Steve McCabe

The work that the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is conducting to develop an evidence base is ongoing. It is continuing to review new and emerging data and will report in due course.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is developing a fact-based evidence base on the key issues that have been raised around fireworks. This includes looking at data on noise and disturbance, anti-social behaviour, non-compliance, environmental impact, and the impact on humans and animals. This will build a full picture of the data around fireworks in order to identify whether any further action is appropriate.

The BBC’s Annual Report shows that spent £103m on TV licence collection in 2018/19.

However, the Government does not hold information on the costs of the BBC’s enforcement methods. The BBC and TV Licensing may hold this information.

The early years sector has benefitted from the continuation of early years entitlement funding during the during the summer and autumn terms in 2020, and providers have been able to furlough their staff via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme. As long as the staff meet the other criteria for the scheme, schools and early years providers are able to furlough their staff if they have experienced a drop in either their income from parents or government. Eligible nurseries can also benefit from a business rates holiday and can access the business loans as set out by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

On 17 December 2020, the government announced a return to funding early years settings on the basis of attendance, as measured by the January 2021 census.

The early years and schools census are statutory data collections and are combined to produce a national statistics release. The statutory guidance underpinning these censuses has not changed, but the Department for Education issued supportive documentation to help guide local authorities and providers with completing the census during the COVID-19 outbreak. This supporting documentation was issued to all local authorities on 14 January 2021 and has not changed. The 2021 census guidance for early years can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-census-2021-guide.

We will fund local authorities in the 2021 spring term based on their January 2021 census. If attendance rises after the census is taken, we will top-up councils to up to 85% of their January 2020 census level, where a local authority can provide evidence for increased attendance during the spring term. This will give local authorities additional financial confidence to pay providers for increasing attendance later in the spring term.

We stay in regular contact with the early years sector, including on this subject. We will be closely monitoring both parental take-up of places and the capacity and responses of providers.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we recognised that care leavers would need extra support, in particular due to their financial vulnerability and their higher risk of loneliness and isolation. That is why we published guidance to local authorities, asking them to review decisions about whether young people who would have been due to move out of care should continue to do so; and to delay moves if the young person did not want to leave their current placement, or it was not in their best interests.

Where young people want to move out of care, the guidance asks local authorities to ensure that the move is in accordance with the young person’s wishes and that they are assured that the setting the young person is moving into is safe in relation to risk factors arising from coronavirus (COVID-19). This guidance is still in force.

We have provided £4.6 billion additional funding to local authorities to meet the extra demands placed on them due to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the costs of extending placements for young people who would otherwise have left care earlier.

No formal assessment has been undertaken on the impact of the guidance on placement availability for children in care, although the department is in regular contact with local authorities to understand the support care leavers need during the COVID-19 outbreak. Feedback from local authorities indicates that they are taking account of the guidance in their decision-making, and are supporting many young people to stay in care at this time, having judged this as possible within their local placement provision.

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During the period of national lockdown, schools should allow only vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers to attend. All other pupils should not attend and should learn remotely until February half term.

On 7 January, the Department published guidance that sets out what all schools will need to do during the national lockdown: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf. Guidance is also available on the children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision.

Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required. Schools should speak to parents and carers to identify who needs to go to school. If parents and carers who are critical workers can work from home and look after their children at the same time then they should do so.

Every school will have a different number of children of critical workers who need to attend. It is important that on site provision is provided for these pupils, and there is no limit to numbers of these pupils who may attend, and schools should not limit attendance of these groups. This is because we are reducing overall social contact across areas and the country rather than individually by each institution.

The Department will continue to review the restrictions on schools and will ensure that children and young people return to face to face education as soon as possible.

The government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This includes over 700,000 laptops and tablets that were delivered to schools, academy trusts and local authorities by 11 January. We have published the latest data here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data

We prioritised the delivery of devices for children receiving support from a social worker and care leavers during the summer term of the 2019/20 academic year. The Department delivered devices to local authorities, so that all children receiving support from a social worker and care leavers would have access to a device. These devices are the property of the local authority and they are responsible for their ongoing maintenance and support.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 54,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home. We are grateful to EE, O2, Smarty, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Three, Virgin Mobile, and Vodafone. We continue to invite a range of mobile network providers to support the offer.

The national voucher scheme was reopened from the week commencing 18 January and over 15,000 schools have already registered. Schools are responsible for providing free schools meals support to eligible pupils during term time and should order vouchers on their pupils’ behalf. Before ordering vouchers, parents or guardians can check which pupils are eligible and would be receiving benefits-related free school meals. Further information on this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals.

On 8 January 2021, the department published updated guidance regarding the provision of remote education during national lockdown while attendance is restricted: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf. This includes guidance for pupils with special education needs.

During the period of national lockdown, primary, secondary, alternative provision and special schools will remain open to vulnerable children and young people, including those with an education, health and care plan. For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their teachers are best placed to know how the pupil’s needs can be most effectively met to ensure they continue to make progress even if they are not able to be in school due to COVID-19. The requirement for schools to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the pupils’ special educational needs remains in place. Where possible, special schools should follow the age-related guidance for primary schools and secondary schools.

Schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education alongside their peers. All further education (FE) providers should give particular consideration on how best to support vulnerable and disadvantaged students and students with SEND who may not be able to access remote education without support.

There are a wide range of resources available to support schools and FE providers to meet the expectations we have set. Get Help with Remote Education provides a one-stop-shop for teachers and leaders, signposting the support package available: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education. This includes information on supporting pupils and students with SEND.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, regularly meets cabinet colleagues about a range of issues.

Under the current national restrictions, the Department has made it clear that vulnerable children and children of critical workers can attend school and college in person. However, parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.

The Department published updated guidance for parents on 8 January 2021, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak?utm_source=back-school-campaign-aug-2020&utm_medium=offline&utm_campaign=backtoschool.

The Department has also published a media blog, which is available at: https://dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/08/am-i-a-critical-worker-or-are-they-vulnerable-or-without-internet-access-or-broadband/.

Where vulnerable children and children of critical workers do not attend school, we expect schools to provide them with remote education, as for the majority of their pupils. Pupils who are self-isolating should not attend school. Clinically extremely vulnerable pupils are also advised not to attend school. Where a parent wishes their child to be absent, we expect schools to authorise the absence during this national lockdown period. Absence will not be penalised.

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 and EU transition response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision. Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required. This includes parents who may be working from home.

Early years provision should continue to remain open and should continue to allow all children to attend full time, or their usual timetable hours.

Ensuring sufficiency of childcare provision for critical worker parents and carers and vulnerable children remains a Government priority. The Department is considering plans for half term and will provide more information shortly.

Antigen lateral flow tests are designed to detect the level of virus in individuals who do not experience or show any symptoms, but who could still be infectious and pass the virus to others.

As part of the delivery of this new testing capability for pupils in secondary schools and colleges, the Department has strongly encouraged both staff and pupils to take the test as it will help to stop the spread of COVID-19, protect other people, and save lives.

In addition, the Department, in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care, have produced a range of training and guidance material including webinars to support pupils in feeling able to complete the lateral flow testing. We have also developed extensive guidance for schools and colleges to allow them to communicate to their pupils about how easy and quick it is to undertake the test in order to encourage them to take up the testing offer.

The testing will help to ensure that schools and colleges can avoid unnecessary staff shortages, and vulnerable pupils and students, and those whose parents or carers are key workers, can continue in face to face education.

Rapid, regular testing for people without symptoms of COVID-19 will be made available to primary staff by the end of January with kits being delivered from 18 January. All primary school staff will be offered home test kits for routine testing. These kits contain Lateral Flow Device tests which enable self-swabbing. They are designed for use at home so staff can complete the test before coming in to work.

The safety and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children remains a top priority. The department collects fortnightly data from local authorities to help understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on vulnerable children and children in care. The most recent survey showed that the total number of children looked after was 7% higher than the same time in 2018 and that the total number of referrals was 12% lower than the usual number at that time of year. The vulnerable children and young people survey summary is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vulnerable-children-and-young-people-survey.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision for their looked after children, but we recognise that COVID-19 is placing additional burdens across all placement types. This is why the government has provided £4.6 billion of additional funding to local authorities in 2021-22 to address any pressures they are facing during the COVID-19 outbreak, including children’s social care. We are also providing an additional £1.55 billion of grant funding to support local authorities with COVID-19 spending pressures next year. This funding is un-ringfenced, recognising that local authorities are best placed to decide where to allocate resources.

In addition, on 25 November 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced as part of the Spending Review that the government will provide £24 million in the financial year 2021-22 to start a new programme to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure children’s homes. This will provide high quality, safe homes for some of our most vulnerable children and will mean children can live closer to their families and support networks, in settings that meet their needs.

In November 2020 we also announced that there would be a second wave of funding for new projects to increase the availability and quality of placements through recruitment of new foster families, improving how places are commissioned and supporting foster parents to build their resilience and skills.

We continue to work closely with local authorities to ensure there is sufficient provision that meets the needs of children in their care.

Wellbeing for Education Return is a new £8 million package of training and support for schools and colleges, to help education staff to promote and support children and young people’s wellbeing and mental health recovery, responding to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

It includes:

• A new, nationally developed training package for education staff.
• Grant funding for local authorities to appoint local experts to deliver the training into schools and further education providers during this autumn term, and to provide ongoing advice and support until March 2021.

147 of England’s 151 upper tier local authorities (97%) have taken up the offer of training. This will help them to support local schools and colleges, having received funding and materials from the government in September.

Local areas can decide how to engage with the programme and are taking a range of approaches to deliver training and support into schools and colleges in a way that is most appropriate for them and the demands on their time. It is too early to assess how many education settings have received support through the programme. Plans are in place to monitor delivery of this training and support with local authorities, up to 31 March 2021.

Local authorities are the primary corporate parents for looked after children and care leavers. They are responsible for making decisions about where children and young people live and what additional support that they need in order to make a successful transition to adulthood. The government believes that these decisions are best taken locally, based on local professionals’ judgements about what is needed for each child or young person, depending on their individual circumstances. We do not think it would be feasible for those decisions to be taken by a central team based in central government.

The government does recognise, however, that local authorities cannot do it all on their own. That is why it has established a cross-government Ministerial Board to consider how the government collectively can ensure that its policies and services recognise and respond to care leavers’ unique circumstances, and to drive improved outcomes for care leavers.

The government is also taking the lead in providing direct employment opportunities to care leavers, particularly through the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme. This year, the scheme is offering over 500 12-month paid internships to care leavers in over 20 government departments and agencies across the UK.

