which is operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond directly to the honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The UK’s financial promotions regime, underpinned by Section 21 and Section 238 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), seeks to ensure that consumers are provided with clear and accurate information that enables them to make appropriate decisions for their individual circumstances. Under this regime, the FCA has imposed rules on the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes, including that such schemes cannot be promoted to ordinary members of the public.
Enforcement relating to the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes is generally a matter for the FCA, which is operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond directly to the honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The takings from gaming machines that are subject to Machine Games Duty are exempt from VAT. This means that businesses do not have to charge any VAT on the machine takings but, in line with the normal VAT rules, they cannot reclaim VAT on related costs.
There are no plans to review the VAT liability of this income.
Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.
Together with Small Business Rates Relief, over 90 per cent of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will receive at least a 50 per cent reduction in their business rates bills in 2022-23.
As part of its recent consultation on aviation tax, the Government outlined its initial view that the effective rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD) on domestic flights should be reduced in order to support Union and regional connectivity and that the number of international distance bands should be increased in order to align APD more closely with our environmental objectives.
The consultation sought evidence on the potential impacts of these proposals, including on regional air routes. As part of the consultation process the Government engaged with airports in all parts of the UK.
The Government is currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will update in due course.
The Government has no current plans to reduce Machine Games Duty. High street arcade operators will have been able to benefit from the package of measures introduced to mitigate the financial impact of Covid-19 worth over £280 billion, including the Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until April, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the bounce back loan and payment deferral schemes.
HM Treasury keeps all taxes, including Machine Games Duty, under active review.
The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July to support the cash flow and viability of over 150,000 businesses and protect 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors, and will run until 31 March 2021. While we keep all taxes under review, this relief comes at a significant cost to the Exchequer, and there are currently no plans to extend the scope of the reduced rate.
The Government has announced a significant support package to help businesses through the winter months, which includes an extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, an extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant, and an extension of the application window for the government-backed loan schemes.
Revenue and Customs Brief 5 (2020): VAT treatment on fixed odds betting terminals and gaming machines published on 26 May 2020 (updated on 26 June 2020) sets out the process for claimants in relation to the Rank Group PLC and Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd and Others litigation to be repaid the sums due to them. Repayments have now started and will continue. There has been no prioritisation of any particular claimant.
After eight months of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the scheme will close in October.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme must be temporary and the Government must ensure people can get back to work when it is safe to do so and get the UK economy up and running again.
It would be challenging to target the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus.
It would also be difficult to target the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme at specific sectors without creating distortion, particularly as some firms work across multiple sectors.
There are other schemes, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, that can provide support to specific firms.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has introduced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates at a cost of more than £300 billion.
The temporary reduced rate of VAT will support the tourism and hospitality sectors and will help over 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs. Ice cream served for consumption on the premises in ice cream parlours or other food establishments will benefit from the reduced rate.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has introduced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates at a cost of more than £300 billion.
The temporary reduced rate of VAT will support the tourism and hospitality sectors and will help over 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs. Ice cream served for consumption on the premises in ice cream parlours or other food establishments will benefit from the reduced rate.
The Government is committed to supporting every local area invest in their local economic priorities and to level up opportunity across the country, including Blackpool. This is why at the previous Budget we announced £6bn for local transport in England, £10.9bn new capital investment into housing, and £5bn to support the rollout of gigabit broadband to the 20% hardest to reach areas. These build on the government’s previous investments, such as the Blackpool 21st Century Centre, the Blackpool Bridges and the Blackpool Tramway Extension funded through our Local Growth Fund. In addition to this Blackpool has been shortlisted as one of the 100 Towns for our £3.6bn Towns Fund.
The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector about its contribution to handling this unprecedented situation. The Government is also working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the rules are being upheld during this crisis.
For those businesses which have an appropriate policy that covers government ordered closure and unspecified notifiable diseases, the Government’s social distancing instructions are sufficient to allow businesses to make a claim against their insurance, provided the other terms and conditions in their policy are met.
