Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Equalities Ministers meet frequently with Ministerial colleagues across government to discuss a range of issues.

Since 2011, the Department for Work and Pensions has provided local authorities (LAs) with Discretionary Housing Payments funding of over £1 billion, to support vulnerable groups. The allocation of these payments is for LAs to decide, in line with their own priorities and reflecting government guidance aimed at targeting funds to those most in need, including domestic abuse survivors.

The Government has access to, and regularly monitors, data with breakdowns by ethnicity on trust in public institutions, trust in government, attitudes towards the vaccine programme and wider government policy on COVID-19. The Government also carefully monitors data on vaccine uptake, intention to take a vaccine and reasons for hesitancy. This is from a number of sources, including data from the ONS and other surveys.

There is a significant cross-government programme of work underway to increase confidence in the vaccination programme and to drive uptake among ethnic minority groups. This includes hosting vaccination centres in places of worship, tackling misinformation through the Counter Disinformation Unit and, through the Government's Community Champions scheme, using trusted local voices to encourage uptake.

There is also a wider government communications campaign using media medics and recognised voices across ethnic minority and faith communities to build trust and encourage vaccine uptake.

The Commission supports electoral registration reforms that would make it easier for people to register or to update their details throughout the year. This might include adding people automatically from other datasets, or other automated solutions which still require confirmatory action by the voter.

In 2019, the Commission investigated the feasibilty of such reforms. It found these were possible from a technical perspective and could be implemented without radically altering the structure of the electoral registration system in the UK.

The Commission's view is that this could help improve registration levels among some under-registered groups, including the youngest part of the franchise. This would ensure that as many people as possible are able to participate in our democracy.

As is common in most employment arrangements, Members' employees are expected to provide for their own nourishment and refreshment at work, whether they purchase that or bring it in from home. The position is different for volunteers as they are not employed and provided with a salary from which to provide that sustenance. For that reason, volunteers can claim for the additional costs associated with volunteering for an MP, for example when on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office (which includes food) which Members' staff cannot.

The payment the Hon Member refer's to is IPSA's administration of the tax-free allowance which can be paid to employees who are required to work from home, under HMRC rules. As a tax mechanism, this does not apply to people who volunteer.

IPSA has informed me that the arrangements for volunteer expenses were updated in March 2014 when the new model volunteer agreement was produced. This was communicated through the IPSA bulletin at the time and is available on the IPSA website. The Hon. Member is correct that there is no geographical stipulation in the volunteer expenses rules. There is a balance to strike when drawing up policy and guidance between on the one hand brevity and clarity and on the other detailing all possible scenarios. There will always be an element of judgement and interpretation when unusual situations such as the Covid19 pandemic occur.

There have not been any specific director meetings on volunteer expenses but the policy team and the Chief Executive of IPSA considered carefully the issue of food costs for volunteers who are working from home. A guiding principle in the stewardship of the use of public funds is that reimbursement is appropriate where there is a work-related expense that is additional to usual living costs. In this case, volunteers working on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office would be incurring additional expense by needing to purchase food. This is not the case when the volunteer is at home as they would not incur additional food costs whilst working for an MP.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) provides funding for staffing and business costs to support MPs in their parliamentary functions, in line with the rules and general conditions set out in its Scheme.

MPs may claim for the cost of reasonable food and travel expenses to be paid to volunteers who are supporting their parliamentary work, to ensure they are not out of pocket as a result of their volunteer activities. This may include, for example, the purchase of lunch when working away from home. Volunteer expenses may only be reimbursed to cover actual costs incurred as a result of supporting the MP and are not intended to be used as a daily food allowance to fund the consumption of food and drink in a volunteer's own home.

The Government has commissioned and supports the business led, independent Hampton-Alexander Review which has a 33% target for women on boards and in senior leadership positions across the FTSE350 by close 2020.

The Government also supports the recently launched Leaders As Change Agents board which is working to increase diversity in critical decision-making roles.

Women hold a higher percentage of senior leadership positions than ever before. I am pleased to report the good news that the FTSE100 have achieved their 33% target ahead of schedule. The FTSE350 have 31.5% women on boards and 28.2% of women in executive positions and their direct reports.

We are working across government and with representative bodies to address the gender pay gap in different public sector workforces.

This includes supporting the Department of Health and Social Care and the independent review of the gender pay gap in medicine led by Dame Jane Dacre. We are also encouraging initiatives in other public sector workforces, including policing and different parts of the education sector.

To support all employers, we have published evidence-based guidance on practical actions they can take to create more inclusive workplaces.

The Government defines Foreign Interference as activity conducted on behalf of a foreign state that undermines UK interests through actions which are either corruptive, deceptive, coercive or criminal.

HM Government is considering each of the recommendations and conclusions in the Intelligence & Security Committee’s report on China and will publish a full response to the report in due course, in the usual manner.

The Intelligence and Security Committee published its report on China through its own website, isc.independent.gov.uk, which it manages. Consequently, HM Government is not in a position to provide information relating to downloads of the report.

Data on the cost of consultancy spend across government is not centrally held and is held by each department. There is a legitimate case for consultancy spend in certain circumstances, where it represents value for taxpayer money.

Each department will publish their total consultancy spend as part of their own Annual Reports and Accounts which are available on Gov.uk.

We can confirm that the Cabinet Office has not contracted directly with either of the named suppliers during the period in question.

As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.

Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. Details of Government contracts above £10,000, and £25,000 in the wider public sector, are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).

On 24 November 2022, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China. Government departments have been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls. It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding Government estates are withheld on security grounds.

The Downing Street complex, consisting of 10, 11 & 12 Downing Street, had water meters installed earlier this year as part of the Cabinet Office’s work on ISO 14001 certification. The individual buildings are not separately metered.

I also refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 19 October 2021, PQ 58823, on steps previously taken to improve the environmental performance of these Grade 1 listed buildings.

Pay for civil servants below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to individual departments and the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance sets the framework for departments to set pay. The Cabinet Office does not hold complete data on the average pay increases in Departments for civil servants nor for public sector workers covered by the pay remit guidance. No staff covered under the pay remit guidance are prohibited from striking.

The Cabinet Office publishes summary figures on salaries across the Civil Service as part of the Civil Service Statistics publications. Median salaries by grade and department in the last five years can be found in the Civil Service Statistics publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.

These figures are the overall values, and may not represent the changes for individual civil servants.

Information classified as SECRET or above, should only be managed on appropriately encrypted devices. Such devices are secured by robust physical, procedural and personnel security measures. In addition, any encrypted devices that provide for access to SECRET information are also architected to mitigate the risk of theft or loss.

Following a recent machinery of government change, a revised List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published in due course. The current list can be found on GOV.UK at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities

The Cabinet Office does not own any vehicles and has not purchased any in the last 24 months.

The Government is committed to producing an update to the manual before the end of this Parliament. As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster indicated to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the 26th January, the Government is also committed to sharing a draft with PACAC shortly.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 1 February is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 6 January is attached.

The Cabinet Office procures its energy supplies through the Government Property Agency’s Commercial Department, which works with Crown Commercial Service (CCS). The current suppliers are Total Energies Gas & Power Ltd for gas and EdF for electricity.

The Cabinet Office occupies a historical estate but actively contributes fully to the overall Net Zero by 2050 objective of the Government. Greenhouse gas emissions on the public estate reduced by 50% in 2019-20, compared to a 2009-10 baseline, exceeding its target of 43%. Carbon dioxide emissions for the latest reporting period is due to be published soon and previous years are available in the public domain at Greening Government Commitments on GOV.UK.

The department is actively engaged in contributing fully to the government's overall objective, for the UK, to reach Net Zero by 2050. Central Government has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2019-20, compared to a 2009-10 baseline, exceeding its target of 43%. The Greening Government Commitments framework provides a comprehensive, coherent and quality assured dataset on central government emissions and allows consistent comparisons to be made.

His Majesty’s Government acknowledges the strength of feeling regarding the events of 1984.

In 2014, the then Cabinet Secretary, the late Lord Heywood of Whitehall, commissioned Hugh Powell as Deputy National Security Adviser to coordinate a team of Whitehall officials to establish the extent of British involvement in the Indian Army’s operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar in 1984. Mr Powell coordinated the review but the evidence was gathered and analysed by officials from the Cabinet Office, the FCDO, the MoD and other government agencies. Had officials discovered evidence of a conflict of interest in the course of the investigation, Mr Powell would have been invited to recuse himself from the review. No such action was required.

The civil servants who worked on the Review were bound by the same standards of integrity, honesty, impartiality and objectivity, set out in the Civil Service Code that apply to all civil servants.

The Cabinet Office does not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form. There are robust policies and processes in place to create a safe working environment and the Department actively encourages staff to report any inappropriate behaviour including bullying, harassment and discrimination.

In October 2021, the Cabinet Office launched an independent Review into Respect & Inclusion to consider policies, practices and workplace culture in regard to fairness and inclusion in the Cabinet Office. The Department has accepted the independent report's recommendations and are implementing them in full, prioritising actions that will have the greatest immediate impact.

Cabinet Office also have a Fair Treatment Confidants Network where staff are trained to support and signpost their colleagues if they have experienced, witnessed or been accused of bullying, harassment or discrimination.

Additionally, Speak Up Week this November is a twice-yearly campaign consisting of a variety of upskilling events, blogs and resources focusing on encouraging staff to speak up against unfair behaviour in the workplace.

It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on leak investigations.

I am very proud of this government’s record on housebuilding, with over 2 million additional homes delivered since 2010. I am happy to clarify that it was this Conservative Government which oversaw the highest level of new homes delivered in over 30 years before the disruption of the pandemic, with 242,000 homes (a net increase in housing supply) delivered between April 2019 and March 2020. Furthermore, under this Government the number of new homes started in England is at a near 15-year high, and has risen by 10% above pre-pandemic levels.

This Government knows that people are happier, more secure and more rooted in their communities when they own their own homes. That is why we are continuing to build on our record of delivering new homes, with housebuilding starts increasing by 140% between 2009 and 2022.

As I outlined in my answer of 18 October 2021 to PQ 54006, Chequers is not a government building; it is run and managed by an independent trust. As has been the practice under successive Premiers, the incumbent Prime Minister uses Chequers consistent with the wishes of the donor, the late Sir Arthur Lee, who gave it to the nation for the use of the serving Prime Minister, for both official and private use. This is set out in the Chequers Estates Act 1917.

Details of official hospitality at Chequers are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website. I can confirm the Prime Minister’s gathering of 16 July was not an official event.

Personal or party political hospitality is not paid for by the public purse.

The Downing Street Briefing Room is in regular use for media briefings twice a day on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, once a day on Fridays when Parliament is sitting, and once a week during parliamentary recess.

There have been seven televised press conferences held so far in the room in 2022.

It is also used for other events such as virtual calls with world leaders.

The Ministerial Code sets out that Ministers are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety. Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Ministerial Code, and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has released a public statement and commented that she ‘should have shown more composure’.

The Department for Health and Social Care has processes in place to review the quality of all PPE the Government has purchased and these processes determine whether products are suitable to be released to the frontline.

Published accounts show only around 3% of PPE purchased by DHSC – equivalent to around £670m – cannot be used because it is not fit for any purpose.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Second Permanent Secretary's report and its conclusions, alongside the Prime Minister's statement to the House of 25 May 2022.

No.

Following the completion of the Metropolitan Police investigation and publication of the Second Permanent Secretary’s Report, the Cabinet Office and other relevant Government departments are carefully considering findings in relation to allegations of misconduct by their staff, with proper regard to existing disciplinary processes.

As part of the Cabinet Office’s Environmental Policy, glass receptacles, including bottles, collected from the Cabinet Office’s central London estate, are recycled via the Government Property Agency’s facilities management contract with Mitie FM.

