Simon Lightwood

The Equality Act 2010 states that it is unlawful direct discrimination for an employer to treat a disabled employee less favourably than one who does not have a disability. This would include decisions on promotion within an organisation.

The 2010 Act additionally places a reasonable adjustment duty on employers that could be relevant to how a promotion exercise is conducted, for example ensuring job application forms are accessible to visually impaired employees and job interviews are accessible to the deaf or hard of hearing.

The 2010 Act also enables employers to take positive action to increase the number of senior managers who are disabled, where this is disproportionately low. For example, where two candidates are equally qualified for a role and one is disabled, positive action allows the employer to select the disabled candidate.

Where disabled employees, as defined under the 2010 Act, feel that they have been unfairly passed over for promotion, they may discuss their concerns with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), which provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers in relation to employment discrimination issues via their website (http://www.acas.org.uk) and telephone helpline 0300 123 1100 or text relayservice to 18001 0300 123 1100. Acas also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve/settle their workplace dispute without going to court.

The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. We are finalising a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps and will publish it in due course.

Our ground-breaking free trade agreement (FTA) with Australia is our first ‘from scratch’ since we left the EU, and is set to benefit every nation and region of the UK. We are working hard to bring the FTA into force at the earliest opportunity so businesses and consumers can reap the benefits.

The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Act received Royal Assent on 23 March and we are working to lay the remaining statutory instruments required to implement the agreement, and to complete the remaining procedural steps, as soon as possible. We expect to be able to bring the agreement into force this spring.

The cyber incident affecting Royal Mail is an operational matter for the business to address. Royal Mail has been working with the National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement partners to resolve the incident.

Universal postal service performance standards are set and monitored by Ofcom as the independent regulator for postal services. Ofcom requires Royal Mail to have plans in place in the event of an incident that may severely disrupt postal services and it has informed Ofcom of the incident.

Ofcom continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance to ensure it is providing the best service possible to its customers.

The Government has determined that the most robust mechanism available for establishing whether someone resides permanently on a boat for the purposes of the EBSS Alternative Funding is to use the Canal and River Trust’s list of those who cruise continuously and held a long-term licence during the application window for the scheme.

Therefore, the Government has set up a process to issue a £600 support voucher to those itinerant boat dwellers through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding for continuous cruisers. Eligible individuals will not need to apply for this support.

The Government has been engaging with key stakeholder groups who represent those households without a permanent address. The Government is keen to support these households to ensure they can receive energy bills support. Officials are working to establish whether there is a robust method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the AFP support.

The Government is keen to support these households and to ensure that they can receive the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) via the Alternative Fund (AF) where eligible. The Government is currently working to find an acceptable method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the AFP AF support.

The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses, including those in Wakefield.

Businesses in Wakefield will have benefitted from the Government’s reversal of the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs on average £4,200, cut fuel duty for 12 months and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, to protect SMEs from high energy costs over the winter. The Employment Allowance was increased to £5,000 from April and we have continued to provide business rate relief worth over £7bn, freezing the business rates multiplier for a further year.

The Government is providing financial support - 309 SMEs in Wakefield have received Start Up Loans to the value of £3,833,148 as of November 2022.

The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses, including those in Wakefield.

The Government has reversed the National Insurance rise, saving SMEs £4,200 on average, cut fuel duty for 12 months and brought in the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which is shielding businesses across the country from soaring energy prices, saving some around half of their wholesale energy costs. The Employment Allowance was increased to £5,000 from April and we have continued to provide business rate relief worth over £7bn, freezing the business rates multiplier for a further year.

We have also announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, reducing the burden of business rates for SMEs.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme is set out clearly in legislation so will be applied in a uniform way by all licensed suppliers. The regulations include a robust compliance and enforcement regime to ensure requirements are being met. Suppliers are also required to inform customers about the details of support, including the amount of the discount and discounted supply price.

The vast majority of Alternative Fuel Payments eligible households in Great Britain will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier with no need to take any action, and we anticipate this payment being made as soon as possible in the new year.

The Government has expanded and reformed the Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales to target fuel poverty better, provide the majority of the rebates automatically, and standardise the eligibility across all participating energy suppliers. Over 3 million households will receive a rebate this winter.

Energy suppliers can provide additional support to households through the Industry Initiatives portion of the scheme, through measures such as financial assistance, debt write-off, benefit entitlement checks, energy advice, and energy efficiency.

Prize draws and competitions have grown significantly in popularity in recent years, and given they sit outside of existing regulation, it’s right that the Government should explore the potential for regulating the largest competitions of this type.