The FCA’s rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim, and appropriate information on its progress; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed. In addition, the FCA has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.
Furthermore, on 15 April, FCA sent a letter to the insurance industry, setting out the FCA's expectation of firms regarding their handling of business interruption insurance claims, urging insurers to settle claims quickly in cases where there was a clear obligation to pay the claim in full or in part.
In addition, on 1 May, the FCA published a statement setting out their intention to seek legal clarity on the handling of business interruption insurance claims, in order to resolve any doubt for businesses facing uncertainty on their claims. In their statement the FCA also noted that insurers should look at how they can help consumers who are experiencing financial distress as a result of COVID-19.
However, most businesses have not purchased insurance that covers losses from COVID-19. Insurance policies differ significantly, so businesses are encouraged to check the terms and conditions of their specific policy and contact their providers.
The Government recognises that businesses who do not have appropriate insurance cover will require support from elsewhere. As such, businesses should explore the full package of support set out by the Chancellor, which includes measures such as business rates holidays, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and wage support.
The Government maintains empty property relief to support property owners between the reoccupation of vacated premises. Under empty property relief, owners of properties do not normally have to pay business rates on newly vacated buildings for three months. Certain properties are also eligible for extended empty property relief.
Properties which have closed temporarily due to the Government’s advice on COVID-19 should be treated as occupied for the purposes of the business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure properties.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, has also been made available.
The Government has announced unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. The Government has made significant changes to the operation of Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, and Employment and Support Allowance, in order that people have quicker and more generous access to a support system.
For casual workers and freelancers, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will provide grants to those who are self-employed, or members of partnerships, worth 80% of their trading profits/partnership trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The value of the grant is based on a three-year average of trading/partnership trading profits, from the tax years 2016-17 to 2018-19. SEISS is available to those who generate majority of their income from self -employment and who earn less than £50,000. Some 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment could benefit from this scheme.
To support those on low incomes, the Government has announced a package of temporary welfare measures, including:
Details of the range of support for individuals affected by COVID-19 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-those-affected-by-covid-19/support-for-those-affected-by-covid-19.
Charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations will benefit from the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The government has announced an unprecedented package of financial support that will also support charities and social enterprises, including small business grants. Many charities are already eligible for 80% charitable rate relief, they will benefit from the new enhanced retail rate relief at 100%. Further detail of government support is available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk
Charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations will benefit from the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The government has announced an unprecedented package of financial support that will also support charities and social enterprises, including small business grants. Many charities are already eligible for 80% charitable rate relief, they will benefit from the new enhanced retail rate relief at 100%. Further detail of government support is available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk
Ensuring that digital businesses pay their fair share of tax in the UK is a priority for the Government.
The Government is actively working on a multilateral solution to ensure that digital businesses pay an appropriate level of tax in the countries in which they operate.
Pending that solution, the Government is introducing the digital services tax from April 2020; a 2% tax on the UK revenues of social media platforms, online marketplaces and search engines.
The Home Office does not publish a record of those on student visas who overstayed.
Our published data can be found in the available Migration Statistics on GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2022/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-study
The Home Office does not publish a record of those on student visas who overstayed.
Our published data can be found in the available Migration Statistics on GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2022/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-study
Ahead of the commencement of the Public Order Bill, expected to be in Spring/Summer 2023, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are updating relevant public order guidance and training to reflect the inclusion of the offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services.
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space.
Several local authorities have imposed PSPOs outside of abortion clinics. Decisions regarding restrictions imposed are for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space.
Several local authorities have imposed PSPOs outside of abortion clinics. Decisions regarding restrictions imposed are for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.
The recruitment of an additional 20,000 officers across England and Wales is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support all forces become more representative of the communities they serve.
The Home Office does not hold information on how much forces have spent on local recruitment campaigns. Decisions on the use of funding & resource are an operational matter for Chief Constables & Police and Crime Commissioners who are best placed to make decisions based on local knowledge and experience.
Through Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) we are trail-blazing a whole-system response to combatting drug misuse in 13 hardest hit areas across England and Wales.