We also recognise that private businesses and other organisations, such as universities, have a role to play too. That is why we launched the Care Leaver Covenant, which provides a way for organisations from the private and voluntary sectors to set out their offer to care leavers. Details of the organisations that have signed the covenant and their published offers are available here:
https://mycovenant.org.uk/.

We are committed to improving the experiences and outcomes of care leavers through the Ministerial Board. It will address many of the concerns that are highlighted in the Children’s Services Development Group’s ‘Destination Unknown’ report. This will happen through the Ministerial Board’s focus on education, employment and training and addressing care leavers’ financial vulnerability.

Any parent or carer of a child, or a young person, may request a personal budget as part of their education, health and care (EHC) plan as a means of delivering the outcomes specified in the plan. However, the Children and Families Act 2014 is clear that whilst a personal budget for an EHC plan can include funding from education, health and social care, the scope of that budget will vary depending on the needs of the individual, the eligibility criteria for the different components and the mechanism for delivery. This means that decisions need to be taken on an individual basis, and a blanket approach cannot be put in place. Local authorities and their health partners remain responsible for securing the provision specified in an EHC plan, funded where necessary through joint commissioning arrangements.

Some local authorities have provided access to personal budgets for looked after children and care leavers. For example, two of the Staying Close pilots are trialling the use of personal budgets. However, decisions about the provision of personal budgets and other operational matters are for local authorities.

The government remains fully committed to a thorough and fundamental review of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

The issues that the SEND system face are complex, but we are determined to deliver real, lasting improvements, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of the review will be published as soon as it is practicable to do so.

The SEND System Leadership Board was established in 2019 to improve joint commissioning across education, health and social care services. The board meets on a termly basis and is chaired by Tony McArdle, former Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council and the department’s Lead Commissioner in Northamptonshire County Council.

National Curriculum assessments are an essential part of ensuring that all pupils have the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them for secondary school. They allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.

The Department recognises that pupils have missed a critical period of their education due to school closures in the 2019/20 academic year. We are planning on the basis that primary assessments will take place in 2020/21 to allow us to understand the remaining impact of COVID-19 and target ongoing support to those that need it most.

Timings for SATs in 2021 will be confirmed shortly.

The Government has been clear that no school or college will be judged on data based on qualifications achieved in 2020. The Department continues to talk to school and college leaders about possible approaches to the use of 2021 educational performance data and further details on accountability arrangements for the 2020/21 academic year will follow shortly.

Where necessary, the Student Loans Company (SLC) seeks information from the Home Office to establish whether an individual meets the personal eligibility requirements for student support. The information that the SLC requires from the Home Office varies, but often includes the individual’s immigration status (including the date of the grant) and confirmation that they have been ordinarily (lawfully) resident in the UK and Islands during a specified period. In some circumstances, a more extensive immigration history is requested.

To help manage the pressures of COVID-19, we can confirm that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers, including residential adult colleges, their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year. And for 2019/20 only, the ESFA will not carry out the final reconciliation for grant funded providers in receipt of ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) and the advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB) fund, subject to them meeting certain conditions set out in the further education (FE) Operational Guidance on maintaining education and skills training provision, published on 23 March 2020.

ESFA has issued both AEB and Advanced Learners Loans funding allocations to residential colleges in preparation for 2020/21.

The government appreciates the importance of adult education to improving people’s life chances. We are currently reviewing funding for Residential Specialist Designated Institutions, focusing on the residential support for learners funded via the AEB and the ALLB. We will complete this review in autumn 2020.

As announced last summer, we will next year be increasing investment in education and training of 16 to 19 year olds by £400 million, including an increased base rate, and more funding for high cost and high value subjects, which will help the sector to deliver in the difficult circumstances we are facing during the outbreak. In March this year, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor announced that we are going to transform FE colleges across the country, investing £1.5 billion of new capital by 2025-6.

On 29 June my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a transformative ten-year construction programme to deliver the world-class education and training needed to get Britain back on its feet. This includes £200 million for urgent repairs and upgrades to FE colleges this year.

We are also looking carefully at all elements of FE funding in preparation for the forthcoming Spending Review.

To help manage the pressures of COVID-19, we can confirm that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to pay grant funded providers, including residential adult colleges, their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year. And for 2019/20 only, the ESFA will not carry out the final reconciliation for grant funded providers in receipt of ESFA funded adult education budget (AEB) and the advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB) fund, subject to them meeting certain conditions set out in the further education (FE) Operational Guidance on maintaining education and skills training provision, published on 23 March 2020.

ESFA has issued both AEB and Advanced Learners Loans funding allocations to residential colleges in preparation for 2020/21.

The government appreciates the importance of adult education to improving people’s life chances. We are currently reviewing funding for Residential Specialist Designated Institutions, focusing on the residential support for learners funded via the AEB and the ALLB. We will complete this review in autumn 2020.

As announced last summer, we will next year be increasing investment in education and training of 16 to 19 year olds by £400 million, including an increased base rate, and more funding for high cost and high value subjects, which will help the sector to deliver in the difficult circumstances we are facing during the outbreak. In March this year, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor announced that we are going to transform FE colleges across the country, investing £1.5 billion of new capital by 2025-6.

On 29 June my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a transformative ten-year construction programme to deliver the world-class education and training needed to get Britain back on its feet. This includes £200 million for urgent repairs and upgrades to FE colleges this year.

We are also looking carefully at all elements of FE funding in preparation for the forthcoming Spending Review.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 23 June 2020 to Question 54195.

The Department has asked primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups (vulnerable children and children of critical workers), from 1 June. The rationale for identifying these year groups is included in guidance for schools and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June. More details are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020/actions-for-education-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020.

The three year groups within mainstream primary have been prioritised because they are key transition years. Children in Reception and year 1 are at the very beginning of their school career and are mastering the essential basics, including counting and the fundamentals of reading and writing, and learning to socialise with their peers. Year 6 children are finishing Key Stage 2 and are preparing for the transition to secondary school and will benefit immensely from time with their friends and teachers to ensure they are ready.

The Department is asking that schools only welcome back these eligible year groups from 1 June. Our ambition is to bring all primary year groups back to school before the summer holidays, for a month if feasible, though this will be kept under review. We will only welcome back additional year groups if the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus indicates it is appropriate to have larger numbers of children within schools. The safety of children and staff is our utmost priority.

Schools in England receive £2,345 Pupil Premium Plus funding for each child recorded on their census as having left the care of an English or Welsh local authority on a special guardianship order, which is the same rate as attracted by looked-after children. Since 2018, special guardians have been able to benefit from the expert advice of local authority virtual school heads, and schools are required to appoint a designated teacher to provide support in school. Providers have discretion, working with other partners where appropriate, to continue to offer education provision to children and young people who they deem to be vulnerable. This may include children who have left care because they are the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order.

Local authorities also have a duty to provide for special guardianship support services, including financial support where necessary. Provision of support is discretionary and is based on an assessment of the guardian’s support needs. Where the child was looked after immediately prior to the making of the special guardianship order, funding from the Adoption Support Fund is available to pay for therapeutic services where they need help to recover from their previous experiences and bond with their new family.

We are also providing financial support to schools to meet additional costs arising from COVID-19. In addition, local authorities across England will receive a further £1.6 billion to help them to deal with the immediate impacts of COVID-19. This takes the total funding to support councils to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak to over £3.2 billion. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their local area, including special educational needs and disabilities and children’s social care.

We have committed to keeping these regulations under continuous review. We will consider the continued need for and impact of these regulations through regular engagement with a range of stakeholders across the children’s social care sector. As part of this process, we will be monitoring the local need for and use of the flexibilities provided, including through feedback from frontline practitioners and the newly formed Regional Education and Care Teams which consolidate those Department for Education teams that have regular contact with local authorities.

The department has been working at pace with Ofqual to take the necessary action to deliver assessments for vocational and technical qualifications as a result of the cancellation of exams and assessments in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On 9 April, Ofqual published its approach to vocational and technical qualifications – this can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/awarding-vocational-and-technical-qualifications-this-summer.

As the vocational and technical qualifications landscape is complex, different assessment approaches will be appropriate for different types of qualification. The publication set out the approaches that should be taken.

Ofqual launched its consultation on 24 April on the implementation of these measures. The consultation closes on 8 May and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/exceptional-arrangements-for-assessment-and-grading-in-2020.

We are working closely with colleagues across government to ensure that all appropriate arrangements, and support, are in place for all DfE sectors – from the early years and childcare, schools and children’s social care, and for vulnerable groups including children with special educational needs.

We understand that parents will be worried about continued provision for their children with special educational needs now that schools have closed. Local authorities, schools and colleges, together with parents, should assess the risks to children and young people with Education, Health and Care plans (EHC plans) to judge whether they can be safely cared for at home or whether it is safer for them to remain at school or college. Local authorities and education settings have discretion to do a similar risk assessment for any individual children and young people who do not have an EHC plan but who have complex needs that could mean it is safer for them to be at school or college than at home.

The government has published questions and answers about the provisions being made for vulnerable children and young people, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.

We have also published guidance to support management of children and young people in residential educational settings, including boarding schools, residential special schools and specialist colleges and children’s homes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-isolation-for-residential-educational-settings.

Further useful guidance on social distancing can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

We encourage people to keep up to date by regularly checking the GOV.UK webpages, which is where we will publish reliable updates and guidance.

We are working closely with colleagues across government to ensure that all appropriate arrangements, and support, are in place for all DfE sectors – from the early years and childcare, schools and children’s social care, and for vulnerable groups including children with special educational needs.

We understand that parents will be worried about continued provision for their children with special educational needs now that schools have closed. Local authorities, schools and colleges, together with parents, should assess the risks to children and young people with Education, Health and Care plans (EHC plans) to judge whether they can be safely cared for at home or whether it is safer for them to remain at school or college. Local authorities and education settings have discretion to do a similar risk assessment for any individual children and young people who do not have an EHC plan but who have complex needs that could mean it is safer for them to be at school or college than at home.

The government has published questions and answers about the provisions being made for vulnerable children and young people, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.

We have also published guidance to support management of children and young people in residential educational settings, including boarding schools, residential special schools and specialist colleges and children’s homes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-isolation-for-residential-educational-settings.

Further useful guidance on social distancing can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-social-distancing-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

We encourage people to keep up to date by regularly checking the GOV.UK webpages, which is where we will publish reliable updates and guidance.