As set out in the recently published National Cyber Strategy we will make sure that the UK continues to be a leading, responsible and democratic cyber power, and that we are able to protect and promote our interests in the rapidly evolving online world. We will build on the previous strategy as well as the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The NCSC engages directly with UK industry and the government, providing advice on actions to take in response to the cyber threats.

We are not aware of any current specific threats to UK organisations in relation to events in and around Ukraine. In heightened periods of international tension, all organisations should be vigilant to the risk of cyber compromise and follow the NCSC’s guidance during such periods of heightened cyber risk.

A core component of our National Cyber Strategy is to strengthen the cyber security of government and public services. The Government Cyber Security Strategy, launched in January 2022, will make sure that core government functions are resilient to cyber attacks. This work will be supported by an enhanced assurance regime to raise standards and a new Government Cyber Coordination Centre. The delivery of both the National and Government strategies is supported by £2.6 billion of investment over three years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 21 February, PQ122677.

The Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP was appointed as the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, in the Cabinet Office, on 8 February.

The Minister of State will be responsible for realising the opportunities arising from Brexit and increasing the efficiency of government.

A full list of ministerial responsibilities will be published in due course.

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer given to 114642.

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer given to 114642.

I refer the Hon. Member to the reply I gave to the Hon. Member for Blackpool South on 7 February 2022 (Hansard volume 708, column 700).

I have been asked to reply. I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Putney on 31 January in PQ 112703.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

The Government provides a BSL Interpreter for COVID press conferences and COVID data briefings on its social media channels to make essential public health information widely accessible. The Cabinet Office is also examining how we could extend similar provision for all public broadcasts (including non-COVID broadcasts) from No9 Downing Street.

Cabinet Office ceased its Stonewall membership in 2020 on the grounds of delivering value for the taxpayer.

My recent discussions with President Biden have covered a number of issues including: the rapid and safe evacuation of our nationals and those who previously worked with our governments, the importance of not losing the gains made in Afghanistan over the last twenty years, protecting ourselves against any emerging threat from terrorism, and continuing to support the people of Afghanistan. We also agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. I outlined UK plans to play a leading role in pursuing these objectives, including through regional partners, the UN and the G7.

As a matter of practice, the BBC has, since March 2020, provided BSL interpretation on its News Channel in respect of the vast majority of Covid media briefings, and continues to do so. A clean feed of the BSL interpretation has, since May, been made available for use on government social media channels.

In the relatively rare event that the BBC chooses not to provide BSL interpretation, we will be notified in advance of the briefing. We will then arrange for an independent organisation to provide BSL interpretation of the briefing in question, further to an arrangement that came into effect on 26 November. That BSL interpretation will be made available on government social media channels (including the No 10 YouTube channel). It will also be made available to broadcasters and other media outlets for TV and social media channels.

The Ministerial Code states: "Working relationships, including with civil servants, ministerial and parliamentary colleagues and parliamentary staff should be proper and appropriate". Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Code and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. Departments and agencies are responsible for defining the standards of conduct they require of their staff.

Notwithstanding, the Government also recognises that all individuals have a right to a private life, and does not seek to restrict the personal relationships and friendships between adults.

The Ministerial Code states: "Working relationships, including with civil servants, ministerial and parliamentary colleagues and parliamentary staff should be proper and appropriate". Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Code and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. Departments and agencies are responsible for defining the standards of conduct they require of their staff.

Notwithstanding, the Government also recognises that all individuals have a right to a private life, and does not seek to restrict the personal relationships and friendships between adults.

I refer the Hon Member to the response I gave him on 21 June, UIN 16936.

Throughout this pandemic, the whole of Government’s priority has been to save lives, protect the NHS, and support people’s jobs and livelihoods, right across the United Kingdom. We have stood side-by-side with the private sector, procuring enormous volumes of goods and expertise with extreme urgency – often, these were literally matters of life and death. This has delivered:

• The biggest vaccination programme we have ever undertaken.

• The largest diagnostic network in British history – with over 190 million tests conducted.

• A stockpile of over 32 billion items of PPE as a result of a phenomenal cross-government, international purchasing effort.

The Government throughout the pandemic has been extremely mindful of the importance of keeping both Parliament and the public informed when decisions are taken.

The Prime Minister met with the Speaker last week and agreed that Parliament will be informed as announcements are made, and that we also reach as many members of the public as possible.

The Government has provided more than 80 Covid-19 statements to Parliament since the first on 23 Jan 2020. This is in addition to the various debates in government, backbench and opposition time, oral questions, urgent questions and legislation debates.

The regulations to keep England in step 3 of the Roadmap were debated and approved by both Houses on 16 June.

The information requested on spend is not held centrally.

The opportunities and considerations associated with the use of AI continue to be explored, as outlined in the guidance on building and using artificial intelligence in the public sector, published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/a-guide-to-using-artificial-intelligence-in-the-public-sector

The information requested on spend is not held centrally.

The opportunities and considerations associated with the use of AI continue to be explored, as outlined in the guidance on building and using artificial intelligence in the public sector, published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/a-guide-to-using-artificial-intelligence-in-the-public-sector

Further to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021, we will consider how best to inform Hon. Members as part of the ongoing development of protocols for use.

To date, experience in other countries indicates that phone networks can handle a rise in calls made after an alert is sent. The number of phones which receive an alert has no impact on the Emergency Alert system - a number of countries conduct similar nationwide tests with no negative impact. Links embedded in alerts will always refer to the gov.uk website, which has been designed in a way to handle significantly higher rates of visits than normal websites and has been proven to be able to handle millions of visits in the seconds after announcements are made.

Further to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021, we will consider how best to inform Hon. Members as part of the ongoing development of protocols for use.

To date, experience in other countries indicates that phone networks can handle a rise in calls made after an alert is sent. The number of phones which receive an alert has no impact on the Emergency Alert system - a number of countries conduct similar nationwide tests with no negative impact. Links embedded in alerts will always refer to the gov.uk website, which has been designed in a way to handle significantly higher rates of visits than normal websites and has been proven to be able to handle millions of visits in the seconds after announcements are made.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021. No personal data is used at any stage of the message sending process. The Government is committed to ensuring Emergency Alerts reach members of the public during an emergency as quickly as possible; as such it is not possible to provide advance notice to Hon. Members prior to transmission of an alert, similar to other local responses.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021. No personal data is used at any stage of the message sending process. The Government is committed to ensuring Emergency Alerts reach members of the public during an emergency as quickly as possible; as such it is not possible to provide advance notice to Hon. Members prior to transmission of an alert, similar to other local responses.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021. No personal data is used at any stage of the message sending process. The Government is committed to ensuring Emergency Alerts reach members of the public during an emergency as quickly as possible; as such it is not possible to provide advance notice to Hon. Members prior to transmission of an alert, similar to other local responses.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021. No personal data is used at any stage of the message sending process. The Government is committed to ensuring Emergency Alerts reach members of the public during an emergency as quickly as possible; as such it is not possible to provide advance notice to Hon. Members prior to transmission of an alert, similar to other local responses.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 17 May 2021. No personal data is used at any stage of the message sending process. The Government is committed to ensuring Emergency Alerts reach members of the public during an emergency as quickly as possible; as such it is not possible to provide advance notice to Hon. Members prior to transmission of an alert, similar to other local responses.

Further to the answer given to PQ 112105, the Cabinet Office uses vehicles from the Government Car Service, alongside other providers.

The Government Car Service is already electrifying its vehicles, with nearly 50% of their fleet either full battery electric or plug-in hybrid.

Further to the answer given to PQ 112105, the Cabinet Office uses vehicles from the Government Car Service, alongside other providers.

The Government Car Service is already electrifying its vehicles, with nearly 50% of their fleet either full battery electric or plug-in hybrid.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Throughout the pandemic, NHS England and NHS Improvement have ensured those who require NHS services have been able to access them as easily and safely as possible. This includes veteran specific services, such as the Veterans Trauma Network, Transition Intervention and Liaison Service and Complex Treatment Service which continued with the majority of care being delivered through on-line and telephone consultations. Providers continue to look at how face-to-face appointments can be delivered safely whilst maintaining a video and digital offer throughout November 2020.

The charity sector also provides support for veterans seeking support with their mental health and wellbeing. The Government recognises this important role and £10m of additional funding was made available to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust in the Budget specifically for veterans wellbeing support and a further £6m through the COVID-19 Impact Fund. In addition to this the Government has funded research to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of our veterans.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ 23479 on 16 March 2020 with regards to vetting of Special Advisers.

Data related to the number and costs of special advisers is published annually. Publication of the costs for the most recent reporting period will follow in due course.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ 23479 on 16 March 2020 with regards to vetting of Special Advisers.

Data related to the number and costs of special advisers is published annually. Publication of the costs for the most recent reporting period will follow in due course.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer which I gave to PQ 25181 on 13 March 2020 and to PQ 23469 on 16 March 2020.

As I set out in my answer to Question 25185, the annual report of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests sets out details of investigations undertaken by the Adviser into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code. The next annual report will be published in due course.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. friend, the Member for Louth and Horncastle, to PQ 251302 on 15 May 2019 and to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in response to an urgent question on the 2nd March 2020 (Official Record, Vol. 672 Col.609)

The annual report of the independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests sets out details of investigations undertaken by the adviser into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.

Special advisers are appointed in line with the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Model Contract for special advisers sets out notice and severance pay entitlements for special advisers upon termination of their employment.

Data related to the number and costs of special advisers are published annually. The most recent report was published 20 December 2019 and is available online and in the Library of the House.

Special advisers are appointed in line with the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Model Contract for special advisers sets out notice and severance pay entitlements for special advisers upon termination of their employment.

Data related to the number and costs of special advisers are published annually. The most recent report was published 20 December 2019 and is available online and in the Library of the House.

Special advisers are appointed in line with the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Model Contract for special advisers sets out notice and severance pay entitlements for special advisers upon termination of their employment.

Data related to the number and costs of special advisers are published annually. The most recent report was published 20 December 2019 and is available online and in the Library of the House.

As with all civil servants, special advisers are subject to National Security Vetting. Vetting requirements are determined for each role on a case by case basis.

A report on the numbers and costs of special advisers is provided to Parliament and published on an annual basis. The report for financial year 2018/2019 was published in December 2019 and can be accessed here: Annual Report on Special Advisers 2019.

The report covering the current financial year will be published in due course.

Our current National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021) is delivering transformational change, building new capabilities and intervening to address the cyber threat.

Our manifesto has committed to investing more in cyber security, embracing new technologies and legislating to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

The government's future approach to cyber security will form part of the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review, which will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including ways in which technological changes could have implications for our security.

The second, third, fourth and fifth largest number of limited companies registered to a single address in the UK are:

Provisions in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill 2002 currently before Parliament will give the Registrar of Companies new powers to verify the identity of those incorporating all companies and to require evidence that the address at which they propose to register the company is an appropriate one.

Companies House is a registry of company information. It does not hold information about the nature of the addresses to which companies are registered.

It is not government policy to comment on the security arrangements of government buildings, as has been the case under successive administrations. Specific details regarding the make and model of security systems are withheld on national security grounds.

The largest number of limited companies registered to a single address is 77,634.

Many companies may choose the address of an agent or mail-forwarding company as their registered address for entirely legitimate administrative reasons. Nevertheless, provisions in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill 2002 currently before Parliament will give the Registrar of Companies new powers to verify the identity of those incorporating all companies and to require evidence that the address at which they propose to register the company is an appropriate one.

The largest number of appointments as an officer of a limited company held by a single individual is 1,458.

Company legislation imposes no cap on the number of company officer appointments an individual can hold. However, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill 2022 will introduce identity verification for company officers, allowing the Registrar of Companies more easily to monitor the risk that might be represented by abnormally high concentrations of officer appointments.

On 24 November 2022, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that departments had been instructed to take a series of actions relating to surveillance equipment subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. This Government Department has been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls.