Project ADDER is underpinned by a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. Our internal monitoring shows positive early signs. Between January 2021 and September 2022 across all sites, Project ADDER boosted activity and supported: over 1,600 Organised Crime Gangs disruptions; £7m in cash seized; nearly 20,500 arrests; over 12,400 Out of Court Disposals offered; and over 28,500 drug treatment interventions.
Partner feedback in Blackpool is positive with increased partnership working between the police, Local Authority and service providers to address drug related crime and support people into treatment and wider services.
The Home Office have also commissioned Kantar Public to undertake an independent evaluation of Project ADDER, and this is due to report in late 2023. The evaluation will look at how Project ADDER has been implemented across all Project ADDER sites and the overall impact of the programme in meeting the aims and objectives to reduce drug use, drug-related offending and drug-related deaths.
The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the 'Irregular Migration to the UK statistics' report. Data on small boat arrivals by year for the top 20 nationalities in the latest year (January to September 2022) are published in table Irr_02b of the 'Irregular migration to the UK data tables' with the latest data up to the end of September 2022.
Data up to the end of December 2022 will be published on 23 February 2023. Future irregular migration publication release dates can be found on the research and statistics calendar.
There are no published statistics on nationalities involved in serious organised crime.
The Home Office publishes statistics on small boat arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular Migration to the UK statistics’ report. Data on small boat arrivals by age are published in table Irr_02c of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK data tables’ with the latest data up to the end of September 2022.
Data up to the end of December 2022 will be published on 23 February 2023. Future irregular migration publication release dates can be found on the research and statistics calendar.
The Home Office does not collect any data on breaches of Public Space Protection Orders.
Public Space Protection Orders are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space. Decisions regarding what restrictions are imposed are matters for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.
The Home Office does not collect any data on breaches of Public Space Protection Orders.
Public Space Protection Orders are designed to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space. Decisions regarding what restrictions are imposed are matters for the local authority which is required to consider people’s rights under the European Convention.
The Home Office does not hold or collect information on the average cost of policing a 20mph zone, nor are there any current plans to do so.
The enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for the police and any costs associated with enforcement activity will inevitably vary between forces.
There are 99,419 asylum applications awaiting an initial decision as at 30 June 2022.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting a decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Please note the data show a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum application awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2022. Data as at 30 September 2022 will be published on 24 November 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
The Home Office are unable to state when these claims were initially lodged; however, published transparency data provides a detailed breakdown of initial asylum claims that have been outstanding for less than 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and 12months + and can be found at Asy_02 published transparency data: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
This Government’s 10-year Drug Strategy, underpinned by significant investment, sets out a whole system approach to reducing drug-related crime, harms and overall drug use. This includes £300m of dedicated investment over three years to drive work on tackling drug supply and county lines.
Through Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) we are trail-blazing a whole-system response to combatting drug misuse in 13 hardest hit areas across England and Wales. Project ADDER in Blackpool has provided the Lancashire Constabulary with over £650k of dedicated enforcement funding in 2021/22, with a further £575k provided for 2022/23. In total, Blackpool’s Project ADDER funding allocation will be £1,925,000 for 2022/23, which includes both health and enforcement funding.
Police funding for the Lancashire Constabulary more generally will be up to £343.7m in 2022/23, an increase of up to £17.9m when compared to 2021/22. Decisions on how to use this funding are an operational matter for Chief Constables.
The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed.
Since the review in 2018, the Government has continued to keep the matter of abortion-related protests outside clinics under review. Having considered the evidence, the Government continues to believe that national buffer zones outside abortion clinics in England and Wales would be disproportionate.
Existing laws enable the police and local authorities to deal with harmful protests and the Government expects the police and local authorities to use their powers appropriately.
Border Force does not hold the data requested in an accessible format.
The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).
The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).
The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).
The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).
The Home Office publishes data on small boat arrivals in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ release. Data on the number of small boat arrivals is published in the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’, including breakdowns by nationality, age and sex. The latest data cover the period up to the end of December 2021.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns, which are enforced either following a criminal conviction, or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily. Figures on deportations, which are a subset of enforced returns, are not separately available.
