Stephen Twigg

Details of my meeting with President Rouhani are available on the GOV.UK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-president-rouhani-25-september

I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 237584 on 8 May 2019.

I refer the honourable gentleman to recent correspondence from Justin Tomlinson MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, a copy of which has been placed in the library of the House, which clarifies previous answers on this subject.

As the Prime Minister’s most senior policy adviser and Secretary to the Cabinet, the Cabinet Secretary provides advice on a wide range of policy issues. Policy decisions are taken by ministers, within the framework of collective Cabinet responsibility, on the advice of the Civil Service.

In the National Security Capability Review the Government introduced the Fusion Doctrine, in order to strengthen HMG’s collective approach to national security. It introduced a new system of senior officials as Senior Responsible Owners, each responsible for developing strategies to deliver NSC priorities via cross-departmental National Security Strategy Implementation Groups (NSSIG).

The Joint Funds Unit and the National Security Secretariat are currently working with teams to develop a suitable approach to the publication of the strategies that underpin NSC priorities and clearly link how cross-Government funds are used to support NSC priorities. At the next National Security Council Sub-Committee for the Joint Funds (the Prosperity Fund and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund) Ministers will agree the approach, and departments will work together on creating these documents for publication.

For transparency purposes, programme documents are published annually, for the CSSF, which outline the national security objectives that each programme work towards.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The consultation on a Smart Export Guarantee closed on 5 March 2019. We are currently analysing the responses we received and will publish a government response in due course.

The government is determined to get more girls and women playing sport, something we set out in our sport strategy, Sporting Future. Football is the second most played team sport for adult women and the top ranked team sport in terms of participation for girls.

We are investing £14.6million into the Football Association (FA) through Sport England between 2017 and 2021, to support their grassroots participation, talent and coaching programmes. £2.6million of this is specifically reserved for women and girls talent programmes, helping the FA reach its aspiration to double the number of women and girls teams. The FA also receive an additional £2m each year towards improving diversity in its coaching workforce.

Government is also investing £18million to the Football Foundation charity each year to help deliver a programme of new and improved community sports facilities in towns and cities across the country.

All public funding provided is used to benefit men’s, women’s and disability football; for example, investment in a mixed coaching programme or facility will benefit all groups within that community.

Liverpool, for example, has benefitted to the sum of £15.2millon for football programmes over the last three years from the Football Foundation, which includes a mix of public funding and investment from the FA and the Premier League. This includes the delivery of a Parklife Football Hub, which is home to women and girls clubs, recreational programmes and women’s beginner football festivals.

According to Thinkbroadband; 99.7% of premises in Liverpool West constituency currently have access to Superfast broadband. 96.8% of premises in the North West, have access to Superfast broadband. Thinkbroadband does not hold specific information for Merseyside.

Despite high levels of access to superfast speeds in these areas, many premises are choosing not to take it up. Current take up rates for broadband stands at 46.6% of premises in the Merseyside area, and 45.2% in the North West.

DCMS run several voucher schemes which are available to the public to help increase broadband services across the UK.

The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme is available to those who are unable to obtain a connection speed above 2Mbps. The Scheme can support access to satellite broadband, or fixed 4G or wireless connections in some locations. The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme will be open for applications until 31st December 2019, ensuring that an affordable basic broadband installation remains available to eligible applicants. Further information is available at:https://basicbroadband.culture.gov.uk/.

In March 2018 the Local Full Fibre Networks programme launched its £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Small to medium sized businesses can claim a voucher worth up to £2,500, and residents can claim a voucher worth up to £500 as part of a group project. Businesses and local community groups interested in requesting a voucher can find details of suppliers in their local area on our website at: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/.

We do not hold the requested information. The Information Commissioner is independent of Government, and reports directly to Parliament. The Information Commissioner's Office publishes its annual report on its website, www.ICO.org.uk, where it holds such information.

The information requested is not held centrally.

In 2018, the department announced a programme of work to explore ways of supporting disadvantaged families during school holidays. We received 94 applications for funding from organisations across the country, for a share of £2 million.

