Sheryll Murray

The latest ONS official statistics show the female employment rate at 71.8% up to the end of January 2021. This Government recognises that times are hard for many women, and men, which is why we have extended the furlough scheme until September, alongside new measures in our Plan for Jobs, such as our £2bn Kickstart Scheme and the Restart programme, which launches in the summer.

In the year ending September 2021, the CPS prosecuted 7,609 defendants where Fraud and Forgery were the principal offence. 84.9% of those defendants were convicted. In the last five years, the SFO secured reparations for criminal behaviour for organisations it investigated totalling over £1.3bn.

The CPS deploy a network of prosecutors around the world to help extradite suspects and secure the evidence needed to bring criminals to justice in this jurisdiction.

The Government has introduced the Online Safety Bill, requiring all companies to take robust action against illegal content. Companies will need to remove material that amounts to an offence in the UK regardless of where in the world it originated.

In 2016-17, the CPS completed just over 3,500 prosecutions for crimes against older people with a conviction rate of 80.4%.

The CPS is committed to improving the prosecution of crimes against older people and will be refreshing its legal guidance and public statement on these crimes within the next year.

This Government knows that small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of the British economy.

The Procurement Bill we are introducing will bring four regimes into one and enable simpler, more flexible public procurement processes.

The single central digital platform, with open contracting data standards and efficient ‘tell us once’ register of suppliers, will deliver a step-change in transparency, including for SMEs bidding for public contracts.

The UK has attracted around £120 billion investment in renewables since 2010 and is expected to attract a further £100 billion investment in net zero by 2030, supporting up to 480,000 jobs.

The Government is providing investors with long-term certainty over policy and regulatory frameworks to unlock investment and create jobs in green industries such as hydrogen, CCUS, offshore wind and nuclear.

I have had several such discussions including at the AI Safety Summit, during which I was pleased to meet with more than 20 Digital Ministers.

I have since engaged with my counterparts from Australia, Japan, France, the US and the EU, and I have recently met with my Canadian counterpart to sign an important new agreement on compute collaboration.

I will continue to discuss AI safety as we work towards the next Safety Summits hosted by the Republic of Korea and France.

The £160 million agri-tech strategy which was launched five years ago has proved a success.

We are building on this strong track record through our Industrial Strategy; including a further £90 million of funding announced last month to bring together the UK’s world-class agri-food sector with expertise in robotics, AI and data science.

This will make it easier for farmers and agricultural-supply chain businesses to embrace new technology; enhancing their competitiveness, improving productivity and creating new opportunities for growth.

As part of Project Gigabit, we are delivering two local supplier procurements (Type A) for Central Cornwall and South West Cornwall. Combined, the two procurements are estimated to cover up to 19,000 premises, with a total value of £18 million. We expect to award contracts in January 2023.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to pools however the responsibility primarily lies at Local Authorities level. Swimming is a crucial life skill, as well as a great way to stay fit, and I encourage Local Authorities to invest in swimming facilities.

In response to the pandemic, the government supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools through the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund.

Sport England has also awarded over £24 million to swimming and diving projects since April 2017.

Vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) provide an important and valued route for many young people and adults. We are streamlining and improving the quality of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below. Our reforms will put employers at the heart of the system, ensuring that all qualifications are fit for purpose, high quality and lead to good outcomes. We are creating clearly defined academic and technical routes at level 3, leading to future study and or skilled employment.

As set out in our level 3 consultation response published in July 2021, students will continue to be able to study qualifications similar to current Applied General qualifications where there is no overlap with T Levels. On 11 May we published a provisional list of 160 qualifications that overlap with the first two waves of T Levels. These qualifications will have funding approval withdrawn for anyone eligible to access the qualification through the 16-19 funding offer on 1 August 2024, unless awarding organisations successfully appeal their qualifications’ inclusion. The final list will be published in September 2022.

The department is strengthening routes for all students to progress through the system, by introducing high-quality technical qualifications that support young people’s progression and meet the needs of employers.