The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).
The Home Office does not accommodate illegal migrants, but does have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 February 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in May 2022. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in specific accommodation. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts
The Home Office does not accommodate illegal migrants, but does have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.
The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 February 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in May 2022. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in specific accommodation. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts
Information regarding the number of failed asylum seekers still living in the UK can be found on tables ASY03 and RCM02 of the most recently published immigration and protection transparency data:
Immigration and protection data: Q4 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
When individuals fail to remain in contact with the Home Office, we have dedicated resources to bring them into contact. We will work with the police, other government agencies and commercial companies to track these people down.
We are currently refreshing our approach to contact management.
This Government is committed to protecting and supporting all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of gender. That is why we recently passed the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, which includes a new definition of domestic abuse. Additionally, the Statutory Guidance that will accompany the Act will address the impact on male victims and their unique needs and barriers to accessing support. We will be publishing this guidance for consultation shortly.
Since 2017/18 the Home Office has provided funding of over £160,000 per year to the Men’s Advice Line run by Respect which supports and advises male victims of domestic abuse. Additional funding of £151,000 was provided to further bolster the helpline during the pandemic. In addition, The Home Office has provided approximately £365,000 from 2018 to 2020 to Hestia to improve support for male victims of domestic abuse.
In March 2019 the Home Office published the Male Victims Position Statement which sets out 12 specific commitments to better enable male victims and survivors to come forward and receive necessary support, and to tackle offenders. This will be refreshed later this year following the publication of the Violence against Women and Girls and Domestic Abuse Strategies.
The Home Office is working to transform the broken asylum system and processes: the work will simplify, streamline and digitise processes, ensuring that genuine asylum claimants are treated quickly, fairly and are supported; and those who do not qualify are rapidly identified and prepared for return.
As part of this programme of work, the Home Office is working collaboratively with HMCTS on their ambitious programme of court reform.
The Government and the security and intelligence agencies keep the threat from terrorist groups, including Hamas, under review. In March 2001, the Government proscribed the military wing of Hamas (Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades), as a terrorist organisation. It is criminal offence in the UK to be a member of the military wing. The investigation and prosecution for all criminal offences, including whether an actual offence has been committed, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service
The Terrorist Asset Freezing Act (TAFA) 2010 permits HM Treasury to designate an individual or entity for sanctions if they meet the statutory test. Currently there are three individuals designated under TAFA 2010 who are associated with Hamas. Hamas, including its military wing, is also subject to financial sanctions in the UK through the EU counter-terrorism sanctions regime CP931.
The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters. While we work closely with our international partners in the global fight against terrorism, any executive action must be underpinned by intelligence that satisfies the UK’s criminal and statutory thresholds.
The Home Office has made no recent assessment on compulsory ID cards. The previous identity card scheme was abolished by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in 2010.
The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on the number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation, by local authority, in the Immigration Statistics release, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.
We would not disclose figures for the people we accommodate temporarily. We can confirm that the use of hotels for contingency is permitted under the terms of the Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts.
The Home Office is listening carefully to those with concerns about how members of HM Forces can have the support of their families whilst serving our country.
We are continuing to assess the impact of immigration fees on members of the HM Forces in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence.
It is important that we have a police service which is fit for the future. The new entry routes for police constables introduced by the College of Policing (an undergraduate degree in policing, a degree holder entry programme and a degree apprenticeship) are an important step in ensuring that we provide our police with the skills they need. The new entry routes will also bring consistency: at a time when we are increasing investment in policing and the police are actively recruiting additional officers, ensuring that new recruits across all forces meet the same consistently high standards is vital.
The degree apprenticeship offers new entrants to policing the opportunity to earn a wage while becoming a police constable, with successful candidates acquiring a degree qualification at the end of the learning programme. This is an attractive option for people who want to take the first step in a rich and varied profession, meaning that forces will be able to encourage and maintain access to policing from people from all communities and backgrounds.