At Report Stage of the Procurement Bill, the Government committed that, within six months of Royal Assent, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites. This department will be providing information to the Cabinet Office to support this commitment. It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding Government estates are withheld on security grounds.

The Government currently has no plans to make an assessment of service levies for hotel bookings.

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require that traders must give full information about the price of the product including any unavoidable extra charges before purchase. These must be given in a clear and comprehensible manner.

While there are no official forecasts of the number of businesses expected to cease trading, the most recent Monthly Insolvency Statistics produced by the Insolvency Service show that in May 2023 there were 2,552 company insolvencies in England and Wales, up 40 per cent on May 2022.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 currently ensures consumers have strong protections against builders who charge for work that they do not complete.

The government has also introduced the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill this session. The legislation includes measures to introduce tougher court-based penalties for Trading Standards enforcement against rogue builders and others. Details of the measures can be found in Part 3 [Enforcement of Consumer Protection Law] of the Bill.

The DMCC Bill includes a delegated power to amend the list of unfair practices in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This power will keep consumer protections up-to-date and responsive to emerging harms from rogue traders that impact consumers.

The first intended use of this power is to tackle fake and misleading reviews which will be consulted on during Bill passage.

Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we will be delivering two campaigns this year that will focus on how consumers can protect themselves against scams and how to report a scam to help protect others.

The disability provisions in the Equality Act 2010 require providers of services and facilities to the public to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ so that disabled people are not placed at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to non-disabled people. The reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty because it is owed to disabled people in general. This means that government expects people who provide goods, services, and facilities to members of the public, to anticipate the requirements of disabled customers and the adjustments that may have to be made for them.

Information on UK companies is made available publicly on the register at Companies House, including their annual accounts. The Department does not hold the necessary information that would attribute companies’ reported profits directly or indirectly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Department does not purchase vehicles.

In terms of existing vehicles, the Department currently contracts with the Government Car Service, which is a division within the Department for Transport, for the provision of two cars. The vehicles supplied to the Department by the Government Car Service are owned and operated by the Department for Transport and are leased by the Department.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-car-service.

The vehicle fuel type can vary depending on which car has been allocated to cover on that day. Generally, the cars are electric or hybrid.

The Department has regular discussions with the Financial Reporting Council about the operation of the UK Corporate Governance Code and related issues. The Financial Reporting Council is responsible for maintaining the Code. Its annual Review of Corporate Governance Reporting assesses how companies have reported on their governance in line with the principles and provisions of the Code. The most recent, published in November 2022 assessed 100 FTSE 350 and smaller listed companies.

Across financial years 2020/21 and 2021/22, UK government spent £1.975 billion on energy research, development and demonstration. This included support for net zero innovation projects across energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear, hydrogen, carbon capture utilisation and storage, power and storage technologies as well as cross-cutting research on clean energy solutions.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero committed to transforming Britain’s energy security and scaling up affordable, clean and homegrown power after its creation in February 2023. To address the long-term strategic challenges associated with its remit, the Department has a dedicated senior leadership team and Strategy Directorate which ensure strategic thinking and horizon scanning is bolstered and embedded across the breadth of the Department’s work.

The Government's ambition for low-carbon heating systems and energy efficiency measures has the potential to add up to £10 billion per year in Gross Value Added and support around 240,000 jobs in 2035.

Source: Powering up Britain – The Net Zero Growth Plan (page 58)

As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on the Government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.

Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, I would refer the hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.

On 24 November 2022, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that departments had been instructed to take a series of actions relating to surveillance equipment subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. This Department has been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls.

At Report Stage of the Procurement Bill, the Government committed that, within six months of Royal Assent, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites. The department will be providing information to the Cabinet Office to support this commitment. It is a longstanding government policy that specific security arrangements regarding Government estates are withheld on security grounds.

Ofgem has guidance for managers and all employees seeking to take up an outside appointment, that aligns with the Civil Service Management Code. Ofgem’s Business Appointment Rules (BAR) assess any concerns related to appointments sought by existing and former employees. Under the BAR, restrictions on taking up appointments may be required. It is the responsibility of employees to notify Ofgem of an outside appointment and to complete a BAR application.

Ofgem is solely responsible for assessing whether an application under the BAR rules is required and for taking its own decisions.

Further information can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/bar-guidance-managers-and-all-employees

The Government is aware of lengthy timescales for connection to the electricity network in some parts of the country, that are affecting housing developments. The Government is working with Ofgem and network companies to improve the connection process and release network capacity to accelerate connections.

As part of the Department’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, officials have discussed Vanadium redox flow batteries. This was in relation to a battery owned by Invinity Energy systems to see if it could deliver long duration storage-enabled power on demand from UK-based solar generation in 2022. The Department has not had other specific discussions on Vanadium redox flow batteries with other parties.

The Government is working with Ofgem, network companies and connection stakeholders to improve connection processes, embed best practice and release network capacity. This will help ensure the timely connection of new housing developments to the network. In addition, Ofgem's price control funds investment in the network for new connections, including housing developments. As part of the 2023-28 electricity distribution network price control, Ofgem will allow £3.1bn for network upgrades. The energy supply for existing homes is not impacted by new connections as distribution network operators only connect new projects once there is sufficient capacity to accommodate them.

BP’s emission reduction targets are for its global business rather than just the UK. The company still has to finalise how it will make all such reductions. It is therefore not possible to make such an assessment.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State met BP with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 9 January and discussed security of energy supply, including the company’s planned investments in the UK to 2030, covering oil and gas, CCUS, hydrogen, wind and electric vehicle charging projects.

The number and variety of business structures bp operates in in the UK make it difficult to determine what public funding the company may have received. However if such funding has been provided, it will have been on the same basis as it would have been available to others.

The company decided not to apply for the funding made available to businesses by the Government to compensate them for the impact of the pandemic. It did, however, provide public support at that time, for example providing free fuel to the emergency services.

As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on the government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.

Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, I would refer the Hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.

On 24 November 2022, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written
Ministerial Statement noting that departments had been instructed to take a series of actions relating to surveillance equipment subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. This Government Department has been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls.

At Report Stage of the Procurement Bill, the Government committed that, within six months of Royal Assent, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites. This department will be providing information to the Cabinet Office to support this commitment. It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding Government estates are withheld on security grounds.

Ofcom employees are not Crown servants and so the business appointment rules for Crown servants do not apply to them.

Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company that it regulates.

We recognise the importance of 999 as an essential part of our public safety. The Government working in partnership with BT and the Emergency Authorities will be taking steps to strengthen the resilience of the Public Emergency Call Service, to ensure it meets the needs of the UK public.

The Government does not have a contract with BT to provide the Public Emergency Call Service, and does not pay BT to act as the 999 Call Handling Agent (CHA).

All Communication Providers (CPs) are required by the Communications Act (2003) to ensure the continuity of access to the Public Emergency Call Service, via the telephone numbers 999 and 112. These obligations are set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement and are regulated by Ofcom. All CPs pay BT to provide the service on their behalf, and this arrangement does not involve the Government.

Through their role as the independent regulator, Ofcom set BT an advisory target to answer 95% of calls within 5 seconds. While this is only an advisory target, Ofcom retains discretion to investigate, and take action against any CP for any possible breach of its General Conditions, which could include considering delays, errors, service quality and other relevant factors.

On 28 June 2023, Ofcom announced an investigation into the incident on 25 June 2023, and will seek to establish the facts surrounding the incident, and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that BT has failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.

In addition, the Government will be completing a full Post-Incident Review to examine the resilience of the system and to identify any lessons that may be learnt from the incident.

We recognise the importance of 999 as an essential part of our public safety. The Government working in partnership with BT and the Emergency Authorities will be taking steps to strengthen the resilience of the Public Emergency Call Service, to ensure it meets the needs of the UK public.

The Government does not have a contract with BT to provide the Public Emergency Call Service, and does not pay BT to act as the 999 Call Handling Agent (CHA).

All Communication Providers (CPs) are required by the Communications Act (2003) to ensure the continuity of access to the Public Emergency Call Service, via the telephone numbers 999 and 112. These obligations are set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement and are regulated by Ofcom. All CPs pay BT to provide the service on their behalf, and this arrangement does not involve the Government.

Through their role as the independent regulator, Ofcom set BT an advisory target to answer 95% of calls within 5 seconds. While this is only an advisory target, Ofcom retains discretion to investigate, and take action against any CP for any possible breach of its General Conditions, which could include considering delays, errors, service quality and other relevant factors.

On 28 June 2023, Ofcom announced an investigation into the incident on 25 June 2023, and will seek to establish the facts surrounding the incident, and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that BT has failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.

In addition, the Government will be completing a full Post-Incident Review to examine the resilience of the system and to identify any lessons that may be learnt from the incident.

We recognise the importance of 999 as an essential part of our public safety. The Government working in partnership with BT and the Emergency Authorities will be taking steps to strengthen the resilience of the Public Emergency Call Service, to ensure it meets the needs of the UK public.

The Government does not have a contract with BT to provide the Public Emergency Call Service, and does not pay BT to act as the 999 Call Handling Agent (CHA).

All Communication Providers (CPs) are required by the Communications Act (2003) to ensure the continuity of access to the Public Emergency Call Service, via the telephone numbers 999 and 112. These obligations are set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement and are regulated by Ofcom. All CPs pay BT to provide the service on their behalf, and this arrangement does not involve the Government.

Through their role as the independent regulator, Ofcom set BT an advisory target to answer 95% of calls within 5 seconds. While this is only an advisory target, Ofcom retains discretion to investigate, and take action against any CP for any possible breach of its General Conditions, which could include considering delays, errors, service quality and other relevant factors.

On 28 June 2023, Ofcom announced an investigation into the incident on 25 June 2023, and will seek to establish the facts surrounding the incident, and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that BT has failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.

In addition, the Government will be completing a full Post-Incident Review to examine the resilience of the system and to identify any lessons that may be learnt from the incident.

We have today (Wednesday 29 March) published our White paper outline our approach for the regulation of AI. Our approach to AI regulation is proportionate, and is focused on real risks, minimising unnecessary compliance burdens on businesses while protecting people and our fundamental values.

AI has to date been regulated indirectly by overlapping frameworks, such as data protection and competition, and sectoral regulators, such as FCA and Ofcom. In some cases this led to confusion, gaps, and complexities. The 2021 National AI Strategy made the case for greater coherence, clarity, and coordination in the regulation of AI.

Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders has been incredibly important during the progress of our work on AI regulation. We have engaged with a wide array of thought leaders across the international AI ecosystem, and engaged with businesses, regulators, research organisations and civil society groups. Many of these stakeholders are very supportive of our approach to AI regulation.

The White Paper we published today sets out a set of principles that regulators should follow when thinking about AI. These are: 1. Safety, security and robustness; 2. Appropriate transparency and explainability; 3. Fairness; 4. Accountability and governance; 5. Contestability and redress.

We encourage any stakeholders with an interest in the topic to respond to our consultation.

The strategic importance of AI is highlighted in our Science and Technology Framework published last week. The Government has invested more than £2.3 billion in AI since 2014. Our National AI Strategy sets out how we will grow the AI ecosystem, providing skills by funding more PhD and Masters courses, targeted sector stimulus including £110m for AI technology missions, and our upcoming White Paper will outline a pro-innovation regulatory regime for AI.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued a congratulatory letter to the Lead Reviewer, Sir Paul Nurse setting out that the Government will respond to the Review’s recommendations in the coming months:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-development-and-innovation-organisational-landscape-an-independent-review.

With less than 1% of the world’s population, the UK accounts for 6.3% of the world’s academic publications, and 13.4% of the world’s most highly cited academic publications. This share of highly cited publications places the UK 1st among the EU countries, and 3rd in the world.