Our first priority is to gather data and evidence about the size of the market for prize draws and the scale of possible gambling-related harm. We will then assess the impact and proportionality of different potential regulatory approaches as part of a consultation, including potential thresholds for regulation.

The number of teachers remains high, with over 468,000 full time equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country, over 27,000 more than there were in 2010.

The Department provides funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses for 9 subjects, including religious education, for those who have yet to start an initial teacher training course. Eligibility is subject to an applicant meeting the requirements to train to teach in England and the applicant accepting a conditional offer which specifies the requirement to complete a SKE course. Eligible participants can receive a bursary of £175 per week. Religious education courses last 8 weeks.

Once teachers are qualified and working in schools, the responsibility for supporting non specialist teachers rests with head teachers, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their staff and provide appropriate support, such as continuing professional development.

Oak National Academy will provide both specialist and non specialist teachers with access to high quality digital curriculum resources. This includes resources for religious education. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector expertise when developing these new curriculum resources.

The Department has also transformed the training and support available to teachers of all subjects. An entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers has been created, to bring teaching into line with other prestigious professions such as law, accountancy and medicine. Underpinning this is the new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, and together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.

Beyond the first few years of teaching, the Department’s priority is to help all teachers and head teachers to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so that all pupils get the best start in life.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. The qualifications have been designed with professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence, and can be completed flexibly around existing commitments.

Four specialist NPQs are available, for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice including an NPQ in Leading Teaching where participants will learn how to lead the teaching of a subject, year, group or phase.

The number of teachers remains high, with over 468,000 full time equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country, over 27,000 more than there were in 2010.

The Department provides funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses for 9 subjects, including religious education, for those who have yet to start an initial teacher training course. Eligibility is subject to an applicant meeting the requirements to train to teach in England and the applicant accepting a conditional offer which specifies the requirement to complete a SKE course. Eligible participants can receive a bursary of £175 per week. Religious education courses last 8 weeks.

Once teachers are qualified and working in schools, the responsibility for supporting non specialist teachers rests with head teachers, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their staff and provide appropriate support, such as continuing professional development.

Oak National Academy will provide both specialist and non specialist teachers with access to high quality digital curriculum resources. This includes resources for religious education. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector expertise when developing these new curriculum resources.

The Department has also transformed the training and support available to teachers of all subjects. An entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers has been created, to bring teaching into line with other prestigious professions such as law, accountancy and medicine. Underpinning this is the new Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework, and together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.

Beyond the first few years of teaching, the Department’s priority is to help all teachers and head teachers to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so that all pupils get the best start in life.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. The qualifications have been designed with professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence, and can be completed flexibly around existing commitments.

Four specialist NPQs are available, for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice including an NPQ in Leading Teaching where participants will learn how to lead the teaching of a subject, year, group or phase.

The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) working in state funded schools across the country, which is over 24,000 more than in 2010.

To improve recruitment in particular subjects, a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries, to encourage talented trainees to teach key subjects. For example, geography trainees may receive a tax-free bursary of £25,000.

Responsibility for supporting non-specialist teachers rests with secondary schools, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their staff and provide appropriate support, such as continuing professional development (CPD). The Department provides support to schools through a range of relevant programmes, including in music, English (which includes drama), religious education (RE) and geography.

Through the existing Music Hub programme, the Department will be placing a stronger emphasis on CPD for music education. Music Hubs currently offer CPD support, including to non-specialist secondary music teachers.

In RE, the Department is continuing to offer eight-week subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses, for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding teachers, but need to increase their subject knowledge. More information on these courses is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction.

Although the Department does not provide specific funding for geography, non-specialist teachers secondary teachers can access resources offered by the Geographical Association at all stages of their careers to ensure they receive appropriate support and to enable them to constantly improve their practice.

Across all these subjects, curriculum resources will be procured by Oak National Academy, starting with English, geography and music in the first tranche of work and subsequently for RE during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting specialist and non-specialist secondary teachers, as well as pupils.

Additionally, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. The qualifications have been designed with professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence, and can be completed flexibly around existing commitments.

Four specialist NPQs are available for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice. This includes an NPQ in Leading Teaching, where participants will learn how to lead the teaching and learning of a subject, year, group or phase.

This government believes it is important that all students, including those with neurodiverse conditions and/or disabilities, receive an appropriate level of support wherever and whatever they choose to study. The government is committed to ensuring that all students receive the support they need to enable them to study alongside their fellow students on an equal basis.