In January this year the department launched our ‘Get the Jump’ campaign, which helps 14-19 year olds explore all their education and training options. We recognise that technical education routes have lower levels of awareness, therefore this campaign spotlights T Levels, Apprenticeships, Traineeships and Higher Technical Qualifications in particular.

The department is also working closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company and Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme to ensure that teachers and careers leaders have the information and resources they need to communicate the benefits of T Levels to their students.

The Skills for Jobs White Paper sets our plans to transform technical education and is focused on giving people the skills they need, in a way that suits them, so they can get great jobs in sectors the economy needs and boost productivity.

Our reforms will put employers at the heart of the skills system and by 2030, almost all technical courses will be on employer-led standards, ensuring that the education and training people receive are directly linked to the skills needed for jobs.

We have been raising the quality and prestige of technical education by introducing T Levels, which are a high-quality technical alternative to A levels with an industry placement, and are reforming higher technical education (Level 4/5) to make it a more popular and prestigious choice that provides the skills employers need.

The Plan for Jobs introduced last year provides a package of support to ensure young people have the skills and training to go on to high quality, secure and fulfilling employment. This includes incentives for employers to take on new apprentices, supporting the largest-ever expansion of Traineeships, giving school and college leavers the opportunity to study high value Level 2 and 3 courses, and funding more vocational training placements to support the delivery of sector-based work academy programme (SWAP) placements.

We have not received specific representations on literacy and numeracy following the Secretary of State’s announcement in November. The government remains committed to raising standards of literacy and numeracy and works closely with professionals to raise standards for all pupils so that they are equipped to succeed in education and in life. In 2010, one in every three children starting secondary school was unable to read, write, or add up properly. Following government reforms, teachers have driven up standards with the figure now at one in five.

It is vital that we get the foundation right so that every child has a fair chance to succeed through all key stages. That is why we have placed phonics at the heart of the early teaching of reading and introduced a phonics check at the end of year 1 to enable schools to assess whether the essential building blocks of reading are in place. The percentage of pupils meeting the required standards of phonics in year 1 has increased from 58 percent in 2012 to 77 percent in 2015, putting 120,000 more 6 year olds each year on track to become confident readers. We fund a programme of 200 book clubs in primary schools where reading attainment at key stage 2 is currently low, and support schools to enrol year 3 pupils with a public library.

Beyond this, we have placed a greater emphasis within the primary curriculum and assessment on a secure grasp of the essentials such as grammar, punctuation and spelling, introducing a grammar, punctuation and spelling test in year 6.

For mathematics, we have placed particular emphasis in the primary curriculum on fluency in mental and written calculation. Just as knowledge of phonics is an essential foundation for success in reading, sound knowledge of arithmetic is essential for future success in mathematics. We removed the use of calculators for the end of key stage 2 mathematics tests from 2014 and in January 2016 we announced that all children will have their multiplication skills checked at the age of 11.

We want to ensure that all children have the right foundation at primary school and that any child who falls behind can catch up quickly. We provide funding to secondary schools to help year 7 pupils catch up and, as the Secretary of State said in her November speech, we have announced a resit test for year 7 pupils who do not meet expected standards in reading or mathematics at the end primary school.

We are supporting fishing communities by:

• Negotiating quotas of 750,000 tonnes to fish in 2024, an 80,000 tonne increase compared to 2023 which will deliver an up to £70 million boost for our fishing industry.
• And we are going even further, by developing new fisheries for species like Bluefin Tuna, and providing £100 million through the UK Seafood Fund.

This Government is committed to ensuring that the farming sector has the labour it needs to support food security, including supporting domestic workers and skills, and investment in automation.

We commissioned the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain to consider how we can further support this, and look forward to receiving the report by the summer.

As set out at the recent UK Farm to Fork Summit, we will make 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for 2023 and 2024, with an additional 10,000 if needed.