In the 2022 Autumn Statement, the Government committed to increasing public investment in R&D to £20 billion in 2024/25. This will support UK Research and Innovation’s £25 billion allocation to deliver research support across the UK through its nine councils, and partner organisations like the Met Office and National Physical Laboratory which receive public funding to drive research capabilities.

BEIS continues to deliver a broad range of communications via suppliers, through Government channels such as the Help For Households site and Gov.uk, social media, and via a range of charities and consumer groups. There has also been a media campaign with messaging replicated widely.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is delivering a £400 non-repayable Government discount in instalments over six months from October to March, to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. The first payment reached consumers in October. There is no need to apply for the discount under the Energy Support Scheme GB.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is delivering a £400 non-repayable government discount in instalments over six months from October to March to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. The first payment reached consumers in October. There is no need to apply for the discount under the Energy Support Scheme for Great Britain.

Our preference remains association to EU programmes and we continue to do everything we can to secure this, however we cannot wait indefinitely; the EU’s delays are creating significant uncertainty for our R&D communities.

The 2021 Spending Review confirmed that if we are unable to associate, the funding allocated to Horizon association will go to other UK Government-funded R&D programmes instead, including those to support international research & innovation partnerships.

Dr Ilan Gur and Matt Clifford MBE took up post as Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) founding Chief Executive Officer and Chair on 15 August 2022. Under their leadership, recruitment of ARIA Board members and management roles is currently underway. The Department expects ARIA to become legally established and fully operational in early 2023.

Dr Ilan Gur and Matt Clifford MBE took up post as Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) founding Chief Executive Officer and Chair on 15 August 2022. Under their leadership, recruitment of ARIA Board members and management roles is currently underway. The Department expects ARIA to become legally established and fully operational in early 2023.

Existing parental leave rights give employees who have taken parental leave the right to return to the same or similar job. For example, a woman has the right to return to the same job after ordinary maternity leave (the first 26 weeks of leave). The Government has committed, when Parliamentary time allows, to extend redundancy protections into a period of return to work for particular forms of parental leave. The Government announced a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) returners programme on International Women's Day to encourage those who have taken breaks to care for others back into STEM, building on previous Government returner initiatives.

The Government believes that improving insulation measures in homes is one of the best long-term solutions for reducing household energy costs and fuel poverty. Improving insulation across the UK’s housing stock also aligns with commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Government has committed £6.6 billon across the lifetime of this Parliament to decarbonise heat and buildings.

The Government is reviewing whether there are any unnecessary restrictions on remunerating directors, particularly non-executive directors, in shares. This is about how directors are remunerated, not how much. The Government has no plans to amend the statutory reporting and other requirements covering directors’ remuneration under the Companies Act 2006

If it is concluded that there is a case in principle for amending existing provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code relating to remuneration, any changes to the Code would be subject to consultation by the Financial Reporting Council.

The Government is reviewing whether there are any unnecessary restrictions on remunerating directors, particularly non-executive directors, in shares. This is about how directors are remunerated, not how much. The Government has no plans to amend the statutory reporting and other requirements covering directors’ remuneration under the Companies Act 2006

If it is concluded that there is a case in principle for amending existing provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code relating to remuneration, any changes to the Code would be subject to consultation by the Financial Reporting Council.

The independent regulator Ofgem has a duty to protect energy consumers by ensuring they are treated fairly. Ofgem has said it expects the five suppliers with moderate or severe weaknesses to review their direct debit arrangements, submit an action plan, and make repayments if needed. More detail can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/press-release-ofgem-requires-improvements-energy-suppliers-customer-direct-debits.

Sensee Ltd were named on 15 February 2017 for failing to pay National Minimum Wage of £252.00 to 1 worker.

Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-employers-named-and-shamed-for-underpaying.

The ONS publish official data on ethnicity pay. Data for 2019 is available here:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/articles/ethnicitypaygapsingreatbritain/2019.

There is also detailed information on ethnicity pay at the following link: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/pay-and-income/average-hourly-pay/latest.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Strangford on 28^th June 2022 to Question 21184, and to the answer given by my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the noble Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown on 9^th June 2022 to Question HL493.

The Office for National Statistics publishes data on UK gross expenditure on research and development (GERD). Its latest published figures show £38.5 billion in 2019 compared to £25.9 billion in 2010, a nominal increase of about 49%. Adjusted for changes in the GDP deflator, this suggests an increase in constant prices of about 26% over the same period.

The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 requires overseas companies already owning land in England and Wales, and Scotland, to register their beneficial owners within six months. The six-month transitional period gives existing owners of property, with the vast majority legitimately holding property through overseas entities, time to understand and comply with the new rules.

The Government is working closely with the travel sector and consumer advocacy bodies to assess the impact of cancellations made in light of the Covid-19 outbreak. Ministers and officials from across government meet representatives from the travel industry regularly.

We are committed to doing all we can to ensure business are fulfilling their obligations to consumers to exercise their rights for Covid19-related refunds. The Government is working closely with the relevant authorities, including Trading Standards, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and the Civil Aviation Authority.

The CMA has issued guidance on cancellations and refunds and has been monitoring and investigating the sector, undertaking enforcement action where appropriate. The CMA also has the power to take firms to court if they fail to comply with legislative requirements.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has delivered an unprecedented package of support for businesses. Over £26bn has been allocated on business grants with a further £1 billion of support announced, in December 2021, for businesses in England most impacted by Omicron.  From this, £635 million has been made available for local authorities to support the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors and over £100 million of discretionary funding for businesses severely impacted by Omicron through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme.

Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that have been severely impacted by restrictions, or by the Omicron variant, including those paying business rates.

Further information on eligibility can be found in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-restrictions-support-grants-lrsg-and-additional-restrictions-grant-arg-guidance-for-local-authorities

To date, COVAX have accepted UK donations of 26.2 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Of this, 6.2m doses have already been delivered via COVAX to some of the world’s most vulnerable people. A further 11 million doses have been received by COVAX and have been, or shortly will be, allocated and delivered in line with COVAX’s fair allocation model. The remaining 9 million doses that have been committed will be received by COVAX by the end of 2021.

In addition, the Government announced at the G20 in October that the UK will donate at least 20 million more doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca from the remainder of our contract in 2022 and will donate all the 20 million Janssen doses ordered by the Government to COVAX. Janssen aim to prioritise these deliveries to countries based on need, so COVAX will receive the much-needed vaccines as soon as they come off the production line.

On 30 October, we announced that the UK will donate all 20 million Janssen doses ordered by the Government to COVAX. The donation will be confirmed once terms have been finalised with Janssen and COVAX. Janssen aim to prioritise deliveries to countries based on need so COVAX will receive the much-needed vaccines as soon as they come off the production line in 2022.

While the Government is working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years, as recognised by the independent Climate Change Committee, with the UK expected to remain net importers of both oil and gas throughout the transition.

As a result of the review of future oil and gas licensing announced earlier this year, BEIS will introduce a new Climate Compatibility Checkpoint for all future licences. This checkpoint will be just one additional layer of scrutiny on top of the existing rigorous regulatory processes carried out by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning, and the Oil and Gas Authority’s own assessment of net zero impacts as part of its consents process. BEIS will be seeking input on the design of the checkpoint in due course.

The Cambo oil field was first licensed in 2001. Development proposals for fields with existing licences, such as Cambo, are subject to a rigorous scrutiny process prior to consent by the independent Oil and Gas Authority, as well as an environmental impact assessment and a public consultation by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning. Any assessment of the environmental impacts associated with the proposed project is in accordance with the Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020. No decision has yet been taken on the Cambo project.

We have already secured the doses we need for everyone in the UK who requires a booster this Autumn/Winter

We have already secured the doses we need for everyone in the UK who requires a booster this Autumn/Winter

The Government is committed to cementing the UK’s status as a global science superpower, and recognises that great people are at the heart of great research and development (R&D).

In July, we published the R&D People and Culture Strategy which sets a long-term course for research talent development and underlines our goal to ensure the UK is the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent.

The Strategy sets out the actions that government and the sector, including universities, will take to ensure the UK R&D workforce has the capability and capacity it needs both now and in the future - across all disciplines.

In announcing the Spending Review 2021, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer reiterated the Government’s commitment to cement the UK as a ‘scientific superpower’.

All future funding decisions will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review, and we are working with HM Treasury to agree an ambitious R&D package.

The Spending Review will conclude on 27 October. We will then undertake the Departmental allocations process.

The Government’s long-term objectives for R&D are clear: to invest in the science and research that will deliver economic growth and societal benefits across the UK for decades to come, and to build the foundations for the new industries of tomorrow.

We are investing a record £14.9 billion in R&D in 2021/22 and remain committed to achieving our target of increasing total R&D investment to 2.4% by 2027.

In July 2021, the Government published the Innovation Strategy, which included an assessment of the seven technology families where the UK has globally competitive R&D and industrial strength. The families included Advanced Materials and the application of Artificial Intelligence (an AI specific strategy launched in September 2021). The Innovation strategy considered how the government could support the development of these technologies by de-risking industry activity through investment, prioritisation and the use of its convening power. The National Science and Technology Council, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, will help identify and prioritise technologies that will make the UK a Science and Tech superpower.

The Government recognises the challenge that empty properties on our high streets poses and the risk of the number of vacant units increasing due to the economic impacts of Covid-19.

In order to mitigate against a rise in the number of vacant units, the Government has introduced a range of measures to protect businesses that are struggling to pay their rent due to Covid-19. We have extended the moratorium on commercial landlords’ right to forfeiture for the non-payment of rent to the 25 March 2022 and we will introduce legislation to help landlords and tenants resolve historic Covid-19 rent debt through binding arbitration if necessary.

On 15 July, the Government published the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy focusing on five key priorities: breathing new life into empty buildings; supporting high street businesses; improving the public realm; creating safe and clean spaces; and celebrating pride in local communities.

The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts.

An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer. So-called “limb (b) workers” are only entitled to some rights such as the National Minimum Wage but have increased flexibility and fewer obligations to their employer. The self-employed generally have no employment rights but have complete flexibility in their work.

We understand the importance of clarity around employment status and to ensure that individuals and businesses in the gig economy are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The Government is currently considering options to improve clarity around employment status, and we are working with stakeholders and cross-Government on how best to address it in a post-Covid scenario.

The Health and Safety Executive recently updated its guidance to cover gig economy, agency and temporary workers, which can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/gig-agency-temporary-workers/index.htm.

For health and safety purposes, gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers.

The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts.

An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including being protected against unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer.

An employer needs to have a valid reason and take appropriate steps if they are to dismiss an employee. Employees who consider that their dismissal was unfair can complain to an employment tribunal, generally subject to a qualifying period of continuous service. While this does not go into details, the Government publishes quarterly tribunal statistics, including on unfair dismissal claims.

The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world. We have made good progress in bringing forward measures that add flexibility for workers while ensuring the protection of employment rights, such as banning the use of exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts.

An individual’s entitlement to rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed. App-based courier service workers can be classed under any of these depending on their employment relationship. Employees are entitled to all rights including unfair dismissal (subject to qualifying periods) and have responsibilities towards their employer. So-called “limb (b) workers” are only entitled to some rights such as the National Minimum Wage but have increased flexibility and fewer obligations to their employer. The self-employed generally have no employment rights but have complete flexibility in their work.

We understand the importance of clarity around employment status and to ensure that individuals and businesses in the gig economy are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The Government is currently considering options to improve clarity around employment status, and we are working with stakeholders and cross-Government on how best to address it in a post-Covid scenario.

The Health and Safety Executive recently updated its guidance to cover gig economy, agency and temporary workers, which can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/vulnerable-workers/gig-agency-temporary-workers/index.htm.

For health and safety purposes, gig economy workers should be treated no differently to other workers.