The 2018 programme saw charities and community groups provide meals and activities such as football, play sessions, and cooking classes for more than 18,000 children across the country. Building on this, the department has quadrupled funding and strengthened the programme to encourage coordination in local communities, so that even more disadvantaged children can benefit from the programme. Applications were invited from organisations to act as coordinators in a specific local authority area. The 2019 programme received 92 applications and selected 11 locations for funding, including at least one in each of the 9 regions of England. This summer, around 50,000 disadvantaged children will be offered free meals and activities over the upcoming summer holidays, funded by £9.1 million.

The purpose of this programme is to allow us to gather more evidence about the scale of the issue, the most effective ways of tackling it, and the costs and delivery challenges associated with doing so. As a result, the department will be able to make an evidence based decision about whether and how we should intervene in the longer term.

The information requested is not held centrally.

In 2018, the department announced a programme of work to explore ways of supporting disadvantaged families during school holidays. We received 94 applications for funding from organisations across the country, for a share of £2 million.

The 2018 programme saw charities and community groups provide meals and activities such as football, play sessions, and cooking classes for more than 18,000 children across the country. Building on this, the department has quadrupled funding and strengthened the programme to encourage coordination in local communities, so that even more disadvantaged children can benefit from the programme. Applications were invited from organisations to act as coordinators in a specific local authority area. The 2019 programme received 92 applications and selected 11 locations for funding, including at least one in each of the 9 regions of England. This summer, around 50,000 disadvantaged children will be offered free meals and activities over the upcoming summer holidays, funded by £9.1 million.

The purpose of this programme is to allow us to gather more evidence about the scale of the issue, the most effective ways of tackling it, and the costs and delivery challenges associated with doing so. As a result, the department will be able to make an evidence based decision about whether and how we should intervene in the longer term.

The government provides the following childcare support to parents and foster parents:

• 15 hours of free childcare a week for disadvantaged 2 year olds. This applies to all families in receipt of Universal Credit, with an annual net earned income equivalent to - or less than - £15,400. It also applies to families in receipt of benefits that currently entitle them to free school meals and those receiving working tax credits (with an annual gross household income of no more than £16,190). Equally, it applies to children entitled to certain benefits or support for a disability or special educational need and looked after children and certain children who have been in care, including those who have been adopted.

• 15 hours of free childcare a week for all 3 year olds and 4 year olds, worth around £2,500 a year on average.

• 30 hours of free childcare a week for working parents of 3 year olds and 4 year olds with working parents. 30 hours of free childcare is available to families where both parents are working (or where the sole parent is working in a lone parent family) and where each parent earns a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage or living wage. This also includes self-employed parents.

• Help with up to 70% of childcare costs for people on low incomes through working tax credits. In April 2016, this help increased to up to 85% through Universal Credit, subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for 2 or more children.

• Tax-free childcare, for which 1.5 million families who have childcare costs will be eligible. For every £8 parents pay into an online account, the government will pay £2 – up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year, for children aged under 12. Parents of disabled children will receive extra support (worth up to £4,000 per child, each year and until their child is 17).

• Childcare vouchers provided through some employers, allowing parents to save money by paying for childcare from their pre-tax salary. This scheme is closed to new applicants from October 2018.

• Shared Parental Leave, giving parents the chance to share up to 50 weeks’ leave and up to 37 weeks’ parental pay in the first year following their child’s birth or adoption.

It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that every child that is eligible for the 15 hours and 30 hours of free childcare is able to access a place. Local authorities also have a statutory duty to provide parents with information, advice and guidance on their websites about how these childcare offers can be accessed locally.

​The government is committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and supported to achieve their full potential.

We know that consistent identification of young carers remains challenging, which is why we have funded the Carers Trust to review and disseminate best practice in the identification of young carers - this commitment was set out in the Carers Action Plan 2018-20. The Children in Need review is also identifying how to spread best practice on raising educational outcomes of children in need, including those young carers assessed as being in need.

The department provides schools with £2.4 billion each year in additional funding through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils; each eligible pupil attracts £1,320 to primary schools and £935 to secondary schools. Eligibility for the pupil premium is based largely on current or past claims for free school meals. Some research with young carers aged 14-16 suggested that around 60% already attract the pupil premium through their eligibility for free school meals.