The number of offenders found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in the Devon and Cornwall Police Force area, from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the table

(1) Defined as SS4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006

(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe

(3) .Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

(4) East Cornwall Local Justice Area, which included South East Cornwall constituency merged into Cornwall Local Justice Area from 1 January 2012

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Monkeys and other primates are wild animals with specific, complex needs and it is against the law to keep them in the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. Defra is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply minimum standards to online pet advertising. The standards include a requirement on the five participating websites, Gumtree, Pre Loved, Pets4Homes, Viva St and Friday Ads to remove any adverts for primates. In addition Defra is updating the licensing regime for certain activities involving animals including pet shops and other pet sellers.

Under the new plans, businesses selling pets, including those selling online, will be required to give buyers written information about the animals they buy, with details of how to meet the five welfare needs of their pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This advice is particularly important when buying exotic pets, which have very specific welfare needs. Defra keeps all the welfare codes under review, and amongst the companion animal codes, the ones for cats, dogs and horses were considered most in need of updating. A review of the primate code will be undertaken in due course.

UK-led Common Fisheries Policy reforms have given UK fishermen a more sustainable long-term future.

The inshore fleet will particularly benefit from an extra 1,000 tonnes of quota this year. This comes on top of the permanent transfer of under-used quota to the Under-10s, which was worth an extra 678 tonnes in 2015.

In addition, over £100m of European (EMFF) Funding is now available to support the UK catching, processing and aquaculture sectors.

The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across government, continues to undertake a wide range of data analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy and our trading relationships with the EU. We are looking at over 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory issues. This will inform the UK's position for the upcoming negotiations with our EU partners. We want to ensure that British businesses have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in Britain.

At the Brussels conference, the International Development Secretary committed at least £300 million in aid for 2020, bringing total UK spend to over £3 billion for Syria and the Region. This is funding life-saving aid, supporting refugees and their host communities, and helping vulnerable Syrians to be self-reliant through education and training.

The Export Strategy sets out how the Government will encourage, inform, connect and finance UK businesses to enable them to take advantage of the international demand for British goods and services. Last month we launched an enhanced digital service on great.gov.uk, connecting businesses to over 20,000 export opportunities.

The Department does not designate whole routes as critical national infrastructure, only certain systems, or key infrastructure points.

Both Network Rail and National Highways are government owned companies, operating the rail network in Great Britain and motorway and major A-roads in England respectively.

We regularly review the strategic road network extent to ensure it remains fit for purpose, most recently in the consultation process that will inform the third road investment strategy, between 2025-2030.

Established government policy is that river and estuarial crossings will normally be funded by tolls, recognising the extra cost of their construction and maintenance, and also the substantial benefits for their users.

Other than such crossings and the M6 Toll motorway, the majority of the road network is free of tolls, and the Government has no plans to change this.

The only charge for users of the current strategic road network managed by National Highways is at the Dartford Crossing, where evidence has shown that it helps manage congestion to provide more reliable journeys for users.

During this Parliament the Government is investing over £5 billion in highways maintenance. It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. The Department encourages good practice in highway maintenance through channels such as the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group (UKRLG).

There has been no assessment of the potential impacts of changing Class E airspace to transponder mandatory zones. Any such assessments are a matter for the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

However, as the Government continues to modernise our airspace, it needs to be mindful of longer term changes that will have an impact on wider airspace management. This includes the increasing need to enable the safe integration, rather than segregation, of all aircraft. This is why, as part of the Aviation Strategy, the department is working with the CAA to explore a new policy on mandating electronic identification for all users.

All proposals to change the UK’s airspace design will need to be assessed according to the CAA’s own airspace change process which is set out in CAP1616. This includes the need to consult with all who may be affected by the proposal including members of the gliding community and other general aviation airspace users.

I created the post of Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care. Deborah Sturdy is providing outstanding leadership for social care nursing in this role. She has been raising the profile of social care nursing and increasing the recognition of excellence in social care. As we take forwards our social care reforms, social care nurses and care workers are front and centre of our workforce ambitions.