The Government advises against any overseas trips for children under 18 organised by educational settings. Affected schools should check with their travel providers and credit card companies regarding securing refunds in the first instance. If unable to recoup their full costs, academies signed up to the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) for schools should then submit their claims as per the RPA membership pack and other affected schools should contact their individual insurance providers. The Government’s COVID-19 travel guidance for the education sector is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/covid-19-travel-guidance-for-the-education-sector.

No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to a school of their choice. The Government is pleased to support the Private Members’ Bill to ‘Make provision for guidance about the cost aspects of school uniform policies’ which was introduced to Parliament on 5 February, in order to make our guidance on the cost considerations for school uniform statutory at the earliest opportunity. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that school uniform costs are reasonable and addresses the Children’s Society’s desire for our guidance to be legally binding.

Figures on the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children by care placement and legal status at 31 March 2019 are shown in the attached table.

Under s20 of the Children Act 1989 the local authority has a statutory responsibility to accommodate unaccompanied, asylum seeking children (UASC). Where the child is accommodated for more than 24 hours they become a ‘looked after’ child and the local authority where the child presents has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare in the same way as any other looked after child.

Ofsted, as part of its children’s services inspection framework, monitor and quality assess local authority processes in relation to all looked after children and care leavers. This will include an assessment of pathway planning.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ and ‘Children Act 1989: planning transition to adulthood for care leavers’ set out how local authorities should appropriately pathway plan in a way that meets the needs of unaccompanied care leavers. This guidance is available at the following links: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656429/UASC_Statutory_Guidance_2017.pdf and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ also sets out how local authorities should appropriately care plan for UASC in accordance with the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. The regulations apply to all looked after children, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation.

The statutory guidance makes clear that social workers’ knowledge of the asylum process should include an understanding of the child’s asylum process, the purpose of the asylum case review and the different possible outcomes of a child’s asylum claim and how that impacts on pathway planning. Social workers should also have a broad understanding of the immigration system. In addition, the department is developing bespoke materials for social workers to support their understanding of the asylum process. These materials are currently being tested by a sample of local authorities prior to wider dissemination across England. We have also commissioned the No Recourse to Public Fund Network to produce guidance on pathway planning for unaccompanied adolescents who are care leavers.

As part of the care planning process, local authorities must carry out a health assessment of all their looked after children. The Regulations and Statutory Guidance ‘Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After Children’ makes clear that an assessment should include the child’s emotional and mental health needs and this must be reviewed regularly. Statutory guidance also makes clear that for unaccompanied children, the health assessment should ascertain any physical, psychological or emotional impact of experiences as an unaccompanied child or child victim of modern slavery. Any past trauma or experiences should be noted, along with any consequential need for psychological or mental health support to help the child deal with them. Mental health provision is provided at a local level.

Under s20 of the Children Act 1989 the local authority has a statutory responsibility to accommodate unaccompanied, asylum seeking children (UASC). Where the child is accommodated for more than 24 hours they become a ‘looked after’ child and the local authority where the child presents has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare in the same way as any other looked after child.

Ofsted, as part of its children’s services inspection framework, monitor and quality assess local authority processes in relation to all looked after children and care leavers. This will include an assessment of pathway planning.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ and ‘Children Act 1989: planning transition to adulthood for care leavers’ set out how local authorities should appropriately pathway plan in a way that meets the needs of unaccompanied care leavers. This guidance is available at the following links: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656429/UASC_Statutory_Guidance_2017.pdf and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ also sets out how local authorities should appropriately care plan for UASC in accordance with the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. The regulations apply to all looked after children, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation.

The statutory guidance makes clear that social workers’ knowledge of the asylum process should include an understanding of the child’s asylum process, the purpose of the asylum case review and the different possible outcomes of a child’s asylum claim and how that impacts on pathway planning. Social workers should also have a broad understanding of the immigration system. In addition, the department is developing bespoke materials for social workers to support their understanding of the asylum process. These materials are currently being tested by a sample of local authorities prior to wider dissemination across England. We have also commissioned the No Recourse to Public Fund Network to produce guidance on pathway planning for unaccompanied adolescents who are care leavers.

As part of the care planning process, local authorities must carry out a health assessment of all their looked after children. The Regulations and Statutory Guidance ‘Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After Children’ makes clear that an assessment should include the child’s emotional and mental health needs and this must be reviewed regularly. Statutory guidance also makes clear that for unaccompanied children, the health assessment should ascertain any physical, psychological or emotional impact of experiences as an unaccompanied child or child victim of modern slavery. Any past trauma or experiences should be noted, along with any consequential need for psychological or mental health support to help the child deal with them. Mental health provision is provided at a local level.

Under s20 of the Children Act 1989 the local authority has a statutory responsibility to accommodate unaccompanied, asylum seeking children (UASC). Where the child is accommodated for more than 24 hours they become a ‘looked after’ child and the local authority where the child presents has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare in the same way as any other looked after child.

Ofsted, as part of its children’s services inspection framework, monitor and quality assess local authority processes in relation to all looked after children and care leavers. This will include an assessment of pathway planning.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ and ‘Children Act 1989: planning transition to adulthood for care leavers’ set out how local authorities should appropriately pathway plan in a way that meets the needs of unaccompanied care leavers. This guidance is available at the following links: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656429/UASC_Statutory_Guidance_2017.pdf and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ also sets out how local authorities should appropriately care plan for UASC in accordance with the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. The regulations apply to all looked after children, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation.

The statutory guidance makes clear that social workers’ knowledge of the asylum process should include an understanding of the child’s asylum process, the purpose of the asylum case review and the different possible outcomes of a child’s asylum claim and how that impacts on pathway planning. Social workers should also have a broad understanding of the immigration system. In addition, the department is developing bespoke materials for social workers to support their understanding of the asylum process. These materials are currently being tested by a sample of local authorities prior to wider dissemination across England. We have also commissioned the No Recourse to Public Fund Network to produce guidance on pathway planning for unaccompanied adolescents who are care leavers.

As part of the care planning process, local authorities must carry out a health assessment of all their looked after children. The Regulations and Statutory Guidance ‘Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After Children’ makes clear that an assessment should include the child’s emotional and mental health needs and this must be reviewed regularly. Statutory guidance also makes clear that for unaccompanied children, the health assessment should ascertain any physical, psychological or emotional impact of experiences as an unaccompanied child or child victim of modern slavery. Any past trauma or experiences should be noted, along with any consequential need for psychological or mental health support to help the child deal with them. Mental health provision is provided at a local level.

Under s20 of the Children Act 1989 the local authority has a statutory responsibility to accommodate unaccompanied, asylum seeking children (UASC). Where the child is accommodated for more than 24 hours they become a ‘looked after’ child and the local authority where the child presents has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare in the same way as any other looked after child.

Ofsted, as part of its children’s services inspection framework, monitor and quality assess local authority processes in relation to all looked after children and care leavers. This will include an assessment of pathway planning.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ and ‘Children Act 1989: planning transition to adulthood for care leavers’ set out how local authorities should appropriately pathway plan in a way that meets the needs of unaccompanied care leavers. This guidance is available at the following links: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656429/UASC_Statutory_Guidance_2017.pdf and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf.

The statutory guidance ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ also sets out how local authorities should appropriately care plan for UASC in accordance with the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. The regulations apply to all looked after children, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation.

The statutory guidance makes clear that social workers’ knowledge of the asylum process should include an understanding of the child’s asylum process, the purpose of the asylum case review and the different possible outcomes of a child’s asylum claim and how that impacts on pathway planning. Social workers should also have a broad understanding of the immigration system. In addition, the department is developing bespoke materials for social workers to support their understanding of the asylum process. These materials are currently being tested by a sample of local authorities prior to wider dissemination across England. We have also commissioned the No Recourse to Public Fund Network to produce guidance on pathway planning for unaccompanied adolescents who are care leavers.

As part of the care planning process, local authorities must carry out a health assessment of all their looked after children. The Regulations and Statutory Guidance ‘Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Looked-After Children’ makes clear that an assessment should include the child’s emotional and mental health needs and this must be reviewed regularly. Statutory guidance also makes clear that for unaccompanied children, the health assessment should ascertain any physical, psychological or emotional impact of experiences as an unaccompanied child or child victim of modern slavery. Any past trauma or experiences should be noted, along with any consequential need for psychological or mental health support to help the child deal with them. Mental health provision is provided at a local level.

We are committed to supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). This government has increased local authorities’ high needs funding by £780 million in 2020-21, boosting the budget by 12% and bringing the total spent on supporting those with the most complex needs to over £7 billion for 2020-21.

Speech and Language therapists working with children in England are employed by local authorities, the health service or directly by schools, in response to children’s and young people’s needs in each area. For this reason the Department does not map services centrally.

Our three-year People to People programme aimed to bring together Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on issues which can have a positive impact on both communities, helping to build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict in support of a peaceful, negotiated resolution.

The research component for this programme seeks to look more broadly at the impact of People to People work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to build the evidence base in this area – something that is presently limited. To ensure a thorough analysis of this programme, an internal panel is reviewing the report. Work on this is currently underway and the panel hopes to complete its review by Autumn this year.

The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in Palestinian Authority’s school textbooks.

Following UK calls for action, we secured agreement from European partners to commission the Georg Eckert Institute to conduct an independent review, which is currently underway. We expect an interim report by June, with a full report later in the year.

We have regular discussions with our European Partners on the Review and we continue to encourage the EU to publish the report. The issue was most recently raised on 18 February by the UK Consul General Jerusalem with the EU Representative in Jerusalem.

Our three-year People to People programme aimed to bring together Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on issues which can have a positive impact on both communities, helping to build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict in support of a peaceful, negotiated resolution.

The programme includes a research component that is looking more broadly at the impact of People to People work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to build the evidence base in this area, which is presently limited. An internal panel of researchers is in the process of analysing the findings. Once this work is complete, we will use the research to inform decisions on future programming in this area. We will seek to publish the research results in due course.

Our three-year People to People programme aimed to bring together Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on issues which can have a positive impact on both communities, helping to build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict in support of a peaceful, negotiated resolution.

The programme includes a research component that is looking more broadly at the impact of People to People work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to build the evidence base in this area, which is presently limited. An internal panel of researchers is in the process of analysing the findings. Once this work is complete, we will use the research to inform decisions on future programming in this area. We will seek to publish the research results in due course.

UK bilateral support to the Palestinian Authority contributes to the salaries of teachers in the West Bank who have been carefully vetted through the Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance (PEGASE) mechanism. We do not monitor where individual teachers are deployed, which is a matter for the Palestinian Authority.