Last year, we asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to collect evidence into how fire and rehire is being used by employers. This report was published on 8 June and is available from https://www.acas.org.uk/fire-and-rehire-report.

The Government has considered the findings of the report. We remain clear that we expect all employers to treat their employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership. Using threats about firing and rehiring as a negotiation tactic is unacceptable. We expect employers and employees to negotiate new terms and conditions and there are laws around how this must be done, and protections in place when firms are considering redundancies.

This is clearly a complex area for both businesses and workers. That is why we have asked Acas to produce better, more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help employers explore all the options before considering “fire and rehire” and encourage good employment relations practice.

The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously and we understand the concerns that some people have about the potential for distress to be caused to animals. That is why there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks, that aims to reduce the risks and disturbances to both people and animals.

Through our public awareness campaign for the 2021 fireworks season, we will also be promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks to the general public, to ensure that those using them do so safely and considerately.

The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously and we understand the concerns that some people have about the potential for distress to be caused to vulnerable people. That is why there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks, that aims to reduce the risks and disturbances to both people and animals.

Through our public awareness campaign for the 2021 fireworks season, we will also be promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks to the general public, to ensure that those using them do so safely and considerately.

The OPSS has undertaken extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders to promote the Call for Evidence and to hear their views. This has included engagement with leading e-commerce companies and consumer rights organisations, who have participated in a number of thematic roundtable meetings across the Call for Evidence. A crosscutting consumer-focused roundtable was also held as part of our programme of engagement.

Following closure of the Call for Evidence on 17 June, submissions will be assessed and analysed, alongside wider evidence, to inform the Government’s review of the product safety framework and a response, including a list of contributors, will be provided in due course. The OPSS will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders as it takes forward its review.

Any spend by the Department on external facing digital services are subject to Cabinet Office digital and technology spend controls. Artificial Intelligence is treated as novel and contentious, and as such subject to additional scrutiny. This means threats associated with any application of Artificial Intelligence by the Department will be considered and assessed as part of this governance process.

In July 2020, Cabinet Office tasked all government departments to produce an Automation Blueprint. As part of this the Digital directorate within the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy identified potential opportunities for the application of Artificial Intelligence. There are a number of projects currently being undertaken or considered by the Department, in some cases the progression will be dependent on availability of budget from next financial year. BEIS Analysts use machine learning techniques, under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, where appropriate as part of analysis supporting policy development.

There are a number of projects currently being undertaken or considered by the Department.

BEIS Analysts use machine learning techniques, under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, where appropriate as part of analysis supporting policy development.

Machine Learning projects are being

(i) undertaken:

• Identifying the location of industrial strengths;
• Pilot for targeting communications about business support;
• Categorising internal documents by subject.

(ii) considered:

• Project to understand the labour market through analysing job adverts;
• A pilot for organising internal processes;
• A pilot for predicting economic impacts using real time indicators.

The Department’s expenditure on artificial intelligence in each of the last three years will only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Government conducted a call for views on artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property (IP) in 2020, inviting stakeholders to share their thoughts on how AI impacts on the IP framework and help our understanding of any impact IP might have for AI, in the near to medium term.

In March this year, the Government published its response and proposed eleven actions to explore issues raised in the call for views process, with the aim of providing a system better equipped to meet the Government’s wider ambition for the UK to be a leader in AI technology. These include consulting on a range of possible policy options, including legislative change, for protecting AI generated inventions which would otherwise not meet inventorship criteria and commissioning an economic study to enhance our understanding of the role the IP framework plays in incentivising investment in AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform our lives, unlock high-skilled jobs, and increase productivity. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced in his Ten Tech Priorities that the UK will be building on our work in AI and publishing our National AI Strategy later this year.

In particular, the AI Strategy will focus on

○ Growth of the economy through widespread use of AI technologies;

○ Ethical, safe and trustworthy development of responsible AI;

○ Resilience in the face of change through an emphasis on skills, talent and R&D.

The AI strategy will align with the Government’s plans to boost R&D investment, helping our AI pioneers to accelerate bringing new technologies to the market.

The independent Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) has been appointed to scan the horizon for new technological innovations and provide the Government with impartial, expert advice on the regulatory reform required to support its rapid and safe introduction, while protecting citizens and the environment.

The RHC is to provide recommendations for fusion energy; unmanned aircraft (incl. drones); gene-based technologies and medical devices and have identified provisional future work including AI in Healthcare and Space and Satellites.

Cosmetic products such as teeth whitening kits sold in the UK must meet some of the strictest safety requirements in the world and may only be placed on the market if they meet strict safety requirements, including specific restrictions on the use of potentially harmful chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with colleagues in local Trading Standards to take effective enforcement action where products are identified online that do not meet the UK’s product safety requirements and expects online platforms to act quickly to remove them from sale.

Through its Call for Evidence, OPSS is reviewing the UK’s product safety framework to ensure it is fit for purpose, protects consumers, and enables businesses to safely innovate and grow. The implications of non-traditional models of supply, including e-commerce, and how it has changed the way products are distributed, forms of part of the review.

The UK Space Agency, as an executive Agency of BEIS, is the lead department assessing and mitigating space-based risks to Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). There are heavy dependencies between the CNI sectors such as defence operations, communications, aviation and shipping, which we are engaged in identifying, as well as working to ensure the impact of disruptions to space services is understood and mitigated.

The UK Space Agency is developing a comprehensive response framework that includes processes to follow for a range of incidents, including those that may cause deterioration in or complete loss of all satellite capability. We are continuing to mature our risk-specific plans.

In 2020 we ran our first UKSA-led cross-government discussion exercise which focussed on the risk of conjunctions and explored impacts such as significant loss of satellite capability. We are continuing to develop our exercising package and hope to exercise a wider range of scenarios, including a potential scenario that explores complete loss of all satellite capability, in due course.

As set out in the Integrated Review, the UK will continue to pursue a positive trade and investment relationship with China, while ensuring our national security and values are protected.

The Government currently has powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 to intervene in certain mergers and takeovers on public interest grounds, including national security. The National Security and Investment Act 2021, due to come into force later this year, will modernise and strengthen our national security investment screening powers.

The Government actively participates in multi-lateral intergovernmental fora, including the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Subcommittees and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee. Within these forums, the Government continues to work collaboratively with its international partners to define best practice, develop associated guidelines and support initiatives to promote sustainability and limit the generation of orbital debris.

The Government is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space and has taken proactive measures to prevent, mitigate and remove space debris.

In carrying out safety assessments under its licensing process for activities in outer space, the UK Space Agency considers operators’ collision avoidance and debris mitigation measures as applied over the entire time the spacecraft remains in orbit around the Earth.

The Government also actively participates in a number of multi-lateral fora, including the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its Subcommittees (UN COPUOS) and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), as well as a number of bodies defining safety standards. Within these fora, the Government works collaboratively with international partners to define best practice and the associated guidelines that will ensure space remains accessible for future generations.

Finally, the UK plays a leading role in supporting the development of technology for the sustainable and responsible use of space, having invested strongly in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes aimed at preventing collisions in space, improving detection and tracking of objects in space and fielding demonstration missions of active capture and safe de-orbiting of spent satellites. The UK Government has also licensed a number of UK-operated technology demonstration missions for active debris removal in orbit.

The UK Space Agency, as an executive Agency of BEIS, is the lead department assessing and mitigating space-based risks to Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), covering the aspects including those highlighted in (a) to (h). There are heavy dependencies between the CNI sectors such as defence operations, communications, aviation and shipping, which we are engaged in identifying as well as working to ensure the impact of disruptions to space services is understood and mitigated. A Kessler Syndrome incident is a theoretical risk which has the potential to significantly impact operational services, up to and including a total loss. This has never been experienced, but we are working to understand the likelihood, assess the impacts and mitigate the risk.

The Government is committed to regularly reviewing and assessing risks to ensure that they are accurately prioritised in our resilience framework. Our Space Surveillance and Tracking function is dedicated to reducing the risk from orbital hazards. We supplement US data with UK sensors and analysis to monitor orbital collisions and other events, working in conjunction with MOD Space Operations Centre. We also support several programmes and initiatives looking at options for safely removing orbital debris.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has sought to keep as many business sectors open as we can to protect the economy, whilst delicately balancing the need to protect the NHS and save lives. The Department engages regularly with business representatives, stakeholders and local partners to understand the impact of Covid-19 across all sectors of the economy.

In addition, the Government has provided an unprecedented package of support to businesses and individuals affected by the pandemic, including those in the travel photography industry. This support includes grants, loans, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, the trade credit insurance guarantee and tax deferrals.

We have been very clear that using threats about firing and re-hiring simply as a negotiating tactic is completely unacceptable. We continue to emphasise that we always expect employers to treat employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership.

As we have been concerned by reports of inappropriate use of fire and rehire during negotiations, we engaged Acas to conduct a fact-finding exercise about how fire and rehire has been used in practice. We are now giving this evidence full consideration.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) works closely across Government and other infrastructure operators to ensure that the impacts of a severe space weather event are well understood, and the appropriate steps are taken to ensure Great Britain’s preparedness for major space weather events.

BEIS is due to publish a new space weather strategy later this year, which proposes undertaking targeted work to better understand the impact of space weather on space-enabled technologies.

The Government last held a cross-departmental exercise on responding to a simulated severe space weather event on 23^rd July 2015. This exercise was held by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and was hosted by the Government Chief Scientific Advisor.

The key lessons learnt include the need for more coordinated work in understanding and planning for impacts to passengers and operators across a range of transport sectors; the need for a clear narrative on secondary impacts; and the need to define the role of a Lead Government Department during a space weather emergency. Following this exercise, it was determined BEIS to be designated the Lead Government Department for a severe space weather event.

BEIS is due to publish a new space weather strategy later this year, which will set out a five-year road map for how we intend to boost resilience and continue to increase our preparedness for a severe space weather event.

The space weather strategy will set out further details on assurance of resilience to a severe space weather event, including appropriate exercising.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support for businesses including grants for those businesses that are required to close or which are severely affected by the restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19.

For those businesses who have not been mandated to close under the National Restrictions, support may be available through the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant. Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that may have been severely impacted by restrictions but are not eligible for the Restart Grant scheme. Local Authorities can use their local expertise to target businesses to support in their local area. Local Authorities are responsible for the administration for the Grant Scheme.

My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £425m will be made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020.

Businesses and entrepreneurs that have not been able to access support, or who are unsure about the support that may be available, can also contact their nearest Business Growth Hub. Government has supported the establishment of a network of 38 of these hubs, led by each Local Enterprise Partnership area in England. Expert advisers can offer businesses of all sizes free, tailored 1-1 guidance on areas such as planning, building resilience, and funding. The hubs can also signpost further resources such as webinars and networking opportunities. LEP and Growth Hub contact details are listed online: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/. Firms based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can access similar business support through the devolved governments.

The Government’s free Business Support Helpline FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098 also provides impartial advice and can often signpost firms to further specialised sources of information.  The Government publishes online all information detailing the support available to businesses who have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. This can be found online: www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.

In their planning application to Cumbria County Council (https://planning.cumbria.gov.uk/Planning/Display/4/17/9007), West Cumbria Mining have stated that at full annual production the Whitehaven Mine will produce and sell 2.78 mega tonnes per annum of premium metallurgical coal for the use in steel making. Of this, 360,000 tonnes per annum is destined for use in the UK steel industry and the remaining 2.42 mega tonnes per annum is destined for European steel makers.

The Government understands the considerable difficulties faced by UK businesses that have been adversely affected by a drop in business or closure due the coronavirus pandemic.

In November, at the beginning of the second national lockdown, the Government made available £1.1bn in discretionary funding allocated to each local authority to support businesses via the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). This was topped up with a further £500m in January 2021. Local authorities have significant discretion in the businesses they support and the amount of grant funding per business based on local priorities.