Information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information provided on food labelling to ensure consumer confidence. The Government food strategy sets out further action on consumer information and transparency.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) aims to reduce harm to people with food hypersensitivity and ensure that related food safety standards are maintained. This includes improving the provision of information for people with allergies and working with food businesses to increase allergen training in the sector. The FSA’s programme on food hypersensitivity is focused on policy, research and evidence to support enforcement and engaging with consumers and businesses.

The Prime Minister recently outlined that the first mission of the Ageing Society Grand Challenge, as announced in the Industrial Strategy, would be to ensure people enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, whilst narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest. The Department is leading work across Government to deliver on this ambition, working closely with key partners across industry, civil society and local government.

The Department and NHS England committed in the recently published General Practice Forward View to review the current arrangements for indemnity cover for general practitioners (GPs).

To take this review forward, a General Practice Indemnity Steering Group was established by the Department with NHS England to look at the rising cost of indemnity, which resulted in an announcement that NHS England would provide a financial support package this year and next to assist GPs with rises they may be facing in their indemnity premia. NHS England also committed to run a winter indemnity scheme in 2016-17, and to provide support to GPs experiencing indemnity inflation as a result of their out-of-hours activity. A number of other measures to address the root causes of rising indemnity costs were also announced.

This review gathered evidence about the impact of the rising cost of indemnity on GPs, and specifically sought representations from GPs via a survey which asked about their personal experiences of indemnity costs and how this had affected them. The survey received over 4,500 responses from individual GPs. The review also held several discussions with GP representative groups.

The survey of GPs suggested that indemnity costs rose, on average, by around 7% per annum in the last five years. Data published by the medical defence organisations, who provide indemnity cover to GPs, suggested that this inflation was closer to 10% per year. The review judged the latter figure to be more accurate. The review also considered funding for expenses as part of the GP contract, which in 2016-17 was topped up by £33 million specifically for increased indemnity costs. The review concluded that overall, in the last five years, GP indemnity costs have risen as a proportion of GP income.

The Department holds no data on the number of GPs who have ceased practising in the last five years as a result of the costs of personal medical indemnity in England and each English region.

The survey of GPs indicated that the rising cost of indemnity may sometimes deter GPs for taking on additional sessions, and some GPs told the review that the cost of indemnity may also influence their willingness to join the profession, to remain in the profession, or to increase their workload.

The Department and NHS England committed in the recently published General Practice Forward View to review the current arrangements for indemnity cover for general practitioners (GPs).

To take this review forward, a General Practice Indemnity Steering Group was established by the Department with NHS England to look at the rising cost of indemnity, which resulted in an announcement that NHS England would provide a financial support package this year and next to assist GPs with rises they may be facing in their indemnity premia. NHS England also committed to run a winter indemnity scheme in 2016-17, and to provide support to GPs experiencing indemnity inflation as a result of their out-of-hours activity. A number of other measures to address the root causes of rising indemnity costs were also announced.

This review gathered evidence about the impact of the rising cost of indemnity on GPs, and specifically sought representations from GPs via a survey which asked about their personal experiences of indemnity costs and how this had affected them. The survey received over 4,500 responses from individual GPs. The review also held several discussions with GP representative groups.

The survey of GPs suggested that indemnity costs rose, on average, by around 7% per annum in the last five years. Data published by the medical defence organisations, who provide indemnity cover to GPs, suggested that this inflation was closer to 10% per year. The review judged the latter figure to be more accurate. The review also considered funding for expenses as part of the GP contract, which in 2016-17 was topped up by £33 million specifically for increased indemnity costs. The review concluded that overall, in the last five years, GP indemnity costs have risen as a proportion of GP income.

The Department holds no data on the number of GPs who have ceased practising in the last five years as a result of the costs of personal medical indemnity in England and each English region.

The survey of GPs indicated that the rising cost of indemnity may sometimes deter GPs for taking on additional sessions, and some GPs told the review that the cost of indemnity may also influence their willingness to join the profession, to remain in the profession, or to increase their workload.

We are appalled by the recent terrorist attacks. There can be no justification for such acts of violence. Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security.