Our multilateral support is channelled through Education Cannot Wait and the British Council, who have strong risk management systems in place to ensure that UK aid best supports the provision of quality education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have raised our concerns about school naming at senior levels within the Palestinian Authority and will continue to do so.

The Prime Minister has set out an ambitious programme to enhance the UK’s global leadership and demonstrate that the UK is open, outward-looking and confident on the world stage.

A key element of this is the UK’s continued commitment to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on international development.

The Prime Minister is particularly keen to ensure that this money is spent well and is aligned with the UK’s foreign policy priorities. Therefore, he has appointed a fully joint junior DFID – FCO ministerial team.

The Prime Minister has appointed a fully joint junior ministerial team for DFID and the FCO. This builds on the good work DFID is already delivering with the FCO: in 32 bilateral posts, 16 multilateral missions and through the eight FCO-DFID Joint Units in London. The Prime Minister also appointed separate Secretaries of State for the Foreign Office and DFID in the recent reshuffle and is keen to make sure UK aid is both spent well and aligned with the UK’s foreign policy priorities.

The Government Manifesto maintains spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA and pledges to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030 and lead the way in eradicating Ebola and malaria. We will continue to need the support of our partner charities to deliver on these commitments.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has robust processes in place to ensure compliance with the rules governing the processing of personal data included in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The implementation of the GDPR required no specific changes to the robust controls already operated by the DVLA in relation to the lawful sharing of data with authorised third parties. The law allows vehicle keeper details to be disclosed to third parties, including private parking companies, who can demonstrate that they have a reasonable cause to receive it, and any charges levied are to cover costs of processing requests.

The DVLA’s privacy policy is available online at: www.gov.uk/dvla/privacy-policy and provides data subjects with detailed information on who the DVLA shares information with, rather than contacting individuals whenever information is shared. Relevant information is also included in forms and leaflets and on the DVLA’s online services.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services have continued to operate as normal throughout the pandemic. However, paper applications are taking longer to process as they must be dealt with in person.

This is because the DVLA currently has a reduced number of staff on-site to comply with social distancing requirements and ensure staff safety.

All photocard driving licences expiring between 1 February and 31 August have been extended by seven months. Drivers do not need to take any action as the extension is automatic.

MOT requirements have been temporarily altered due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has published guidance relating to light vehicles which were due for an MOT before 30 March. This is available online at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-mots-for-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-due-before-30-march-2020.

Following the Chancellor’s recent announcement, we are working urgently to develop proposals to support the UK aviation industry - we are committed to ensuring the sector and its employees continue to thrive. Next steps will be announced shortly.

There are no current plans to change the concessionary bus travel arrangements in England.

Concessionary travel is a devolved policy area. This means that there are separate schemes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the administrative arrangements are entirely separate.

Eligibility for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) is linked to the state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £1 billion annually, so any changes, such as extending free bus travel to those who are not yet eligible for the ENCTS, need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

No claimants have not received a decision on their Universal Credit (UC) claim because they require a face to face Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

UC claimants do not have to wait for a WCA before they can be awarded UC. Depending on the outcome of the WCA, some UC claimants may then be entitled to an additional amount.

The Health and Disability Assessment Services (HDAS) Contract is let on a target cost of service basis alongside performance incentives and remedies rather than on an output cost per assessment or administrative task basis. Therefore, we are unable to provide an average cost per assessment undertaken for paper based, telephone or face to face work capability assessments.

The Health and Disability Assessment Services (HDAS) Contract is let on a target cost of service basis alongside performance incentives and remedies rather than on an output cost per assessment or administrative task basis. Therefore, we are unable to provide an average cost per assessment undertaken for paper based, telephone or face to face work capability assessments.

The Health and Disability Assessment Services (HDAS) Contract is let on a target cost of service basis alongside performance incentives and remedies rather than on an output cost per assessment or administrative task basis. Therefore, we are unable to provide an average cost per assessment undertaken for paper based, telephone or face to face work capability assessments.

The available information on the number of households with children with Universal Credit in payment, by parliamentary constituency, is published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

All Work Coaches across the Jobcentre network, including those based in Birmingham, will be able to make referrals to the Kickstart scheme.

DWP are recruiting additional Work Coaches nationally including in Birmingham, the first wave of which are starting to arrive now and will be fully in place by the end of October with further planned recruitment later in the year which will grow capacity even further.

Additional employment support will also be available to young people in Birmingham via the Birmingham Youth Hub, due to open on 30 September 2020. Working in partnership with key local partners, including the Princes Trust and the Local Authority Care Leaver Team, the Hub will provide young people with support to access employment and training opportunities

The Kickstart Scheme only opened to applications on 2 September, and already thousands of employers have expressed interest in providing Kickstart opportunities for young people. We are pleased to confirm that the department is now processing these applications from across the UK, this is currently a clerical process, so reliable management information, particularly on geographical areas, is not yet available.

Employers looking to offer roles to fewer than 30 Kickstart applicants over the life of the scheme are able to bid for Kickstart funding via an intermediary, or representative, organisation. Intermediaries can gather employers keen to offer Kickstart jobs to make a collective bid to fund 30 or more vacancies.

Smaller employers will have support from their intermediary to create high quality roles and additional support so that young people get the most out of their placement, this also reduces the administrative burden falling on the small employer.

The department has received significant interest from a wide range of bodies including local authorities, charities and trade/industry bodies looking to help small organisations deliver Kickstart jobs for young people at risk of long term unemployment. There is no limit to the number of employers one intermediary can work with, so long as they are capable of supporting them all through the process.

Intermediaries can also apply to add additional Kickstart jobs and new employers to their portfolio after they have had an initial bid approved to fund 30 or more Kickstart jobs.

The Government is ensuring that disabled people, including people with hidden disabilities have access to public services, such as access to Changing Places toilet facilities, the Blue Badge scheme for parking, and accessible communications. The Government, via the Cabinet Office Disability Unit, is supporting the British Standards Institute in its development of a public information symbol to support disabled people with non-visible disabilities.

We will publish a National Strategy for Disabled People to ensure that all disabled people can play a full role in society. The Strategy will focus on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects and phases of life, including employment, housing, education and transport.

The number of Parents due to pay via Collect and Pay who have paid not any maintenance each month is published quarterly. The latest figures for Child Maintenance Service are up to December 2019 and can be found in Table 9 at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-december-2019-experimental

The number of Parents due to pay via Collect and Pay who have not paid maintenance since 1 April 2020 will not be available until the publication in September 2020.

We do hold summarised information on number of Change of Circumstances requests for Child Maintenance payments.

Child Maintenance Service is currently offering a reduced service due to coronavirus pandemic, in agreement with ministers, and will focus on priority work. We will not take action to collect arrears during this current period but we will collect any unpaid amounts including any missed payments at a later date.

The DWP are currently formulating a recovery plan, which details our staged approach to move back to normal service. Based on current planning assumptions, Child Maintenance Service expects to provide further detail on the approach to missed payments in July 2020.

Where parents have reported domestic abuse, agents are trained to signpost clients to additional sources of support, including the new gov.uk page which highlights support routes in a crisis, as well as advice services. The Child Maintenance Options (CMO) website provides advice and signposting information to a number of specialist domestic abuse support organisations, as well as advice and information on staying safe.

Paying Parents have a regular schedule of payments to make and are still expected to pay child maintenance throughout this period.

If arrears do accrue during this period due to missed payments, the Service will deal with the debt once the current situation stabilises, to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run. The Service will update calculations as soon as possible and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued. Any parent found to have abused the system will find themselves subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers – including prosecution through the courts.

We announced on Monday 16 March that, as of Tuesday 17 March, face-to-face assessments for all sickness and disability benefits will be suspended for the next three months, including those for Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment. Anyone who has a face-to-face assessment appointment scheduled from Tuesday 17 March onwards does not need to attend and will be contacted to discuss next steps and alternative arrangements, which could involve either telephone or paper-based assessments.

On 12 March 2020 regulations (The Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020) were laid to give effect to the measures outlined in the Budget, designed to help delay the spread of COVID-19 and ensure people are not penalised for doing the right thing. This will represent a boost of almost £500 million to the welfare system and ensure work search and work availability requirements within Universal Credit (UC) are switched off. Affected self-employed claimants will also not have a Minimum Income Floor (as assumed level of income) applied for a period of time within UC.

To avoid increasing the burden on health care professionals and the risk of further infection, we are removing the requirement for fit notes in relation to both Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and UC claims relating to COVID-19 only. In line with current NHS guidance; anyone required to self-isolate or having COVID-19 will be treated as having Limited Capability for Work in ESA and UC without the requirement for medical evidence or undergoing a Work Capability Assessment.

In addition, to better support the needs of people (particularly the self-employed and those not eligible for SSP) and/or not entitled to UC, we are removing the seven waiting days that currently apply to ESA. This means that everyone who makes a new claim for ESA; is entitled to the benefit and is infected with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate will be paid from day one of their claim.

Government officials continue to work closely together to understand the potential impacts of COVID-19 on employment and benefits. The Department has introduced new guidance about claiming benefits which can be found at: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/

There is no formal Service Level Agreement in place; that term was used to describe the process by which the department considers a variety of factors to identify the most appropriate balance of resources to deliver a good level of customer service. Currently we work to a planning assumption of a maximum waiting time of 24 days, but our actual processing time is currently eight days.

The service level agreement for processing a Maternity Allowance claim is 30 working days.

The average working day turn-around for Maternity Allowance claims for the periods quoted are:

a) From 16 to 31 December 2019 – 30 working days

b) From 1 to 15 January 2020 – 30 working days

As of 23^rd January our outstanding work volumes are below the aspirational target of 24 days. We continue to monitor progress on a weekly basis.

The average working day turn-around for Maternity Allowance claims for the periods quoted are:

16^th-31^st October – 10.5 weeks

1^st – 15^th November – 9 weeks

16^th-30^th November – 7.5 weeks

1^st – 15^th December – 6 weeks

As of May 2019, the latest point at which this information is available, the mean duration of a claim for Employment and Support Allowance claimants currently in the (a) support group is 5.15 years and (b) work-related activity group is 4.60 years.

Alternatively, the median duration of a claim for Employment and Support Allowance claimants currently in the (a) support group is 5.49 years and (b) work-related activity group is 4.76 years.

Source: DWP 100% Employment Support Allowance data source

Notes:

• Figures are rounded to the nearest 2 decimal places.

The Health and Disability Assessment Services (HDAS) Contract is let on a target cost of service basis alongside performance incentives and remedies rather than on an output cost per assessment or administrative task basis. Therefore we are unable to provide an average cost per assessment undertaken.

