Scott Benton

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The Ministerial Taskforces have been getting scientific input from Public Health England (PHE) as they draft guidance.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:

• All Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing
• Associated Beauty Therapists
• Coalition letter from 180 businesses in the beauty, aesthetics, spa and wellness industry
• The National Hair and Beauty Federation.

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 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.