The Home Office publishes data on returns from the UK in the ‘. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Data on the number of returns, by year, type of return and asylum and non-asylum related returns are published in table Ret_05.
Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but removed for other reasons (such as criminality). Therefore not all ‘asylum’ cases will relate to failed asylum seekers.
The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately available and therefore the published statistics refer to all enforced returns.
The latest data relates to the year ending September 2019.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the. https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=release-date-oldest
The Home Office takes a number of steps to re-establish contact with Failed Asylum Seekers (FAS) who have absconded. Our dedicated tracing team conducts a full range of checks which cannot be detailed for security reasons.
Information regarding the number of failed asylum seekers still living in the UK can be found on tables OLCU_01, OLCU_04 and ASY_03 of the most recently published Asylum, UK Visa & Immigration Transparency Data:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2019
The police have the government's full support in the fair and targeted use of stop and search to crack down on criminality and violent crime. That is why, last year, we started a national pilot to test a relaxation of voluntary restrictions on "no suspicion" Section 60 powers, used when the police anticipate serious violence.
Stop and search in Lancashire increased 39% in 2018/19 compared with 2017/18, the first year-on-year increase since 2010/11. This is similar to the national trend.
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and searches conducted by each police force in England and Wales on an annual basis. Results are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019
Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental values on which our society is based and in this country we have a long history of defending the right to free speech. We have not directly spent any public money on promoting free speech since 2015 and do not hold this information as a department.
We will continue to develop our force structure and capabilities to allow us to contribute to addressing the full range of potential threats, including those from insurgents, to ensure we can both defend, deter and compete across all domains alongside our allies and partners.
Any specific policy changes or updates to force structure will be determined once the update to the Defence Command Paper has concluded.
Collaboration with civil and international partners is fundamental to our delivery of the National Space Strategy and Defence Space Strategy (DSS).
Defence is developing new capabilities to support military operations and to protect and defend our national interests. We are investing £1.5 billion over 10 years in a coherent Defence Space Portfolio (DSP). This is in addition to the £5 billion we are investing in the SKYNET satellite communications programme.
In delivering the DSP, we are working with international Allies and partners to maximise interoperability and provide resilience in our joint pursuit of a safe and secure space domain. We are also partnering with commercial providers to deliver the Portfolio and with partners across Government to determine where dual-use capabilities can meet civil and defence needs.
The DSS commits us to broadening and deepening our multinational collaboration. As a founding member of the Combined Space Operations initiative (Five Eyes + France and Germany), we use this forum to align on space policy, capability development and operations. We are also working with NATO to grow the NATO Space Enterprise and we are developing new bilateral relationships.
The UK is showing global leadership on space security. Ministry of Defence is supporting the FCDO-led initiative through the UN on Reducing Space Threats through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviours. This is aimed at reducing the risk of miscalculation in the space domain.
In financial year 2021-22, £921,110.93 was spent by the Armed Forces on recruitment marketing targeted to reach under-represented communities across the UK.
Blackpool Army Reserve Centre is a relatively modern and well used facility. At this stage there is no assessed requirement for any major refurbishment or investment.
The decision to consolidate the Defence Business Services northwest estate was based on qualitative benefits and through life costs of potential sites based on several factors including operational risk, sustainability, and compliance with key user requirements.
A regional economic impact assessment was undertaken during down selection, but did not form part of the decision making criteria. The consolidation into the Blackpool region brings an opportunity to bring circa 700 posts to Blackpool from our other northwest sites, and contributes to the redevelopment at Talbot Gate through the building of the new Government hub.
Following the attacks on Saudi oil production facilities on 14 September 2019, we are working with other international partners and the Saudi Ministry of Defence to consider how best to improve the effectiveness of Saudi air defence systems.
With Israel, the UK undertakes routine Defence Engagement, including joint exercises, exchanges, visits, and training. In this current period of tension between Iran and the US, Israel has not approached the UK for any additional support.