Since March 2020, we have made available a range of business support measures including loans, small business grants through local authorities, mortgage holidays and VAT deferral.

We have also updated the support available to fit the restrictions necessary: we have increased the overall level of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme grant to 80% of trading profits covering November to January for all parts of the UK.

We have also extended the Bounce Back Loan Scheme application deadline to the end of March 2021, to further support eligible firms who need it during this ongoing period of difficulty.

We would always encourage businesses that have not been able to access support, or who are unsure about what support is available, to contact their nearest Business Growth Hub for advice. Government has established a network of 38 of these hubs, one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area in England. Businesses of all sizes are able to access free, tailored guidance from expert advisers who make up the Hub teams. All contact details are online at www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/.

The free Business Support Helpline offers impartial advice to businesses across England (FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098) provides with free, impartial business support.

Firms based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can access business support through their devolved Governments.

The Government is making substantial business grants available through Local Authorities to support businesses that have been mandated to close or had their trade affected by national or local Covid-19 restrictions.

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) will offer grants of up to £1,500 per two-week period, available to all businesses in England that have been required to close due to local and national restrictions.

The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) is a discretionary fund designed to support those businesses that whilst not mandated to close, are severely impacted by restrictions.

On top of the support being provided centrally, the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership has committed £11.3 million of capital to create a funding escalator of loans and equity. This will support expansion plans and help with short-term cash flow issues. In addition, Thames Valley Berkshire Business Growth Hub Recovery and Growth Programme is supporting businesses to help them plan their recovery, build resilience and maximise opportunities to grow.

BEIS currently contracts with the Government Car Service, which is a division within the Department for Transport, for the provision of two cars.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-car-service.

The vehicle fuel type can vary depending on which car has been allocated to cover on that day. Generally, the cars are electric or hybrid

The UK government announced in March 2020 an initial package of support to protect businesses and workers against the economic emergency caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. This included around £300bn in the form of guarantees and loans aimed at eligible businesses from all business sectors (including the distribution and storage sectors) across the UK.

The financial support includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes (the CBILS, Bounce Back Loan scheme), the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and funds allocated by Local Authorities – the Small Business Grant Fund and the additional Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund.

Eligible businesses from all sectors can apply for support under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which is helping businesses avoid having to lay staff off during the worst of the outbreak. By midnight 14 June, 9.1m jobs had been furloughed, with 1.1m employers furloughing. In total, £20.8bn has been claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme up to this point. This system will last until end of October 2020, with government contributions gradually decreasing.

Government continues to engage with businesses and their representative organisations to monitor the operation and success of the business support schemes.

The Government has made a package of temporary measures available to support public services, people, and businesses through this period of significant disruption. These measures are intended to help businesses that may experience cashflow problems and include:

Grant funding of up to £10,000 for small businesses in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief, administered through local authorities in England.

• Grant funding of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses that own property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.
• The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which offers loans of up to £5 million for small and medium-sized enterprises through the British Business Bank.

We would also encourage businesses to consult their creditor in the first instance. If businesses have an existing loan or asset purchase, such as a lease or hire purchase agreement, they may wish to ask for a repayment holiday.

In order to ensure UK industrial consumers have continued access to the critical materials they need, our approach is based on free, fair, and open trade internationally.

We continue to monitor the situation closely as we engage with our industrial base on this important matter.

We have committed to publishing a heat policy roadmap in 2020. This will set out our plans to deliver the low carbon heat needed to meet our climate targets, and a programme of work to enable key strategic decisions in the first half of the 2020s on how we achieve mass transition to low carbon heating.

In the meantime, we continue to support low-carbon heating through the Renewable Heat Incentive and the Heat Networks Investment Programme, and we are developing policies to deliver low carbon heating in the 2020s and meet our climate targets. A Future Homes Standard, introduced by 2025, will require new build homes to be future proofed with low carbon heating and world leading levels of energy efficiency. We are also committed to phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems in off gas grid properties and accelerating the decarbonisation of our gas supplies by increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid. We will be consulting on these commitments in due course.

We are preparing an ambitious, cross-modal Transport Decarbonisation Plan to step up our efforts and deliver the carbon emission reductions needed for the sector to play its part in reaching net zero by 2050. On roads, delivering on our Manifesto commitment, we will soon consult on the earliest date we can phase out the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars.

We want to deliver on our net zero commitment in a way that maximises the economic benefits of our transition to cleaner economic growth, creating green jobs and new business opportunities across the country. There are now over 460,000 people working in low carbon businesses and their supply chains across the country, up from the revised 2017 estimate of 447,000 and low carbon exports are worth billions of pounds each year. According to a recent estimate, the UK low-carbon economy could grow more than four times faster than the rest of the economy between 2015 and 2030 – delivering £170 billion of exports and supporting up to 2 million jobs.

The UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory publishes assessments of annual greenhouse gas emissions. The table below shows the annual percentage change in the UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide for the years 2014-2018. Data are not yet available for 2019 emissions.

All employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working.

The Government wants to take this further and, subject to further consultation, we will look to introduce steps in an employment bill to make flexible working the default - unless employers have good reason not to.

The Government has also consulted on proposals for large employers (with over 250 employees) to publish their parental leave and pay and flexible working policies and to advertise jobs as open to flexible working.  We are considering next steps.

We have provided more support for offshore wind than any other country in the world, helping us to reach record levels of renewable electricity generation in 2019. In 2010 offshore wind generated 0.8% of the UK’s annual electricity. In 2018 it was 8% and by 2030 is projected to account for more than a third of generation.

The UK accounts for around one third of world’s offshore wind capacity and has the world’s largest offshore wind market with 9.8GW of installed capacity which is expected to rise to 14GW by 2023 and 19.5GW by 2026. The most recent (September 2019) Contract for Difference auction brought forward 5.5GW of new offshore wind capacity, 2.5 GW more than the 2017 auction.

The Government is committed to protecting workers’ rights and enhancing these where it is right for the UK. The Political Declaration sets out the UK’s ambition on employment provisions in our future trade agreement with the EU. In order to prevent either Party gaining an unfair trade advantage, the UK will seek a reciprocal agreement to maintain social and employment standards at the current high levels. This will both help maintain fair and open competition in trade and protect workers’ rights in the UK.

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising on social media platforms. This includes protections against misleading, harmful and illicit advertising, including illegal items such as weapons. Additionally, there is already legislation in place that prohibits the sale and advertising of certain weapons, such as flick-knives and firearms. Advertising for weapons not prohibited for sale should follow the ASA’s rules around legality, offence, fear, distress, and safety, and media owners should carefully consider all weapon adverts before deciding whether to display it.

The Government is also examining the regulatory model for online advertising to ensure it protects consumers and minimises harm through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Online Advertising Programme (OAP). The consultation on the OAP closed last year and considered how to tackle harms arising from paid-for online advertising, including illegal items such as weapons. We will be publishing a Government response in due course.

Bank and public holidays provide an opportunity for people right across the UK to get outside and explore new parts of the country. Domestic, overnight trips make an important contribution to our tourism and hospitality industries, and the wider economy. For example, British residents made 100 million overnight trips in England between April and December 2021, contributing a total of £22.2 billion in spend.

The Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy has been established to facilitate greater cooperation across government, in order to assess how best to support the visitor economy, and how to drive growth in the tourism sector.

The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays, but we believe that the current pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted.

The Secretary of the State has not had any recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the amount of VAT charged on children’s sportswear.

Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including sportswear, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items.

DCMS occupies a number of different offices across the United Kingdom, all of which are shared with other departments and/or private sector occupiers. All of these properties are managed by local building management teams (not employed by DCMS) with each location procuring their own energy suppliers and DCMS being re-charged for proportional usage. DCMS does not therefore procure its own energy suppliers.

Our DCMS London headquarters are located at 100 Parliament Street, Whitehall. This building is shared with other government departments and is managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who source energy from EDF Energy and from the Whitehall District Heating System.

DCMS Manchester headquarters are located at Bloc 17, Marble St. This building is shared with other companies/departments and is managed by private landlords Bruntwood. Bruntwood procure their energy from Unify Energy Ltd.

Other DCMS sites that our staff occupy are classed as satellite hubs, where only a small amount of desks are available to us - the energy providers for these buildings are chosen and managed by the landlords respectively.

In our most recent submission for Greening Government Commitment sustainability reporting (2021/22), DCMS logged 198.28 tonnes of CO2e.

In terms of improving and meeting reduction targets, a building wide solution of energy efficient LED lighting installation at our London HQ is underway and is due for completion in 2023 - this will involve a complete switchover of all current lighting in the building, including DCMS areas.

We continue to promote good practices, in all of our offices, to reduce emissions - including heavily restricting the use of domestic flights, reducing waste, paper usage and single use plastics.

The DCMS Property Strategy will see the department move into GPA managed Government hub accommodation as it becomes available, meaning that energy procurement will be undertaken by the GPA on behalf of its customers and in line with their Net Zero Strategy.

The Government is committed to delivering Net Zero by 2050.

The Government reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2019-20 compared to a 2009-10 baseline, exceeding its target of 43%.

The Greening Government Commitments set out the actions that UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including targets for departmental reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with current targets for the period 2021-25. The Department is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible, and has ambitious targets under the Greening Government Commitments.

Local radio stations are a vital part of the communities they serve, providing trusted news, entertainment and companionship to listeners in different communities in all parts of the UK. In recognition of this, we have committed to bring forward a package of changes to update the rules on commercial radio licensing, including strengthening local news and information requirements. We intend to bring forward legislation in this area when Parliamentary time allows.

The community radio sector also provides an important service, with around 300 Ofcom-licensed stations having been launched since 2005. The Government continues to make funding available to support the growth of the sector, by way of the Community Radio Fund (CRF). The Fund distributes £400,000 on an annual basis to help fund the core costs of running licensed community radio stations and enable the sector to move towards self-sustainability. Furthermore, in the last two financial years, we have supported the CRF to go beyond this core funding, with significant uplifts targeted on tackling loneliness and to reflect the sector’s important contribution to the Government’s ambitions on levelling up.

Local newspapers also play an invaluable role in the fabric of our society - in supporting communities and local democracy, holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information. They remain uniquely placed to undertake the investigative journalism and scrutiny of public institutions, including local councils and our courts, that is vital to helping ensure a healthy democracy at a local level. And Government-commissioned research into the importance of newspapers to local communities found that changes in news provision and consumption over time had a direct impact on participation levels in local elections in England.

The Government has taken a number of steps to support this vital sector, including through the extension of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years; the investment of £2 million in the Future News Fund; the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the 2021 publication of an Online Media Literacy Strategy; and our work through the Mid-Term Review of the BBC Charter, exploring how the BBC seeks to act as a complement, rather than a substitute for, local commercial news outlets.

The Government was also pleased to see the BBC conduct a thorough review of the Local Democracy Reporting Service in 2020, and we would support any efforts by the BBC to grow the scheme. Most importantly, we are introducing a new, pro-competition regime for digital markets. The regime, which aims to address the far-reaching power of the biggest tech firms, will help rebalance the relationship between publishers and the online platforms on which they increasingly rely. This will make an important contribution to the sustainability of the press at both local and national level. We continue to consider all possible options in the interest of promoting and sustaining the sector.

The UK and global economy is dependent on a resilient supply of semiconductors across a wide range of applications. The global supply chain for these semiconductor chips is complex and globalised, with long lead-times on new manufacturing capabilities making it difficult to quickly respond to exogenous supply chain shocks.

On behalf of the government, DCMS has been reviewing its approach to the UK’s global semiconductor sector and intends to set out its support for the sector in the forthcoming UK Semiconductor Strategy. This has been developed by engaging with industry experts, representative bodies and the wider global community. We recognise that the issues facing the semiconductor sector cannot be solved by the UK alone, and are considering how best to ensure that the UK is resilient to disruptions to semiconductor supply chains. This will include considering how to strengthen the UK's own semiconductor sector and work with international partners to improve long term resilience within the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Charities are seeing increased demand for services, and both Civil Society and cultural organisations are facing higher energy prices.