As part of the Department’s regular engagement with trade unions and NHS England and NHS Improvement, issues on the potential effect of the establishment of wholly-owned subsidiaries by National Health Service trusts on pay and conditions of healthcare workers have been raised on an ad hoc basis.

Under powers granted under the NHS Act 2006 S46 (5), NHS organisations have been responsible for deciding locally the most appropriate structures they need to deliver services to their patients and to support their operations. Where NHS organisations decide locally to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, staff who are compulsorily transferred from the NHS to the subsidiary will be protected under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. This protects pay and terms and conditions at the point of transfer.

There have been no recent representations.

The Department continually reviews the value of testing on or before day two following arrival in the United Kingdom.

Testing on or before day two is designed to provide variant surveillance and infection identification, as the closer the test is taken to day two, the larger the proportion of potential infections identified.

The Government does not currently plan to introduce a help line for the Managed Quarantine Service.

Following the national lockdown in March 2020, all fertility clinics were able to re-open from May 2020, provided that they could demonstrate to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that they could offer a safe service for patients and clinic staff during the ongoing pandemic.

The HFEA has advised that, as of 20 January 2021, a small number of clinics have been affected by staff redeployment and other COVID-19 related issues. This has resulted in less than 10% of clinics either temporarily suspending services, re-prioritising activity, or working with other local clinics to ensure patient treatment is not affected.

Local vaccination services provide the largest number of locations and are well placed to support our highest risk individuals, many of whom already have a trusted relationship with their local health services. They also coordinate and deliver vaccinations to people who are unable to attend a vaccination site, including visiting care homes, the homes of housebound individuals and other settings such as residential facilities for people with learning disabilities or autism and prisons and to reach vulnerable groups such as those who are experiencing homelessness.

Those considered clinically vulnerable should follow the national lockdown rules that are in place for everyone in England, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

Guidance for those considered clinically extremely vulnerable during the period of national lockdown was updated on 7 January and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

We have also written to all 2.24 million people on the shielded patient list to inform them of the latest guidance.

NHS England and NHS Improvement undertake an assessment of all potential sites which may be considered as part of the vaccination programme. This will include size, location, availability, suitability and will include an assessment around accessibility, aligned to the Equality Act 2010. Where there are running costs to be incurred, the site will also be subject to a value for money assessment. Sites will be secured under formal lease or licence.

Should venue owners have sites that they wish to put forward for use by the programme, submissions may be made to the Vaccine Taskforce and in conjunction with regional and local teams, an assessment of the offer will then be made.

NHS England and NHS Improvement undertake an assessment of all potential sites which may be considered as part of the vaccination programme. This will include size, location, availability, suitability and will include an assessment around accessibility, aligned to the Equality Act 2010. Where there are running costs to be incurred, the site will also be subject to a value for money assessment. Sites will be secured under formal lease or licence.

Should venue owners have sites that they wish to put forward for use by the programme, submissions may be made to the Vaccine Taskforce and in conjunction with regional and local teams, an assessment of the offer will then be made.

National Health Service providers are expected to begin planning for discharge at the point of admission, which should include practical arrangements, care requirements and the nature of home environment the person is being discharged to. This is particularly important for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The Hospital Discharge Service Requirements last published August 2020 provides further guidance on the discharge process, including to support conversations with patients, relatives and carers during their hospital stay. The Requirements are available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912199/Hospital_Discharge_Policy_1.pdf

Public Health England have provided additional guidance on stepdown of infection control precautions when discharging COVID-19 patients.

National Health Service providers are expected to begin planning for discharge at the point of admission, which should include practical arrangements, care requirements and the nature of home environment the person is being discharged to. This is particularly important for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The Hospital Discharge Service Requirements last published August 2020 provides further guidance on the discharge process, including to support conversations with patients, relatives and carers during their hospital stay. The Requirements are available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912199/Hospital_Discharge_Policy_1.pdf

Public Health England have provided additional guidance on stepdown of infection control precautions when discharging COVID-19 patients.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing plans to trial an NHS@Home scheme. This is a self-management scheme to enable patients with heart conditions to look after themselves in their own homes. Working with a specialist clinician, patients will be supported to ensure they understand their medications, reduce their salt intake, monitor and record daily weights and blood pressure, and recognise symptoms if they deteriorate. NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that this will improve support for all patients with heart conditions, including older people, and will enable patients to manage their condition at home where possible and clinically appropriate.

To tackle COVID-19 complications following infection, the National Health Service has recently announced an additional investment of £10 million to support the establishment of post-COVID-19 clinics in each part of the country. These clinics will support people of all ages by offering appropriate diagnostics and referrals, including support for older people with cardiac complications related to post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Plans for additional funding, for costs incurred during the peak of the pandemic, are being actively discussed with the sector. We will also carefully consider other representations on how we can further support community pharmacy so they can continue to deliver.

The Government has put in place an unprecedented financial package during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing support to all businesses, including community pharmacies. We have also made £370 million in advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures and have provided extra funding to cover the costs of Bank Holiday opening, a new medicine delivery service for shielded patients, and measures taken by community pharmacy to support social distancing. For June to September 2020, there has also been an increase of £15 million per month, a total of £60 million, to reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines.

The level of provision of local health services available to patients, including fertility treatment, is, and has been since the 1990s, a matter for local healthcare commissioners. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services including fertility services that meet the needs of their whole population. In respect of National Health Service fertility services, the Government has been consistently clear that we expect CCGs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, so that there is equal access across England.

The Government expects CCGs to give fair consideration to all patients who have had fertility treatment delayed so that no one misses out on treatment due to COVID-19.

A person can claim a Test and Trace Support Payment for each period of self-isolation required by National Health Service Test and Trace, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for each individual claim and their periods of self-isolation do not overlap.

NHS England and NHS Improvement – Midlands has not received any direct report on flu vaccine shortages from general practitioner (GP) practices and community pharmacies in the Birmingham and Solihull Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

GPs and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults. In addition, the Department has procured additional flu vaccine that will be available from November in addition to the supplies already ordered by providers.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to ensure that local providers have the support to meet increased demand for the flu vaccination this winter. New models of delivery have been shared with regional commissioning teams to encourage innovative thinking such as mobile, and mass vaccination models to allow for increases in uptake safely whilst observing social distancing and personal protective equipment requirements.

Alongside this, additional trained workforce is being made available to local providers to help them vaccinate more eligible people.

Additional flu vaccine has been purchased by the Department to ensure more flu vaccines are available this winter.

General practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults. In addition, the Department has procured additional flu vaccine that will be available from November in addition to the supplies already ordered by providers.

Guidance on how GPs and community pharmacies can access the additional flu vaccine will be published shortly.

We have sufficient vaccine for up to 30 million people to be vaccinated in England this winter.

General practitioners and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults. In addition, the Department has procured additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine to ensure more flu vaccines are available this winter.

At all regional testing sites, including Birmingham Airport, people who have booked a valid appointment at a testing site will receive a test. QR codes are provided at the end of the booking journey and by email. Sites can use other key information to confirm an appointment if a QR code cannot be provided by the attendee.

Public Health England’s (PHE’s) COVID-19 Email Helpline for Parliamentarians continue to operate five days a week from 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Any Parliamentarian who requires a conversation with PHE officials can request it via the email helpline.

The time to recovery for somebody with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 depends on the severity of illness and varies from relatively quickly through to extremely prolonged. Typically, time to recovery is within 10-14 days for mild and moderate cases. If a person feels unwell for longer than this, they should contact their general practitioner.

It is clear that for some of those who have survived, the virus and the treatment they have received to combat it will have a lasting impact on their health.

Research into the long-term health symptoms and impacts of COVID-19 is ongoing. On 4 July the Government announced a research study into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, which is being led by UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research.

On 5 July, NHS England and NHS Improvement announced the launch of an online, on-demand, rehabilitation service called ‘My COVID Recovery’. The service forms part of National Health Service plans to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

We have been working closely with all suppliers of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) preparations to maintain overall supply to patients. Supplies of alternative HRT products continue to remain available and the situation has been improving steadily since the end of February 2020.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made an assessment of the clinical and cost effectiveness of HRT, including transdermal patches, and has made recommendations on their use in its guideline on menopause: diagnosis and management [NG23].

The safety and efficacy of individual products that are authorised for the relief of oestrogen deficiency symptoms associated with the menopause are assessed at the time each product is licensed and safety is continuously monitored once it is on the market.

Most post-marketing studies examine the safety of HRT products as a group and the safety of HRT products as a class has been kept under continuous review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in conjunction with its independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and its Expert Advisory Group on Medicines for Women’s Health. Likewise, the safety of licensed medicines and herbal products that are used as alternatives to HRT are continuously monitored by the MHRA and advice sought from the CHM, as needed, when new safety issues arise.

We have been working closely with all suppliers of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) preparations to maintain overall supply to patients. Supplies of alternative HRT products continue to remain available and the situation has been improving steadily since the end of February 2020.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made an assessment of the clinical and cost effectiveness of HRT, including transdermal patches, and has made recommendations on their use in its guideline on menopause: diagnosis and management [NG23].

The safety and efficacy of individual products that are authorised for the relief of oestrogen deficiency symptoms associated with the menopause are assessed at the time each product is licensed and safety is continuously monitored once it is on the market.

Most post-marketing studies examine the safety of HRT products as a group and the safety of HRT products as a class has been kept under continuous review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in conjunction with its independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and its Expert Advisory Group on Medicines for Women’s Health. Likewise, the safety of licensed medicines and herbal products that are used as alternatives to HRT are continuously monitored by the MHRA and advice sought from the CHM, as needed, when new safety issues arise.

Project OASIS is a combined effort between NHSX and the jHub to create a much clearer picture of the public’s experience with COVID-19 by incorporating data from multiple third party symptom tracker apps commonly used by the public with the National Health Service’s own internal data. The data will be used by the NHS to understand the spread of COVID-19 at a national and local level.

The Department invests over £1 billion a year in health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The following calls are currently open to researchers to submit proposals on the long-term effects of COVID-19.

The NIHR Recovery and Learning Call will fund research to better understand and manage the health and social care consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic beyond the acute phase. The research will focus specifically on health outcomes, public health, social care and health service delivery and to mitigate the impact of subsequent phases and aftermath.

This follows on from the UK Research and Innovation-NIHR Rapid Response Rolling Call for COVID-19 research (closing at the end of June), which funds projects that could make a significant contribution to the understanding, prevention and/or management of the COVID-19 outbreak within 12 months.