As part of the Coalition, the UK has provided support to the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces, which has been crucial in the fight against Daesh. We have trained over 114,000 Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga personnel to help build their capacity to ensure Daesh's enduring defeat.
Due to current circumstances, we have paused training with Iraqi Security Forces but we continue to train Kurdish forces in the Kurdish Region of Iraq. And we hope to resume counter-Daesh operations and training with the Iraqi Security Forces as quickly as possible, but this will not be at the expense of the right force protection measures for UK troops.
We have been continuously engaged with Turkey as a NATO Ally from the outset in countering the threat from Daesh. Following the incursion into Northeast Syria, we welcome the ceasefire and we hope that this will allow us to continue to protect our mutual counter-terrorism interests.
Since 2019, my department has invested £39.5 million in Blackpool’s Town Deal, £40 million of Levelling Up Fund and £5.8 million of Shared Prosperity Fund into Blackpool.
In February 2022, my department undertook a deep dive with Blackpool Council to better understand Blackpool’s regeneration needs, including relocating the court buildings. I thank my Honourable Friend for his continued support for regeneration in Blackpool
The Department does not collect information on the amount of relief by property occupier and is not able to answer questions about individual entities. Public sector bodies should be able to offer proportionate responses to data requests as per their Freedom of Information obligations.
Since 2019, Blackpool has received £3,469,343 in Government funding to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This includes funding from the Homelessness Prevention Grant, and its predecessors the Flexible Homelessness Support Grant and Homelessness Reduction Grant, and the Rough Sleeping Initiative, and includes its allocation for the three-year Rough Sleeping Initiative from 2022-2025.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government delivered an unprecedented package of support for business. Nearly £27 billion was allocated to local authorities throughout England for Business Grant Support in 2020-21 and 2021-22, including over £135 million to Blackpool Council
During this period the Government also allocated over £15 billion directly to local authorities in England in 2020-21 and 2021-22 to tackle the impacts of Covid-19. Blackpool Council received £56.7 million in direct funding, of which £21.8 million was un-ringfenced.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that local plans should provide a framework for addressing housing needs, as well as other economic, social and environmental priorities.
Having an effective, up to date plan in place is essential to planning for and meeting housing requirements; in ways that make good use of land and result in well-designed and attractive places to live. The Government expects local authorities to work together to plan for and deliver the housing and infrastructure our communities and businesses need.
On 19 January 2021, a Written Ministerial Statement was made in the House of Commons which set out the importance of maintaining progress to get up-to-date local plans in place by the Government's deadline of December 2023.
Authorities that fail to ensure an up-to-date plan is in place are failing their communities by not recognising the homes and other facilities that local people need. Without an up-to-date plan, homes can end up being built on a speculative basis, with no co-ordination and limited buy-in from local people.
As of 31 December 2021, 22 local planning authorities (7%) do not have an adopted local plan (under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Most are at an advanced stage of preparing plans: 12 have submitted their plan for examination in public; and 1 has had the plan found sound following examination and is expected to vote on adopting it shortly. The authorities that have no plan in place are:
Amber Valley
Ashfield
Basildon
Brentwood
Bury
Calderdale
Castle Point
Eastleigh
Epping Forest
Liverpool
Medway
North Hertfordshire
Northumberland
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
Salford
St Albans
Tameside
Uttlesford
Welwyn Hatfield
Windsor and Maidenhead
Wirral
York
I am delighted that Blackpool in my Honourable friend’s constituency is one of the initial places that yesterday had its Town Deal offer announced for a transformative funding package worth up to £39.5 million. This Town Deal will help give a new lease of life to much loved tourist attractions as well as supporting the local business community to grow and thrive.
My officials are continuing to review Blackpool’s Future High Street Fund bid and I hope to make an announcement later in the Autumn.
In due course we will bring forward a further competitive round of the Towns Fund, building on lessons learned from the first Town Deals and Future High Streets Fund. We want to make sure that more places can benefit from investment that will improve our towns and high streets and drive long-term economic growth.