We expect schools to make effective use of their pupil premium and do not tell them how to use it. Schools know their pupils best and will spend the grant to meet pupils needs, which may include needs arising from a caring role. Schools are held to account for their pupil premium use through school inspection and information in performance tables, and most schools are required to publish details about their pupil premium strategy and its impact. These are national programmes of work which will benefit young carers across England. The department is not undertaking regional programmes at this time.

We recognise, however, that there are issues that are specific to the North East around education and employment prospects for children and young people. That is why, in October 2018, the department committed £24 million to Opportunity North East, in order to tackle issues holding back young people from all communities, raise aspiration, and boost social mobility in the region.

​The government is committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and supported to achieve their full potential.

We know that consistent identification of young carers remains challenging, which is why we have funded the Carers Trust to review and disseminate best practice in the identification of young carers - this commitment was set out in the Carers Action Plan 2018-20. The Children in Need review is also identifying how to spread best practice on raising educational outcomes of children in need, including those young carers assessed as being in need.

The department provides schools with £2.4 billion each year in additional funding through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils; each eligible pupil attracts £1,320 to primary schools and £935 to secondary schools. Eligibility for the pupil premium is based largely on current or past claims for free school meals. Some research with young carers aged 14-16 suggested that around 60% already attract the pupil premium through their eligibility for free school meals.

We expect schools to make effective use of their pupil premium and do not tell them how to use it. Schools know their pupils best and will spend the grant to meet pupils needs, which may include needs arising from a caring role. Schools are held to account for their pupil premium use through school inspection and information in performance tables, and most schools are required to publish details about their pupil premium strategy and its impact. These are national programmes of work which will benefit young carers across England. The department is not undertaking regional programmes at this time.

We recognise, however, that there are issues that are specific to the North East around education and employment prospects for children and young people. That is why, in October 2018, the department committed £24 million to Opportunity North East, in order to tackle issues holding back young people from all communities, raise aspiration, and boost social mobility in the region.

As forestry is a devolved matter this answer relates to England only.

The Forestry Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations afford woodlands protection from inappropriate felling and land use change.

The Government is committed to accelerating new woodland planting and has a number of manifesto commitments to support afforestation in England, including the planting of 11 million trees and a further one million trees in our towns and cities by 2022.

The Government also has a number of schemes to support afforestation including the Woodland Creation Grant under Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund, and the Woodland Creation Planning Grant.

In January the Prime Minister announced through the 25 Year Environment Plan the support of the new Northern Forest, which will see 50 million trees planted by 2042.

The 25 Year Environment Plan also outlines our commitment to supporting and protecting the world’s forests, supporting sustainable agriculture and enhancing sustainability and supporting zero-deforestation supply chains.

The UK Government endorses the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims to end natural forest loss by 2030, and is a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. Alongside Germany and Norway, we have pledged $5 billion to support countries that are reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Through International Climate Finance, Defra has committed £210m in projects and programmes that aim to protect the world’s most biodiverse forests, for example in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zambia and Madagascar.

We set out in Chapter 1 of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan how we will reduce the impact of farming on the natural environment. We will design and deliver a new environmental land management system that puts the environment first, which will incentivise and reward land managers to restore and improve our natural capital and rural heritage. We will enforce regulations for new farming rules for water, requiring every farmer to identify and manage risks to water on their land and start taking precautions to reduce ammonia emissions. We will work with farmers to use fertilisers efficiently, in order to cut the air and water pollution that harms the environment, and we will protect crops while reducing the environmental impact of pesticides.

As the 25 Year Environment Plan makes clear, it is vital that we leave a lighter footprint on the global environment, so we will work with business to develop ideas for enhancing sustainability.

In terms of addressing the environmental impact of farming abroad, through International Climate Finance (ICF), Defra has committed £210million to support forestry projects and forest dependent communities to develop low carbon and sustainable agriculture practices.

In the Amazon and Atlantic Forests of Brazil, Defra’s ICF supports small and medium sized farms to implement low-carbon agriculture while protecting forests and biodiversity. Defra also supports the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) which promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions through smarter land-use policies and practices such as sustainable agriculture.