The vast majority of people who have a test through the National Testing Programme get their result the next day. Public Health England receives a data feed of these results after they have been processed by the labs and uploaded to the National Pathology Exchange, which occurs every 30 minutes.

Those unable to access the internet can book a test by calling 119 in England and Wales or 0300 303 2713 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. An email address or phone number is currently required to book a test, but individuals who are not online can use a trusted proxy such as a family member to receive their results.

Local authorities are not the primary recipient of test result when testing takes place in a care home. If the test subject is staff member, the test results will either go directly to the individual or the care home manager if consent is provided by the staff member. For residents the care homes are the primary recipients. The test results also flow into general practitioner records, if a National Health Service number or other identifying information has been provided.

We aim to move towards a testing model which has greater local ownership with local delivery models tailored to local need. This means a relentless focus on quality, access and speed across the programme;?and?building the capacity to enable more?frequent, targeted?testing of?priority groups where this will improve infection control.

We are in daily discussions about how best to deliver data on COVID-19 to local authorities and options to integrate this data into their current health response systems. We are also working on producing a toolkit that will support local authorities in data management. This will be complemented by the recently established Joint Biosecurity Centre. This operates as an independent analytical function that will work with local areas to provide real time analysis and assessment of infection outbreaks at a community level, to enable rapid intervention before outbreaks grow.

Every care home in England can access whole home testing, regardless of whether residents have symptoms. This testing can be arranged through the Department’s online testing portal at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-home

Responsibility for whole home testing lies with the Department.

Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for the testing of symptomatic residents at the point a case or an outbreak is first suspected in a care home. When a PHE local Health Protection Team is notified of a suspected resident case or outbreak of COVID-19 in a care home, they will undertake a risk assessment, offer public health advice (including infection prevention and control advice) and, where appropriate, arrange for testing to be done for all symptomatic residents at the time of reporting. The risk assessment is undertaken to ensure that the symptoms being reported are consistent with COVID-19 infection.

The data is not held in the format requested.

On 5 June Ros Roughton, Director General, Adult Social Care, wrote to Directors of Public Health and Directors of Adult Social Services. The criteria of prioritisation were:

1. Care homes referred to the Department by Public Health England because they have had a new outbreak;
2. Care homes that have over 50 beds;
3. Care homes with 25-50 beds;
4. And then all other care homes.

Between 30 July and 5 August 2020, 43.3% of test results for satellite testing, which includes care home testing, were received within 48 hours of the test being taken. Care homes predominantly use satellite test kits as they need greater control and flexibility over when tests are collected. For example, tests may be conducted over multiple days with a collection scheduled a few days later.

We are encouraging care homes to conduct testing over the weekend (Friday to Sunday) where possible to make better use of available lab capacity which should support faster turn-around times.

Turnaround times for tests conducted under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 are published weekly on gov.uk as part of the Weekly NHS Test and Trace Bulletin.

In June, the following criteria were assessed in order to prioritise sending test kits:

- care homes referred to us by Public Health England because they have had a new outbreak;

- care homes for older people and those with Dementia that have over 50 beds, then those with 25-50 beds; and

- all other care homes.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, have been awarded the contracts for two new adult gender dysphoria services in London which are now in mobilisation phase.

A separate tender process for a new service in Greater Manchester will conclude by the end of June 2020.

All services will be evaluated as pilots over a period of up to three years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not significantly delayed the planned commencement of the pilot services.

NHS England and NHS Improvement is still assessing the impact of the NHS responding to the COVID-19 pandemic on the waiting times for a number of clinical services, including gender dysphoria services.

The Department is actively taking steps to ensure that staff operating in the hospice sector, including children’s hospices, can access adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to continue to provide palliative care to children and their families during this challenging period.

To support this, and working with key stakeholders, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for palliative care for children and young people in community and hospice settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to published shortly, and will contain guidance on the appropriate use of PPE for the care and treatment of this vulnerable group of patients.

To address supply concerns, central delivery points provided by children’s hospices to the Department will get weekly drops of PPE until they are added on to the PPE e-commerce ordering portal. Those deliveries are booked in, and the Department will continue to work with the hospice sector to ensure they have the support they need.

The Department of Health and Social Care, the Cabinet Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have worked with the Federation of Wholesale Distributors to provide a new, online platform, Food2Care, to allow social care providers to access food supplies direct from wholesalers operating in their area. More than 90 national and regional wholesalers have signed up to the scheme so far from across the country. The scheme has been welcomed by the Care Provider Alliance.

The Chief Medical Officer has led a thorough clinical review process to identify six categories of underlying clinical conditions which place someone at very high risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. General practitioners and hospital clinicians have the discretion to add individual patients to the list of those classified as clinically extremely vulnerable based on careful, clinical assessments of each individual’s needs. This requires expert clinical judgement on a patient-by-patient basis.

The Chief Medical Officer has led a thorough clinical review process to identify six categories of underlying clinical conditions which place someone at very high risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19. Those who are recovering from major operations are not automatically included in the list of extremely clinically vulnerable people, as they will have a wide range of needs. For some, staying at home at all times and avoiding contact with others may slow their recovery. General practitioners and hospital clinicians have the discretion to add individual patients to the list based on careful, clinical assessments of each individual’s needs.

The Government and civil society are providing additional support to people even where they are not clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19. This includes providing local authorities with £3.2 billion additional funding for service pressures, strengthening links with supermarkets, and mobilising over 750,000 National Health Service volunteers. The Government has also launched a new set of webpages for those who need additional support due to the pandemic across a range of issues, which are regularly updated at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

Members of the public will see advice in television adverts featuring the Chief Medical Officer as part of the Government’s drive to ensure everyone knows the best way to limit and delay the spread of the COVID-19.

As well as on television, people will see and hear the campaign advice in newspapers and magazines, on drive-time radio, online and through social media and on billboards and large digital displays, including at bus stops. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-stage-of-expanded-coronavirus-covid-19-public-information-campaign-launches

The Government has also produced resources in Braille and British Sign Language. These resources are available via Public Health England’s Campaign Resource Centre at the following link:

https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/101-coronavirus-/resources

An impact assessment and Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) assessment was conducted in relation to the provisions contained in the Coronavirus Bill. The PSED requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities, including those with protected characteristics. We will continue to consider the impacts on people with protected characteristics when considering how to implement policies using powers contained in the Act.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Flash Glucose Monitoring Patient Numbers – Q3 2019/20

Source: NHS Business Services Authority

Notes:

- These figures represent patient numbers in receipt of flash in primary care.

- Flash Glucose Monitoring uptake has increased markedly in all regions – national uptake is now 24% of all type 1 patients.

- Figures only correspond to individual identified patients with clinical commissioning group prescriptions and may therefore understate full coverage.

Estimated number of type 1 patients sourced from National Diabetes Audit 2017/18

The NHS People Plan, due to be published by the National Health Service in 2020, will set out a clear framework for growing and sustaining a well-skilled workforce across the whole NHS. As of November 2019 there were 6,284 full time equivalent speech and language therapists in England, this is a 5% increase since 2016.

In December 2019 the Government announced additional maintenance grant funding of at least £5,000 per academic year for students studying most allied health professions, including speech and language therapy. In addition, students with child dependents will benefit from an extra £1,000.

NHS England and NHS Improvement estimates that in primary care, flash glucose monitoring uptake has increased markedly in all regions since April 2019. National uptake is now estimated to be 24% of all type 1 patients which is an increase of 19 percentage points from the start of the programme (1 April 2019).

It should be noted that NHS England and NHS Improvement have activity reporting for the prescribing of flash glucose monitors up to and including the end of Quarter 3 of this financial year. Due to differences in the way activity is reported between secondary and primary care, only primary care activity at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level can be reported. This data is aggregated at a national and regional level. Some flash glucose monitors are prescribed via secondary care, but NHS England and NHS Improvement do not have this activity broken down by individual CCG. Patient population data is based on the National Diabetes Audit 2017/18.

The non-repayable maintenance grants announced by the Government on 18 December 2019 are available to new and continuing students from September 2020.

Student loans provided by Student Finance England will not be affected by these non-repayable maintenance grants and students can continue to access the student loans system in England.

Hospital radio can provide National Health Service patients and visitors with a positive experience at a time when they are feeling vulnerable. NHS trusts work locally with volunteers and organisations to provide this service. Decisions about funding the service are made most appropriately at a local level.

General practitioner practices are required to ensure that their premises are suitable for the delivery of essential services and that they are sufficient to meet the reasonable needs of its patients, including those with disabilities. This involves making any necessary reasonable adjustments; making alternative arrangements, such as referral to a specialist screening provider; or undertaking the procedures in another setting that is more suitable given any limitations to a patient’s mobility. Where a patient requires specialist equipment, clinical staff will ensure that patients have access to its use in a safe environment.

NHS England is continuously investing in initiatives to help ensure equality of access to screening and, through the Section 7A public health functions agreement, aims to improve public health outcomes and reduce inequalities.

Professor Sir Mike Richards’ review of Adult Screening programmes was published on 16 October 2019 and recognised that people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or mental health conditions tend to have lower uptake of screening programmes than the general population. Professor Richards’ report included recommendations on improving access to services and sharing good practice on physical and learning disabilities. The Department is considering the report with NHS England and Public Health England and will publish an implementation plan in the spring.

Departmental officials met with the Children’s Commissioner’s office in October 2019 to discuss the issues raised in her report ‘We need to talk: access to speech and language therapy’. The Department will continue to work with the Children’s Commissioner’s Office, the National Health Service and other stakeholders ahead of the intention to repeat a data gathering exercise within the next two years.

The information is not held in the format requested.

The information is not held in the format requested.

The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of speech and language therapy. Local areas will design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services.

In the development of the NHS People Plan, the capacity requirements, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, have been modelled to ensure appropriate capacity for all the allied health professions. This includes speech and language therapy.

‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, the Prevention Green Paper, confirmed the Government will continue to prioritise improving early speech and language outcomes as a preventative measure.

The following table shows the mean and median waiting time¹ for a first outpatient attendance² for patients aged under 18 with a treatment specialty of Speech and Language Therapy³ in England from 2017-18 to 2018-19⁴.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

Notes:

Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

1. The waiting time is the period in days between the date of the appointment date and either the referral request received date (reqdate) or the Did Not Attend date, if given. The waiting time is not calculated if reqdate is missing or invalid.

2 Attendances at outpatient clinics. Includes first attended and first telephone consultations, excludes did not attends and cancellations.

3. Treatment Speciality: A code that defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is working, which may be different to the specialty under which the consultant is registered.