To reduce social contact and the spread of infection, the Government previously ordered certain businesses and venues to close to members of the public across England. This list of closures was in line with advice from medical professionals. Though there has been tragic loss of life, thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the British people, the UK has slowed the spread of Coronavirus.
Following earlier easements in May and June, as part of Step Three of the government’s plan to return life to as near normal as we can, further businesses and venues were allowed to open from 4, 11 and 13 July.
Certain premises have been required to remain closed beyond 13 July, due to the higher risk of infection in those premises. The Prime Minister gave an oral statement on 17 July to set out the next chapter in the UK’s Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy. From 25 July, subject to assessment of the evidence at the time regarding the rates of transmission, it is proposed that sports facilities and venues, such as indoor gyms, fitness and dance studios, indoor swimming pools and indoor facilities at water parks will be permitted to open.
From 1 August, subject to assessment of the evidence at the time regarding the rates of transmission, it is proposed that most remaining leisure settings, including bowling alleys, indoor skating rinks, and casinos will be permitted to reopen.
The venues where people are likely to be very close to each other and are particularly challenging to reopen in a safe way at the present time due to the high transmission risk, will be required to remain closed after 1 August. This includes nightclubs, soft play areas, and sexual entertainment venues. These will be kept under review.
The COVID-19 recovery strategy applies to England only. The Devolved Administrations are making their own assessments about the lifting of measures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The number of new homes built by local authority area since 2012-13 is published in Live Table 123, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing.
The number of new affordable homes by local authority area, type (new build or acquisition) and tenure (e.g. social rent) since 1991-92 is published in Live Table 1011, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply.
There is no record of written representations or correspondence from either the Chief Executive of Blackpool Council or the Leader of Blackpool Council on the local government finance settlement or Government funding of local authorities. However, I can confirm that through this year’s Local Government Finance Settlement, Blackpool’s spending power will increase by £8.5 million, or 6.4 per cent since 2019-20.
Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we are taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms.
We recognise that there has been an increase in antisemitic incidents across the country. Home Office Official Statistics for hate crime, which report police recorded data, show that 18% of religiously motivated hatred was directed towards Jews, compared with 12 per cent in 2017/18. [‘Hate Crime, England and Wales, 2018 to 2019’ (Oct, 2019)].
We are also aware that Greater Manchester had the highest number of antisemitic incidents outside Greater London over last 10 years (2008-2018) according to the Community Security Trust, who are one of our key partners in tackling antisemitism and the main body reporting on the number of incidents each year.
That is why we became the first country in the world to adopt the working definition of antisemitism as set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. We are making sure the police record hate crimes disaggregated by faith and our refreshed Hate Crime Action Plan reaffirms our commitment to combating antisemitism. We are working with partner organisations across England to make sure Jewish communities feel safe and are pressing for public sector institutions to adopt the IHRA definition.
Flags are a very British way of expressing joy and pride – they are emotive symbols which can boost local and national identities and strengthen community cohesion. There will be many who wish to mark our departure from the European Union on 31 January. The Government stands ready to work with local authorities and others up and down the country, to help them mark this important moment in our national history.
It is important that the law protects those who may be coerced into having an abortion. Section 58 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (use of poison or instrument to cause a miscarriage) can be used to prosecute those who coerce a woman to have an abortion. In addition, section 1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929, which deals with late term abortions in England and Wales, makes it an offence for any person, with intent to destroy the life of a child which is capable of being born alive, to cause the death of that child unless it can be proved that the act was done to preserve the life of the woman.
Decisions to prosecute a person for a criminal offence in England and Wales are a matter for the independent CPS, who take into account both the evidence available and whether it is in the public interest to pursue a prosecution under the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
The Government maintains a neutral stance in terms of changing the criminal law relating to abortion in England and Wales.
Any change to the law in this area would be a matter of conscience for individual Parliamentarians rather than for the Government.
The information requested is not held centrally.
Blackpool Youth Offending Team received the following sums from the Ministry of Justice in each of the last three years: £435k (anticipated allocation for 2022/23), £396k (2021/22), £365k (2020/21).