That is why the government took action to support such organisations with their bills over the winter, as part of our Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The department will continue to engage constructively across the cultural and charitable sectors to monitor the impact of rising energy costs.

Volunteering is critical to a vibrant and resilient civil society; it benefits volunteers and the organisations involving them and has transformational impacts on beneficiaries and their communities.

This Government is committed to enabling people to take part in all forms of social action, including volunteering. We know the profound benefit that volunteering has on the individual, on communities and on society.

Volunteers do not have a contract of employment as a volunteer, so do not have the same rights as an employee or worker. However, they will usually be given a volunteer agreement that explains:

• the level of supervision and support they will get

• what training they will get

• whether they are covered under the organisation’s employer or public liability insurance

• health and safety issues

• any expenses the organisation will cover.

The volunteer agreement is not a contract, but it is a good way of setting out what volunteers can expect from the organisation they are volunteering for. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) also has information on volunteers’ legal status and guidance on solving volunteer problems.

Volunteering is critical to a vibrant and resilient civil society; it benefits volunteers and the organisations involving them and has transformational impacts on beneficiaries and their communities.

This Government is committed to enabling people to take part in all forms of social action, including volunteering. We know the profound benefit that volunteering has on the individual, on communities and on society.

Volunteers do not have a contract of employment as a volunteer, so do not have the same rights as an employee or worker, and are not placed under the same obligations. However, they will usually be given a volunteer agreement that explains:

• the level of supervision and support they will get

• what training they will get

• whether they are covered under the organisation’s employer or public liability insurance

• health and safety issues

• any expenses the organisation will cover.

The volunteer agreement is not a contract, but it is a good way of setting out what volunteers can expect from the organisation they are volunteering for. You can find information about this at https://www.gov.uk/volunteering/pay-and-expenses. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) also has information on volunteers’ legal status and guidance on solving volunteer problems.

If a volunteer believes they are treated unfairly, there is recourse available to them through a variety of means. Volunteers for charities are able to raise concerns to the Charity Commission. The Health and Safety Executive, Disclosure and Barring Service, and the Information Commissioner's Office are also useful points of contact.

As part of the Gambling Act Review, ministers and officials have had meetings with a range of stakeholders to support ongoing work and policy development, including with representatives of the betting and gambling industry. Records of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28/04/22 to Question 159010.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28/04/22 to Question 159010.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28/04/22 to Question 159010.

The government is considering the recommendations made by the Digital Radio and Audio Review in October 2021 and will publish its response shortly.

The Review included a number of detailed recommendations about the need for new regulation to ensure that radio listeners continue to have free access to radio services when listening on smart speaker devices and to ensure that radio services are not discriminated against by platforms that carry audio services. The government will address these important issues as part of the government’s overall response to the Review.

The government is considering the recommendations made by the Digital Radio and Audio Review in October 2021 and will publish its response shortly.

The Review included a number of detailed recommendations about the need for new regulation to ensure that radio listeners continue to have free access to radio services when listening on smart speaker devices and to ensure that radio services are not discriminated against by platforms that carry audio services. The government will address these important issues as part of the government’s overall response to the Review.

The Government is committed to cracking down on unacceptable behaviour in the ticketing market and improving people’s chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price. DCMS works with all other relevant Departments to ensure this is the case, including the Home Office.

We have strengthened the law in relation to ticketing information requirements and have introduced a criminal offence of using automated software to buy more tickets online than that allowed.

We also support the work of enforcement agencies in this area, such as the Competition and Markets Authority, National Trading Standards, and the advertising industry's own regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The Government is considering its response to the CMA report on Secondary Ticketing which will be issued shortly.

The Government is committed to cracking down on unacceptable behaviour in the ticketing market and improving people’s chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price. DCMS works with all other relevant Departments to ensure this is the case, including the Home Office.

We have strengthened the law in relation to ticketing information requirements and have introduced a criminal offence of using automated software to buy more tickets online than that allowed.

We also support the work of enforcement agencies in this area, such as the Competition and Markets Authority, National Trading Standards, and the advertising industry's own regulator the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The Government is considering its response to the CMA report on Secondary Ticketing which will be issued shortly.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the government and the government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations.

The BBC’s membership of external schemes is a decision for the BBC.

The Government is aware of a broad range of views on the potential of artificial intelligence but is also informed of the technology’s risks and threats.

The Office for AI (a joint DCMS and BEIS unit) commissioned GDS to conduct a root-and-branch review of AI adoption in the public sector, to identify opportunities to increase productivity and service quality through the application of AI and related technologies.

The findings of the review revealed that leaders across the public sector could benefit from better understanding the technology, the opportunities it presents and the limitations of its use. A guide to using artificial intelligence in the public sector was published to meet this need, drawing on best practice from the commercial sector and public sector.

Accompanying the AI Guide are the Guidelines on AI Procurement co-published in collaboration with the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These guidelines will inform and empower buyers in the public sector, helping them to evaluate suppliers, then confidently and responsibly procure AI technologies for the benefit of citizens.

Furthermore, the Office for AI, co-published with the Central Digital & Data Office, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework for Automated Decision-Making. This is a seven-point framework - aimed at civil servants - to help government departments use automated or algorithmic decision-making systems safely, sustainably and ethically.

To help identify and address the risks and threats of AI the government commissioned the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to review the risks of bias in algorithmic decision-making. The review, which was published at the end of last year, identified a number of potential areas for further action, and I’m pleased that progress has already been made on a number of them.

As we look to ‘Build Back Better’ from the pandemic the government is committed to improving vital public services and driving efficiencies across the public sector through the ethical, safe and trustworthy deployment of responsible AI. Later this year we will publish a new National AI Strategy to help us achieve that ambition. I am pleased that officials from across the civil service and the wider public sector have been contributing to the strategy’s development.

The opportunities and considerations associated with the use of AI continue to be explored, as outlined in the guidance on building and using artificial intelligence in the public sector, published on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/a-guide-to-using-artificial-intelligence-in-the-public-sector

The specific information requested on Artificial Intelligence spend within digital budgets is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform our lives, unlock high-skilled jobs, and increase productivity.

The UK has a history of innovation-friendly approaches to regulation, in areas such as FinTech, HealthTech and online harms, and is committed to ensuring the necessary regulations exist to provide assurance and confidence around the development and use of new and emerging technologies.

The UK is playing a leading role in international discussions on AI ethics and potential regulations, including work at the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the OECD and the Global Partnership on AI , and we will continue to work with international partners including the European Union and the US to support the development of the rules around the use of AI for the benefit of our economies and societies.

Furthermore, the UK recently published Guidelines on AI Procurement in collaboration with the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These guidelines will inform and empower public sector buyers across nations, helping them to evaluate suppliers, then confidently and responsibly procure AI technologies, which meet high ethical standards, for the benefit of their citizens.

The Government is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in sport and physical activity, including football. Our strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity amongst under-represented groups, working closely with our arm’s length and national bodies to achieve this. We are in regular dialogue with the football authorities across a range of matters, including increasing diversity.

We support the efforts of The FA in their work with Asian communities, as the largest ethnic minority group in the country, through the FA Asian Inclusion Plan. The plan focuses on tackling Asian underrepresentation at all levels of the game, both locally and nationally. The five pillars of the strategy work to ensure that intersectional participation, and representation, is occurring from grassroots all the way through to elite pathways and governance. Further details about the plan can be found here: https://www.thefa.com/news/2021/may/06/fa-asian-inclusion-strategy-update-20210506

We also welcomed the launch of The FA’s ‘Football Leadership Diversity Code’ last year, which is a step in the right direction to ensure English football better represents our modern and diverse society, on and off the pitch. The FA has committed to following this with a version adapted for the National League System and grassroots clubs this year.

Opportunities for participation are crucial too. The Government invests £18m a year into football facilities, through the Football Foundation, to improve access to quality facilities across the country with an additional £25m announced at Budget for this year as well. Inclusivity forms a part of the assessment criteria for any application for funding from the Foundation, with it being a core value of the organisation.

However, there is still progress to be made and the Government will continue to liaise closely with the football authorities on their efforts to improve diversity in the sport.

The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. It is the Government's view that the best way to achieve this is to create a competition-friendly environment in areas where deployment is commercially viable while focussing government funds on the 20% of the country where commercial deployment is unlikely. As a result of this approach, there is now a thriving market of over 80 providers rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK. We are also investing £5bn to ensure the hardest-to-reach areas in the UK receive coverage through Project Gigabit.

This approach is working. According to ThinkBroadband, in the South East, gigabit connectivity has increased from just 8% at the start of 2020 to 35% today. Average download speeds have also increased by 40% in the same period, from below 40 megabits per second to over 56 megabits per second.

There are 23 Superfast projects in the Government’s Superfast Broadband Programme in the South East, which have already provided coverage to 497,000 premises. Local Full Fibre Network projects have been completed in both Mid and West Sussex. 94 Rural Gigabit Connectivity hub sites have been contracted in the South East area and 48 sites, including schools have been delivered. The South East has benefited from the Voucher scheme which has seen 6,466 voucher connections with a value of over £13m invested in connectivity in the area coupled with a further £8.8m Top Up Vouchers issued. There are also a further 11,069 issued vouchers that are pending connections, totalling more than £19m.

Areas in the South East will also be amongst the first to benefit from our £5 billion Project Gigabit programme. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are in Phase 1b of the delivery plan, with Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, East and West Berkshire, Oxfordshire, East Sussex, Kent and Surrey all currently in line for Gigabit-capable rollout through Phase 2.

Furthermore, on 9 March last year, the Government agreed a £1 billion deal with the Mobile Network Operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This will see the operators collectively increase 4G mobile phone coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of the programme, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments. The South East will benefit from the operator-led element of the Shared Rural Network which will see operators collectively invest over £530 million in a shared network of new and existing phone masts. This will help tackle partial not spots - areas where there is currently coverage from at least one, but not all operators. There have already been 700 new and upgraded sites announced by the operators this year and they are on track to eliminate the majority of these partial not spots by mid-2024.

The Government takes the issue of disinformation very seriously and DCMS is leading work across Government to tackle it. In response to the harmful disinformation and misinformation relating to Covid-19 we stood up the Cross-Whitehall Counter Disinformation Unit on 5 March 2020, which brings together cross-Government monitoring and analysis capabilities.

We are working with social media platforms to support the introduction of systems and processes that promote authoritative sources of information, and to help them identify and take action to remove incorrect claims about the virus, in line with their terms and conditions. We have also launched a toolkit with content designed to be shared via Whatsapp and Facebook community groups, as well as Twitter, Youtube and Instagram, to tackle false information spread through private channels. The campaign is fronted by trusted local community figures such as imams, pastors and clinicians in short, shareable videos which include simple tips on how to spot misinformation and what to do to stop its spread. This toolkit is based on the core principles of the SHARE checklist, which aims to increase audience resilience by educating and empowering those who see, inadvertently share and are affected by false and misleading information.

The Online Safety Bill will be ready this year. As set out in the full government response, the Online Safety Bill will introduce a duty of care requiring companies to address harms on their online platforms, such as misinformation and disinformation. The new laws will have robust and proportionate measures to deal with misinformation and disinformation that could cause significant physical or psychological harm to an individual, such as anti-vaccination content and falsehoods about COVID-19. However, we are clear that companies should not wait for legislation to be in place to take action against online harms.

There are no current plans to change the eligibility criteria or increase funding for Arts Council England grants.