4. Assessing growth through time (Outpatients) HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

NHS Digital have advised that information on waiting times from assessment appointment is not held in the format requested as they are unable to identify in which appointment treatment started.

The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of speech and language therapy. Local areas will design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services.

In the development of the NHS People Plan, the capacity requirements, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, have been modelled to ensure appropriate capacity for all the allied health professions. This includes speech and language therapy.

‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, the Prevention Green Paper, confirmed the Government will continue to prioritise improving early speech and language outcomes as a preventative measure.

The following table shows the mean and median waiting time¹ for a first outpatient attendance² for patients aged under 18 with a treatment specialty of Speech and Language Therapy³ in England from 2017-18 to 2018-19⁴.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

Notes:

Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

1. The waiting time is the period in days between the date of the appointment date and either the referral request received date (reqdate) or the Did Not Attend date, if given. The waiting time is not calculated if reqdate is missing or invalid.

2 Attendances at outpatient clinics. Includes first attended and first telephone consultations, excludes did not attends and cancellations.

3. Treatment Speciality: A code that defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is working, which may be different to the specialty under which the consultant is registered.

4. Assessing growth through time (Outpatients) HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

NHS Digital have advised that information on waiting times from assessment appointment is not held in the format requested as they are unable to identify in which appointment treatment started.

The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of speech and language therapy. Local areas will design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services.

In the development of the NHS People Plan, the capacity requirements, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, have been modelled to ensure appropriate capacity for all the allied health professions. This includes speech and language therapy.

‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, the Prevention Green Paper, confirmed the Government will continue to prioritise improving early speech and language outcomes as a preventative measure.

The following table shows the mean and median waiting time¹ for a first outpatient attendance² for patients aged under 18 with a treatment specialty of Speech and Language Therapy³ in England from 2017-18 to 2018-19⁴.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

Notes:

Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

1. The waiting time is the period in days between the date of the appointment date and either the referral request received date (reqdate) or the Did Not Attend date, if given. The waiting time is not calculated if reqdate is missing or invalid.

2 Attendances at outpatient clinics. Includes first attended and first telephone consultations, excludes did not attends and cancellations.

3. Treatment Speciality: A code that defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is working, which may be different to the specialty under which the consultant is registered.

4. Assessing growth through time (Outpatients) HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

NHS Digital have advised that information on waiting times from assessment appointment is not held in the format requested as they are unable to identify in which appointment treatment started.

The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of speech and language therapy. Local areas will design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services.

In the development of the NHS People Plan, the capacity requirements, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, have been modelled to ensure appropriate capacity for all the allied health professions. This includes speech and language therapy.

‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, the Prevention Green Paper, confirmed the Government will continue to prioritise improving early speech and language outcomes as a preventative measure.

The following table shows the mean and median waiting time¹ for a first outpatient attendance² for patients aged under 18 with a treatment specialty of Speech and Language Therapy³ in England from 2017-18 to 2018-19⁴.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital

Notes:

Activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

1. The waiting time is the period in days between the date of the appointment date and either the referral request received date (reqdate) or the Did Not Attend date, if given. The waiting time is not calculated if reqdate is missing or invalid.

2 Attendances at outpatient clinics. Includes first attended and first telephone consultations, excludes did not attends and cancellations.

3. Treatment Speciality: A code that defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is working, which may be different to the specialty under which the consultant is registered.

4. Assessing growth through time (Outpatients) HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

NHS Digital have advised that information on waiting times from assessment appointment is not held in the format requested as they are unable to identify in which appointment treatment started.

UK peacebuilding project work contains cross-border elements. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate-General in Jerusalem work closely with all sectors of society, including ultra-Orthodox communities, the National Religious, Israeli Arabs and Palestinian communities affected by the conflict, to encourage support for and progress towards peace.

The UK government shares the objective of increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. UK officials remain in close contact with the US Government regarding the International Fund. The US is at a very early planning stage, and once more information is available, we will consider options for collaboration.

The UK government shares the objective of increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. UK officials remain in close contact with the US Government regarding the International Fund. The US is at a very early planning stage, and once more information is available, we will consider options for collaboration.

The UK government shares the objective of increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. UK officials remain in close contact with the US Government regarding the International Fund. The US is at a very early planning stage, and once more information is available, we will consider options for collaboration.

The FCDO's programme spend is publicly available on devtracker. UK funding to the Palestinian Authority since 2017 to support the salaries of carefully vetted teachers and education workers is available here: https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-1-300050/transactions

Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence, including by promoting a more positive portrayal of each other. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

We do not publish Partnership Principles Assessments. We have an active dialogue with the PA on the issues identified through these channels and we assess that the PA continues to demonstrate a credible commitment to our agreements and the 'partnership principles'.

All programming and funding decisions for Financial Year 21/22 are being considered in the context of a temporary overall reduction in Overseas Development Assistance. Allocation decisions have been taken by Ministers in line with the objectives set out in the Integrated Review. We are working with suppliers and partners on what this means for individual programmes. Full budgets and programmes per country will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

All programming and funding decisions for Financial Year 21/22 are being considered in the context of a temporary overall reduction in Overseas Development Assistance. Allocation decisions have been taken by Ministers in line with the objectives set out in the Integrated Review. We are working with suppliers and partners on what this means for individual programmes. Full budgets and programmes per country will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

The Georg Eckert Institute, who were commissioned by the EU to undertake a review into Palestinian textbooks published the final report on 18 June 2021. The review is publicly accessible on their website: http://www.gei.de/en/departments/knowledge-in-transition/analysis-of-palestinian-textbooks-paltex.html

The Georg Eckert Institute, who were commissioned by the EU to undertake a review into Palestinian textbooks published the final report on 18 June 2021. The review is publicly accessible on their website: http://www.gei.de/en/departments/knowledge-in-transition/analysis-of-palestinian-textbooks-paltex.html

The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.

The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.

The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.

The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.

The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.

The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I, raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.

We are aware of the trial of four Iranians in Belgium in relation to the 2018 plot against a conference in Paris. We are deeply concerned by reports that an Iranian diplomat is one of those standing trial in connection with the incident. While the legal process is ongoing, however, it would be inappropriate to comment further and we have not made specific representations to the Iranian Government. The UK strongly condemns the targeting of civilians and welcomes steps taken to hold those responsible to account. We continue to work closely with our European partners on security and counter-terrorism issues. The Foreign Secretary has not had any recent conversations with his Belgian counterpart in relation to this trial. We are not aware at this stage of a link to the UK.

We are aware of media reports that an Iranian diplomat, who is charged with involvement in a plot against a conference in Paris in 2018, has threatened "retaliation" should he be convicted. The UK Government does not have access to the court documents on which these reports are based. While the legal process is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.

No UK Aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers who have been carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.

Our partnership with the PA is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our 'partnership principles'. We continue to judge that the PA is demonstrating a credible commitment to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's partnership principles. Our partnership works to improve the lives of Palestinians and support the UK's commitment to maintain the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

No UK Aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers who have been carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.

Our partnership with the PA is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our 'partnership principles'. We continue to judge that the PA is demonstrating a credible commitment to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's partnership principles. Our partnership works to improve the lives of Palestinians and support the UK's commitment to maintain the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our 'partnership principles'. We continue to judge that the PA is demonstrating a credible commitment to this Memorandum and the 'partnership principles'.

The PA is in the process of revising its textbooks. The PA have informed us that they have updated Grades 1-6 and intends to update the remaining textbooks as soon as possible. In the interim, the UK will continue to raise our concerns about incitement in education, which the Foreign Secretary did most recently with the PA Minister for Education on August 2020.

No UK Aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers who have been carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.

Our partnership with the PA is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our 'partnership principles'. We continue to judge that the PA is demonstrating a credible commitment to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's partnership principles. Our partnership works to improve the lives of Palestinians and support the UK's commitment to maintain the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Following UK calls for action, the EU commissioned the Georg Eckert Institute, a specialist textbook analysis centre, to undertake a robust, impartial review of Palestinian textbooks. We have remained in close dialogue with our European partners throughout the process, including urging them to complete the review as soon as possible. In July an interim report was submitted to the EU for approval. The EU used the report to inform partners, including the UK, about the current status of progress and to receive feedback. Publication of the interim report is not currently foreseen by the EU. The UK has repeatedly lobbied the EU to push for publication, but this is ultimately a decision for the EU.

No UK Aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers who have been carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.

Our partnership with the PA is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding and our 'partnership principles'. We continue to judge that the PA is demonstrating a credible commitment to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's partnership principles. Our partnership works to improve the lives of Palestinians and support the UK's commitment to maintain the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The research component for this programme is very important as it seeks to look more broadly at the impact of People-to-People work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to build the evidence base in this area - something that is presently limited.

Work on this is currently underway by an internal panel who are reviewing the report. The panel hope to complete their review by Autumn this year. Once the full process of analysing the findings is complete, we will then use this research to inform future programming decisions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We will seek to publish the research results in due course.

The UK remains committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We welcome efforts towards peace. We also support the growth of civil society in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and efforts to improve the Palestinian economy. We will continue to monitor the People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund as it progresses through the US legislative system.

Peace will only come through negotiations between the parties, but international action has a role in facilitating progress. We welcome all efforts towards peace. The UK remains committed to the objective of to making progress towards a two-state solution. We support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees.

Our 2019-20 Memoranda of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority were published on Dev-tracker (https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-1-300050/documents) and copies were placed in the Library. The 2020-21 Memoranda of Understanding will be published on Dev-tracker in due course.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been closely involved in the negotiation of a new Implementing Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction - the BBNJ Agreement - as an important step forward in addressing the challenges that the ocean faces. The UK is pressing for an ambitious Agreement to be concluded in 2020. It will be a key mechanism in enabling the designation of at least 30 per cent of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas by 2030. A joint FCO-DEFRA team of officials will represent the UK in these talks based on positions agreed by ministers. The question of Ministerial participation is being kept under review.

The latest available information on the number of families with children receiving Working Tax Credit at the parliamentary constituency level is for April 2020. In April 2020, the number of families with children receiving Working Tax Credit in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency was 1,700.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-provisional-awards-geographical-analyses-december-2013.

Information on following months is not readily available. The next update to this publication will provide statistics relating to December 2020 and will be available in January 2021.

Final annual information on families with children receiving Working Tax Credits is published once a year and updated each July

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2018-to-2019.

In March the Chancellor announced a business rates holiday for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, irrespective of rateable value. This means that pubs in England will pay no business rates this year. Combined with Small Business Rates Relief, over 1 million ratepayers will pay no business rates in 2020-21. This is more than half of all properties in England.