Divorce and dissolution are a fundamental change of legal status that may have implications for people’s rights and responsibilities, for matters such as property and inheritance, and for the families involved. Since the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, divorce has always been a court process and only the court can legally end a marriage.
However, divorcing couples can use family mediation to reach agreement about the arrangements for any children and for dividing their financial assets, rather than asking the court to decide these matters.
This government is committed to supporting more families to resolve issues such as these through mediation, where appropriate. On 26 March 2021, a £1m Family Mediation Voucher Scheme was launched by the MoJ, to encourage and better support families to use mediation and resolve disputes outside of court.
The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme is currently available in private law children cases where there are no safeguarding concerns and the case is deemed suitable for mediation. The scheme will offer over 2,000 families a financial contribution of up to £500 towards their mediation costs, giving these families the opportunity to resolve their disputes with the assistance of a trained mediator.
We are closely monitoring the uptake and impact of the scheme and are actively considering what more could be done to encourage parties to consider mediation as an alternative to court, including better signposting of mediation as part of the implementation of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020.
The UK is committed to protecting and respecting human rights. We have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations.
The Government is committed to upholding the right to freedom of expression. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides a right of access to recorded information held by UK public authorities. We have no plans for a review of these rights.
The Ministry of Justice publishes information regarding prosecutions, convictions and sentencing for hate crime offences specifically defined in legislation, i.e. ‘racially or religiously aggravated’ offences. The court outcomes for these offences can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx
(using the pivot table, filter by ‘Offence’ for offences starting with ‘racially or religiously aggravated…’ and select all that appear).
Other hate crime offences are prosecuted under the specific offence in legislation that they fall under and the ‘hate’ element is an aggravating factor in that crime rather than the offence itself but these cannot be separately identified in the data.
Maternity and prenatal health is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland.
The Government recognises the importance of consulting with experts, counselling and other support services to support women and girls through any difficult decisions. This will be a matter for the Department of Health to take forward as part of its commissioning of abortion as a new healthcare service, once the regulations are laid in the UK Parliament shortly.
The devolved administration in Northern Ireland is primarily responsible for supporting and promoting languages, including Ulster-Scots. The New Decade, New Approach agreement contains important commitments for the Northern Ireland Executive to progress on supporting and promoting Ulster-Scots language and culture.
In reserved areas, such as broadcasting, the Government is committed to supporting Ulster- Scots as appropriate, and has ensured that the BBC Framework Agreement includes a specific clause which provides a clear commitment for the BBC to continue to deliver output in Ulster- Scots, and provides funding for the Ulster-Scots Broadcasting Fund (USBF).
The Government has also itself committed, under the New Decade, New Approach agreement, to supporting discussions with NI Screen to explore how the remit of the Ulster USBF can be broadened, and will increase funding to reflect any broadened remit. The Government will also, under the New Decade, New Approach agreement, work to recognise Ulster-Scots as a national minority under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
The British Energy Security Strategy will speed up the UK’s nuclear programme and recognises the strength of Wylfa as a nuclear site. The Secretary of State for Wales and the Business Secretary recently chose the Wylfa site to announce the £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund, which will unlock and accelerate new nuclear technologies.
The City and Growth Deals are progressing well. Cardiff has several exciting projects in the pipeline and I was pleased to approve and visit Swansea Bay’s Pembroke Dock Marine and see the progress on Swansea’s Digital District for myself. North Wales’ Full Deal Agreement and Mid Wales’ Head of Terms are also expected by the end of the year.
I met with the leaders of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, Programme Director Alwen Williams and the Business Advisory Board on 12 March, before the covid-19 crisis, where I discussed the opportunities that will be created by the North Wales Growth Deal to build on the already significant cross-border economic activity that exists between Northeast Wales and the Northwest of England.
As the new Secretary of State for Wales I am wholeheartedly committed to strengthening the Union and to working hand in hand with Welsh Government colleagues.
I have already met with the First Minister and a number of Welsh Ministers to discuss how we can work together to maximise the opportunities of EU exit and support the Welsh economy.