Through our support to the eco.business Fund in Latin America we promote business and consumption practices that contribute not only to biodiversity conservation but also to the sustainable use of natural resources, to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts.

In most cases a licence is required from the Forestry Commission before a landowner can undertake tree felling. When considering a felling licence application the Forestry Commission in England will take into account the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS), the government’s approach to sustainable forestry. Where clear felling takes place there is, in most cases, a requirement to restock the woodland to maintain our woodland resource.

In addition recipients of licences are reminded of their obligations to carry out their activities in a manner that reflects good forestry practice with appropriate consideration for possible impacts on habitats and species, including checks to ensure compliance with the Habitats Regulations relating to European Protected Species and obligations to protect birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

These safeguards help ensure that sustainable forest management in the UK, including the appropriate felling of trees, has a positive environmental effect.

The government is committed to tackling the trade in illegal timber. We implement the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which establishes the FLEGT licensing scheme and aims to improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation is underpinned by Voluntary Partnership Agreements between the EU and timber producing countries. Indonesia became the first partner country to issue FLEGT licences in November 2016.

The Government’s Timber Procurement Policy also requires Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.

The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage.

The ongoing military action on the ground is having an impact on the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are discussing closely with our NGO partners and the UN. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials.

We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but will keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.

The situation in Northeast Syria remains very fluid, and we are continually adjusting our assessment of the current impact on the humanitarian situation in the region at this stage.

The ongoing military action on the ground is having an impact on the humanitarian response. Many NGOs have already had to withdraw staff, and some have suspended activities altogether. This is very concerning, and we are discussing closely with our NGO partners and the UN. The Secretary of State has been in touch with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, and other UN officials.

We have allocated £40 million this financial year for our NGO and UN partners operating in Northeast Syria. Our funding is focused on providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare. We have been in close dialogue with our partners to ensure that they have the flexibility to utilise this funding to meet immediate needs arising from the current military action in the region. We are assured that they do, but will keep this under review, given the fluidity of the situation and the significant access constraints for humanitarian actors on the ground.

We are aware of water shortages in Hassekeh. These have been caused by the damage to the Alouk/Al Haouk water station, which compounds an existing issue as water supplies in Hassekeh have been under enormous strain since before the crisis. This water station is critical and serves approximately 400,000 people in Hassekeh and camps in the area. The UN is currently assessing the damage and needs in the water station. We are actively engaging with partners on the ground to assess any impact on their ability to assist those in need. Whilst partners had prepared contingency planning and prepositioned supplies in advance of the recent crisis, we understand that some of our partners have now had to suspend operations to protect their staff. In spite of this, we are engaging with our partners to ensure humanitarian access is continuing to be delivered to those in need. The Secretary of State has been in contact with Sir Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, to identify gaps in the humanitarian response.

Last financial year we provided over £40 million in humanitarian assistance in Northeast Syria, and intend to continue our support at that level this financial year. This support is focussed on reaching those in most acute need, providing vital food, water, shelter and healthcare.

We are working closely with our partners on the ground to meet the humanitarian needs of the roughly 70,000 people in Al Hol camp. Conditions at the start of the year were very poor, following a large and unplanned influx of people in need.

Last financial year we provided over £40 million in humanitarian assistance in Northeast Syria, and plan to continue our support at that level this year. The UK’s initial humanitarian response focused on immediate, life-saving support, such as food, water, shelter (over 1,300 tents for example) and healthcare. This included providing “safe spaces” for children in the camp.

The biggest challenge facing our current programme is security of staff, with recent events resulting in NGO international staff being evacuated and local staff having to continue delivery under difficult circumstances. In spite of this, we are engaging with our partners to ensure humanitarian access is continuing to be delivered to Al Hol.

In order to protect key institutions and build national capacity in Yemen, the UK is supporting the Yemen Social Fund for Development, a national institution established in 1997. It works across the country to deliver development outcomes such as public employment programmes, access to water and sanitation, and local capacity building through a community-led approach.

DFID is providing £34.48 million to the Fund over three years (2018-2021), including £11.48 million this financial year. This support will provide hundreds of thousands of Yemenis with work opportunities through cash for work schemes, train health and education workers, and support local development by supporting small and medium enterprises.