The Government does not provide targeted COVID-19 assistance for people ineligible for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme as a result of their public sector pension.

The Government has announced unprecedented support for public services, business and workers to protect against the current economic emergency. It has prioritised measures that can be implemented quickly and effectively, and that benefit as many individuals as possible. The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. Since 2010, the State Pension has been uprated by the highest of average earnings growth, price inflation or 2.5%; an approach known as the Triple Lock. Since 2010, the value of the State Pension has increased by £1,903.20 a year. The Government provides other support for older people, such as Winter Fuel Payments, free eye tests and NHS prescriptions, and free bus passes.

Without internet access at home, a taxpayer could use an agent, telephoning through figures for the agent to input online. Alternatively, anyone can call HMRC and request a blank return and complete it manually.

At the 2019 Spending Review, the Government provided an additional £1bn funding for social care in 2020-21. In addition the Government has committed to urgently seek a cross-party consensus to bring forward proposals and legislation for long-term reform of adult social care.

No date has yet been set but the next National Retail Crime Steering Group meeting is likely to take place in early 2021.

The Home Office does not keep a central register of all the organisations that operate in the UK.

The Government does not comment on intelligence matters.

Hizballah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and membership is therefore a criminal offence. Decisions to investigate and prosecute for proscription offences are a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service. Statistics on prosecutions for proscriptions offences are routinely published in the report on the ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’. The most recent publication, up to year ending March 2020, was published on 11 June on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000-financial-year-ending-march-2020.

The Graduate route will be introduced in the summer of 2021.

We have been clear no migrant will be penalised due to circumstances outside their control related to Covid-19, including those who need to complete part of their courses online due to the covid-19 outbreak.

The City of London Corporation (as the Police Authority for the City of London Police) commissioned an independent review by Sir Craig Mackey QPM into the standards, culture and management of Action Fraud. The finding and recommendations of that review were published on 24^th January: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/Pages/police-authority.aspx

Working with the City of London Corporation, the NCA and Home Office, the City of London Police will address Sir Craig’s recommendations regarding Action Fraud and the NFIB.

In addition, as part of the 20/21 police funding settlement, City of London Police received additional funding to allow them to recruit additional staff for the Action Fraud call centre. Despite the current challenging circumstances, work has continued to recruit and develop remote training for these additional staff at pace.

There are no plans to extend the deadline for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme. There is still a year to go until the deadline of 30 June 2021 and the latest published statistics, to 31 May 2020, show the scheme is performing well, with more than 3.6 million applications having been received and over 3.3 million concluded.

EEA citizens can apply online, free of charge, simply by completing three key steps: proving their identity, showing they live in the UK and declaring any criminal convictions. There is support available online, by email and telephone from our assisted digital provider.

Where a person eligible for leave under the scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the application deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply. Our compassionate and flexible approach will ensure individuals who miss the deadline through no fault of their own can still obtain lawful status in the UK. We will publish clear guidance for caseworkers in due course to ensure consistency of approach.

It is important, for the public and officers, that allegations of police misconduct are dealt in a timely manner.

The Home Office introduced new legislation on 1 February 2020 to impose a requirement on the police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to provide a written explanation if any misconduct investigation is not completed in 12 months - setting out what progress it has made, why it hasn’t completed the investigation and the steps it will take to conclude the investigation.

The IOPC publishes data on police complaints, including the timeliness of complaints handling and investigations by police forces, and the time taken to complete its own investigations into complaints or other matters. The Home Office is currently reviewing its own collection of data in relation to the police disciplinary system, including data on timeliness.

The Home Office does not collect data on suspensions. Suspension of police officers or police staff is a matter for local forces.

It is important, for the public and officers, that allegations of police misconduct are dealt in a timely manner.

The Home Office introduced new legislation on 1 February 2020 to impose a requirement on the police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to provide a written explanation if any misconduct investigation is not completed in 12 months - setting out what progress it has made, why it hasn’t completed the investigation and the steps it will take to conclude the investigation.

The IOPC publishes data on police complaints, including the timeliness of complaints handling and investigations by police forces, and the time taken to complete its own investigations into complaints or other matters. The Home Office is currently reviewing its own collection of data in relation to the police disciplinary system, including data on timeliness.

The Home Office does not collect data on suspensions. Suspension of police officers or police staff is a matter for local forces.

Following a positive reasonable grounds decision, and the minimum recovery and reflection period, the Single Competent Authority makes the conclusive grounds decision as soon as possible and only once there is sufficient information to do so.

The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse can have on victims, businesses, and the wider community; and we are committed to tackling this issue.

To ensure that our response to retail crime is as robust as possible we work with a wide range of partners through the National Retail Crime Steering Group, including the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and British Retail Consortium.

In addition, we launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The call for evidence has now closed and we are carefully analysing the responses before deciding what further action may be required. We intend to publish the government’s response in due course.

Since 4 July, multi-purpose community facilities have been opened more widely for a range of activities, including social clubs. Guidance on how such buildings can be opened safely can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities .

On 13 May we announced that anyone in England could move home as long as they followed the advice at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-advice-on-home-moving-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

This includes students moving into university-run and privately rented accommodation. Everyone involved in the moving process must follow social distancing to minimise the spread of the virus.

Letting agents and landlords should also consider how best to conduct tenancy check-ins for new tenancies agreed while broader measures remain in place, taking care to follow government advice on social distancing

On 13 May we announced that anyone in England could now move home as long as they followed the advice at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-advice-on-home-moving-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

This sets outs that letting agents and landlords should take steps to ensure any properties are prepared ready for new tenants. This may include cleaning to minimise any potential spread of the virus in line with government advice at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings.

Letting agents and landlords should consider how best to conduct tenancy check-ins for new tenancies agreed while broader measures remain in place, taking care to follow government advice on social distancing to minimise possible spread of coronavirus.

The Government has supported a Private Members Bill to improve the situation for motorists in relation to private parking companies. The Parking (Code of Practice) Act received Royal Assent in 2019. This Act will lead to the creation of an independent Code of Practice for private parking companies and a “one-stop-shop” for parking appeals.

The Government has already proposed that the new Code should require clear signage and surface markings, and clear and accessible displays of terms and conditions. This proposal was made in the advisory Code of Practice which has been laid in the House of Commons Library.

On 3 November 2019, the Government announced that the British Standards Institution (BSI) will write the Code in consultation with consumer and industry groups. The Government has committed to developing the final code this year, and will carry out a full public consultation, to give the parking industry, the public and other interested parties the opportunity to have a say.

Until such time as the Act is implemented, private parking companies must be a member of a trade association if they wish to access DVLA data to issue parking charges to vehicle owners. The two parking trade associations have their own codes of practice and appeal procedures to which they expect their members to adhere, including setting minimum standards such as the clarity of signage.

The Government is taking forward a comprehensive programme of reform to end unfair practices in the leasehold market. This includes working with the Law Commission to make buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, quicker and more cost effective – and to reinvigorate Commonhold and Right to Manage. We are moving forward with legislation, particularly on measures to ban the sale of new leasehold houses, restrict ground rents to zero for future leases, give freehold homeowners equivalent rights to challenge unfair charges, and close loopholes to prevent unfair evictions and will introduce a bill when parliamentary time allows.

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. The Government is aware that homeowners could be subject to a possession order or the granting of a lease of their home by the rentcharge owner over rentcharge arrears. As part of our leasehold reform work we have committed to repeal Section 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to ensure homeowners are not subjected to unfair possession orders.

Furthermore, where people pay estate rentcharges, it is not right that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs. That is why the Government intends to legislate to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager to manage the provision of services covered by estate rentcharges.

We are moving forward with legislation with these measures.

Furthermore, the Government asked the Regulation of Property Agents working group, chaired by Lord Best, to look at how service charges for leaseholders - and estate rentcharges for resident freehold homeowners - could be made more transparent. The group also considered in what circumstances other fees and charges, such as administration charges or permission fees which affect both leaseholders and freeholders, are justified or whether they should be capped or banned. The working group published its final report to Government (see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report). We are considering?the report’s?recommendations and will announce next?steps in due course.

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. The Government is aware that homeowners could be subject to a possession order or the granting of a lease of their home by the rentcharge owner over rentcharge arrears. As part of our leasehold reform work we have committed to repeal Section 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to ensure homeowners are not subjected to unfair possession orders.

Furthermore, where people pay estate rentcharges, it is not right that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs. That is why the Government intends to legislate to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager to manage the provision of services covered by estate rentcharges.

We are moving forward with legislation with these measures.

Furthermore, the Government asked the Regulation of Property Agents working group, chaired by Lord Best, to look at how service charges for leaseholders - and estate rentcharges for resident freehold homeowners - could be made more transparent. The group also considered in what circumstances other fees and charges, such as administration charges or permission fees which affect both leaseholders and freeholders, are justified or whether they should be capped or banned. The working group published its final report to Government (see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report). We are considering?the report’s?recommendations and will announce next?steps in due course.

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. We are moving forward with legislation to ensure freehold homeowners can access equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges and go to the Tribunal to change their managing agent if necessary.

Last year, the Government asked the Regulation of Property Agents working group, chaired by Lord Best, to also look at how service charges for leaseholders - and estate rent charges for resident freehold homeowners - could be made more transparent. The group also considered in what circumstances other fees and charges, such as administration charges or permission fees (which affect both leaseholders and freeholders) are justified or whether they should be capped or banned. The working group’s final report was published on 18 July and we are considering the recommendations set out in the report. We will respond in due course.

The Government acknowledges the significant upheaval that Covid-19 is causing for couples who were looking to marry at this time. The requirement to solemnize a marriage within twelve months of giving notice to marry is set out in primary legislation and would require primary legislation to amend.

We are exploring what changes might be possible in relation to marriages at this time, and in line with Public Health England guidance on social distancing.

For the most recent completed financial year, 98% of enquiries made by Members of Parliament to the Legal Aid Agency received a response within 20 working days.

Information for the remaining questions posed could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

For the most recent completed financial year, 98% of enquiries made by Members of Parliament to the Legal Aid Agency received a response within 20 working days.

Information for the remaining questions posed could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

For the most recent completed financial year, 98% of enquiries made by Members of Parliament to the Legal Aid Agency received a response within 20 working days.

Information for the remaining questions posed could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

For the most recent completed financial year, 98% of enquiries made by Members of Parliament to the Legal Aid Agency received a response within 20 working days.

Information for the remaining questions posed could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.