The government expects all higher education (HE) providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to be making reasonable adjustments for all students, including students with neurodiverse conditions and disabled HE students, not just those in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

In terms of funding, DSA is available in addition to the standard support package to help students with the additional costs they may face in HE because of their disability, including long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

DSA is not means tested and does not have to be repaid. It is available to full-time and part-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, alongside support available from HE providers, and in line with the recommendations of the student’s DSA Needs Assessment. There is no list of approved disabilities: to receive DSA, any student must be eligible for the main support package and disabled in line with the definition contained in the Equality Act 2010.

Wherever possible, disabled students and students with neurodiverse conditions should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their HE providers.

Before the decision is made to remove a child, local authorities, where possible, offer early help and support in order to keep the families together. In ‘Children's Social Care: Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the government has outlined plans to build on the strengths of current early help services, through the creation of Family Help. The aim is to provide effective, joined up support to help families overcome multiple and complex problems before they escalate. Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childrens-social-care-stable-homes-built-on-love.

The department recognises the value of family arrangements, including Kinship Care. We have made a commitment to implement or explore each of the recommendations on Kinship Care from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, including a commitment to invest £9 million to establish a new kinship carer training offer in this Spending Review period and over £45 million to begin implementing family network support packages through the Families First for Children pathfinder. As part of this, the department will also invest in pilots that solely focus on Family Network Support Packages, in seven local areas. These pilots will allow us to test and evaluate the impact of these packages on keeping families together and keeping children out of care, and build on the investment we have already made to establish a network of up to 100 peer support groups for kinship carers across England.

When it is not possible for a child to live with their parent, a person with parental responsibility, or someone named in a child arrangements order, section 22C of the Children Act 1989 states that the local authority must:

• Give preference to a placement with an individual who is a relative, friend or other person connected with the child.
• Be satisfied that placement with foster carers is, in their opinion the most appropriate placement available.
• Ensure as far as reasonably practicable that the placement allows the child to live near their home and does not disrupt their education.

The Children Act 1989 makes clear that when determining the most appropriate placement for a looked after child who has a sibling, the local authority must also, as far as reasonably practicable, ensure the placement is such that the child can live with their sibling if that sibling is also looked after.

Where a child is placed in foster care, the local authority has a duty to promote contact between the child and their friends, relatives and others connected to the child or with parental responsibility, unless this is not reasonably practical or consistent with the child’s welfare. Details for promoting and maintaining contact must be included in the child’s care plan.

Where the court decides the best decision for the child is adoption, it is important that siblings are placed together. The adoption statutory guidance says that siblings should be adopted by the same prospective adopter, unless there is good reason why they should not be. Where an agency is making a placement decision on two or more children from the same family, it should be based on a comprehensive assessment of the quality of the children’s relationship, their individual needs and the likely capacity of the prospective adopter to meet the needs of all the siblings being placed together. Where it is not possible for the siblings to be placed together, the agency should carefully consider the need for the children to remain in contact with each other and the need for adoption support.

Where safe and appropriate, maintaining relationships with birth family members is important to wellbeing of the child. The government committed to improving contact practice in the National Adoption Strategy. Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) leaders are trialling what good contact practice looks like, with a view to setting national standards in this area. RAAs are also currently trialling a programme called ‘Letterswap,’ a new digital platform to improve the current ‘Letterbox’ system.

The Government provided £270 million to Local Transport Authorities under the ZEBRA 1 programme. This funded 1,314 buses,1,053 have been ordered of which 313 are already on our roads across England.

More recently, the Government announced ZEBRA 2, with a further £142.8 million to Local Transport Authorities. This will help LTAs to purchase more zero emission buses, going further in our commitment to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector whilst improving service quality for users.

Pavement Parking is a complex issue. The Department is considering the consultation findings in order to reach the best outcome for all road users. We want to take the right step for communities and ensure that local authorities have appropriate and effective tools at their disposal and will make an announcement in due course.

The following table presents information on the number of zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 1 (ZEBRA 1) programme by local transport authority. The numbers in this table are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore indicative and subject to change.

ZEBRA 1 funding was awarded in March 2022 for local transport authorities except Oxfordshire who received funding in December 2022.

Whilst information on this is tracked through Mandatory Occurrence Forms, along with a range of other information, data on the specific number of incidences is not publicly released. However, I can say that in terms of a high-level trend, the current rate of laser incidents encountered by emergency service helicopters is similar to that of 2019 and 2020.

The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) 1 scheme provided funding to 16 local transport authorities in England outside London. The scheme will fund up to 1,300 zero emission buses, though this is subject to change as projects are progressed by local transport authorities. Of the buses funded, an estimated 984 have been ordered and 137 are on the road.

Overall, since February 2020, an estimated 4,200 zero emission buses have been funded across the UK, this includes buses funded by ZEBRA 1.