Alongside regular Arts Council England funding, such as National Portfolio and Project Grants funding, last year the government announced the unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the culture sector. Over £1.2 billion worth of funding from the Culture Recovery Fund has already been allocated across all four nations of the UK. A further £300 million of support was announced by HM Treasury at the Spring Budget and criteria for applicants will be announced shortly.

Rigorous criteria have rightly been applied to all applicants to the first and second rounds of the Culture Recovery Fund, to ensure support is provided to organisations that have national and local importance. Our Arms Length Bodies, including Arts Council England, have the delegated authority to take decisions on grant applications due to their long established grant delivery role, their expertise and understanding of the sectors in which they operate.

DCMS works closely with the sector, Arm’s Length Bodies, the Culture Recovery Board, HM Treasury and the National Audit Office to keep the progress of fund allocations and the level of need in the sector under close review.

Events and exhibition businesses will continue to be able to apply for Government support during this period, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until September. Events businesses can apply for a variety of generous Government backed loan schemes, including the Recovery Loan scheme from 6 April. In addition, the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for Local Authorities specifically refers to mobile businesses and suppliers in the events sector.

We continue to engage with stakeholders, including through the Tourism Industry Council and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation facing the sector.

Events and exhibition businesses will continue to be able to apply for Government support during this period, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until September. Events businesses can apply for a variety of generous Government backed loan schemes, including the Recovery Loan scheme from 6 April. In addition, the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for Local Authorities specifically refers to mobile businesses and suppliers in the events sector.

We continue to engage with stakeholders, including through the Tourism Industry Council and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation facing the sector.

The Government has extended a number of financial support schemes, which events businesses can continue to access well into 2021.

Events and exhibition businesses will continue to be able to apply for Government support during this period, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until September. Events businesses can apply for a variety of generous Government backed loan schemes, including the Recovery Loan scheme from 6 April. In addition, the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for Local Authorities specifically refers to mobile businesses and suppliers in the events sector.

We continue to engage with stakeholders, including through the Tourism Industry Council and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation facing the sector.

The Government recognises the vital role of local newspapers in supporting communities and local democracy through their provision of reliable, high-quality information. The government has been engaging closely with the sector, including publishers present in Slough, and with market experts to continue to inform our understanding of the financial pressures the industry has been facing, including with respect to the reduction in advertising revenues, and the impact of this on business continuity. Many local newspapers have been able to benefit from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has subsequently been extended with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles.

We are aware that the pandemic has had a significant effect on many local newspapers and, in some cases, has led publishers to make difficult decisions with regard to title closures or suspensions and staff redundancies. We will maintain our dialogue with the sector as the situation continues to develop, ensuring that we have the information needed to inform the development of effective support measures.

The government recognises the vital role of newspapers in supporting communities and democracy at a local and national level through ensuring the provision of reliable, high-quality information.

We understand the acute financial pressures newspapers have been facing due to steep drops in advertising revenues and the particular implications of lockdowns on print circulation. To support news publishers to date, the government has introduced a series measures including the extension of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years; and the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers, which was brought forward to May 2020 in response to the effects of the pandemic. The introduction of further Covid-19-related financial support is the responsibility of the Treasury.

Many newspapers have benefitted from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has since been extended, with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles. Some publishers have also made use of wider government measures as well, such as the job-retention scheme which we have extended until the end of April 2021.

Longer term, we will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism, including pursuing options for financial support such as funding for innovation in the sector and tax reliefs.

The Government recognises the vital role of local newspapers in supporting communities and local democracy through their provision of reliable, high-quality information. The government has been engaging closely with the sector, including publishers present in Slough, and with market experts to continue to inform our understanding of the financial pressures the industry has been facing, including with respect to the reduction in advertising revenues, and the impact of this on business continuity. Many local newspapers have been able to benefit from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has subsequently been extended with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles.

We are aware that the pandemic has had a significant effect on many local newspapers and, in some cases, has led publishers to make difficult decisions with regard to title closures or suspensions and staff redundancies. We will maintain our dialogue with the sector as the situation continues to develop, ensuring that we have the information needed to inform the development of effective support measures.

The Government recognises the vital role of local newspapers in supporting communities and local democracy through their provision of reliable, high-quality information. On 6 October last year, the government published Research into Recent Dynamics of the Press Sector in the UK and Globally, a report on the importance of newspaper provision to local communities which explored the impact of suspensions and closures on local democracy. The research, which was conducted before the onset of Covid-19, found that changes in news provision and consumption over time had a direct impact on participation levels in local elections in England, underlining the vital importance of a sustainable local news industry to a properly functioning democracy.

Throughout the pandemic, I have kept in close contact with stakeholders from across the sector to understand the financial pressures they have been facing and how these are impacting business continuity. We do not hold comprehensive figures on the number of titles suspended or closed but are continuing to develop our understanding of the impact of Covid-19-related title closures and suspensions on local news provision and democratic engagement in the light of the findings of our research.

Whilst the vast majority of social media usage has nothing to do with serious violence, we know there is evidence of harmful and/or illegal content available online which glorifies violence and criminality.

That is why we have provided £1.5million to the Metropolitan Police Service to deliver the Social Media Hub which includes a dedicated team of police officers and staff. This additional police resource is taking action against online gang related material, focusing on investigative, disruption and enforcement work against specific gang targets, as well as making referrals to social media companies so illegal and harmful content can be taken down.

On 19 November 2020, the government announced a £300 million Sports Winter Survival Package (SWSP) to provide a lifeline to organisations that would otherwise not survive the winter as a result of the restriction on spectators announced from 1 October. A provisional allocation of £25 million was made to support the National League, covering steps one to six, aiming to protect the immediate future of non-league football in England. A further announcement on 27 January 2021 confirmed that Steps 3-6 of the National League system will receive up to £10 million of grant support from the Package to protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs over the winter period. Sport England and the Independent Board are currently finalising the details of this support, which will include any support for National League clubs in Slough, should they be eligible.

The SWSP support is in addition to the £10 million emergency package we facilitated for the National League from the National Lottery, in October last year, has benefitted the 66 clubs in the steps 1 and 2, and has enabled them to continue playing behind closed doors after the return of fans was paused last autumn.

The support packages that have been available to the National League are in addition to the multi-billion pound package of cross-sector business support from the Government that has enabled many sports clubs and leisure businesses to survive, including the furlough scheme and business interruption loan scheme. Sports have accessed many hundreds of millions of pounds of support through this.

The Government remains committed to engaging across the sector to maintain a complete picture of the financial impact of Covid-19 to ensure sports venues survive this difficult period wherever possible.

The government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy, ensuring the provision of reliable, high-quality information. Local newspapers have benefited from a number of recent fiscal interventions, including the extension of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years; the investment of £2 million in the Future News Fund, which sought to explore new ways of sustaining the industry in a changing landscape; and the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers, which was brought forward to May 2020 in response to the effects of the pandemic. In addition, many newspapers have benefitted from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has since been extended to also cover business readiness for the end of the transition period and the value of the Union, with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles.

Some news publishers have made use of wider government measures as well, such as the job-retention scheme which we have extended until the end of March 2021.

Longer term, we will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism.

The government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy, ensuring the provision of reliable, high-quality information. Local newspapers have benefited from a number of recent fiscal interventions, including the extension of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years; the investment of £2 million in the Future News Fund, which sought to explore new ways of sustaining the industry in a changing landscape; and the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers, which was brought forward to May 2020 in response to the effects of the pandemic. In addition, many newspapers have benefitted from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has since been extended to also cover business readiness for the end of the transition period and the value of the Union, with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles.

Some news publishers have made use of wider government measures as well, such as the job-retention scheme which we have extended until the end of March 2021.

Longer term, we will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism.

The department uses four vehicles overall, two main and two support. Both of the main vehicles are listed as electric on the Vehicle Enquiry Service via gov.uk. Both of the support vehicles are older models and are not electric.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) work closely together on matters related to gambling harm, including on measures and services in place to support problem gamblers. The government has committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it is fit for the digital age and further details will be announced in due course. In addition, at the time of the General Election the government committed to developing a strategy on addictions, including gambling, although this has been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. DCMS and DHSC will continue to work closely together and with wider government in the delivery of these commitments.

Over two thirds of eligible people in the cultural sectors have benefitted from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). We’ve supported the self-employed with over £13 billion in grants and the Chancellor has doubled the generosity of the self-employed grant extension scheme from 20% to 40% of people’s profits. The expanded Jobs Support Scheme, announced by the Chancellor on 22 October, will include more generous and frequent cash grants, and more help for the self-employed.

DCMS continues to engage with HMT to feed into their assessment of the potential impacts of Government support. We will ensure the needs of our sectors are also factored into the developing economic response, and that DCMS sectors, including the live music industry, are supported throughout this time.

The Arts Council England has made £119 million available to individuals, with £23.1 million already distributed and £95.9 million currently available to apply for via open funds.

The £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund will benefit freelancers, because it will invest in organisations and help them to reopen, and restart performances. So far, over £500m has been announced from the Culture Recovery Fund to protect cultural organisations across England, almost a fifth of which has gone to the music sector.

DCMS continues to engage with HMT to feed into their assessment of the potential impacts of Government support. We will ensure the needs of our sectors are also factored into the developing economic response, and that DCMS sectors, including the live music industry, are supported throughout this time.

An unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector has benefitted the creative industries by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations to stay open and continue operating. So far, over £500m has been announced from the Culture Recovery Fund to protect cultural organisations across England, almost a fifth of which has gone to the music sector. This support package will benefit employment, because it will invest in organisations and help them to reopen, and restart performances.

As part of this package, £3.36 million has been shared among 136 venues across England who applied for the Emergency Grassroot Music Venues Fund. This funding has supported grassroots venues to survive the imminent risk of collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The expanded Jobs Support Scheme, announced by the Chancellor on 22 October, will include more generous and frequent cash grants, and more help for the self-employed.

Around 600,000 young people have taken part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme since its inception, with almost 100,000 young people taking part in 2019. Consecutive, independent evaluations have demonstrated the positive impacts that NCS delivers both to its participants and their communities. The most recent evaluation shows that for every £1 of taxpayer money spent on the 2018 summer programme, £3.49 is provided back to society in terms of the economic benefit.

The Government appreciates that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors, including the live comedy sector, which is why we announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency.

The Government’s response has been one of the most generous and comprehensive in the world, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. The Government has adapted the welfare system so that the self-employed can access Universal Credit in full, to help people get quicker and more generous support when they need it most.

We have announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinema.

Alongside this, DCMS continues to work with representatives from the cultural sector, including theatre, to develop supporting guidance and remains committed to getting the curtain up at venues across the country as soon as it is safe to do so.

No assessment has been made. However, we appreciate that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors including the creative industries which is why the Government has announced unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency.

Government supported the publication last month of the British Film Commission’s guidance on working safely during Covid-19. This includes information for hair and make-up artists and will help productions restart, with associated economic benefits.

We are also pleased to see that the film and television industry have developed initiatives to support self-employed workers in these sectors to get back to work safely, in line with Covid-19 guidance. For example, ScreenSkills recently launched free ‘Coronavirus basic awareness on production’ training via their website, and the Film and TV Charity has established a package of support for workers in the industry including financial advice and the Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

Following the licence fee settlement agreement in 2015, the future of the over 75 licence fee concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not of the government. Therefore, the BBC is responsible for conducting an assessment of the effect of the policy to no longer fund free TV licences for all people aged over 75 on loneliness among older people from 1 June 2020.

The BBC acknowledged the impact of loneliness when, following public consultation, it set out its decision on the future of the concession. This can be viewed online: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/reports/consultation/age/decision-document.pdf

You will also be aware that, recognising the exceptional circumstances of the national Coronavirus situation, the BBC Board has decided to change the start date of the new policy. The current plan is to now bring it into place on 1 August and the BBC will keep the issue under review.

The Government’s Manifesto set out its ambition to bring full fibre and gigabit capable broadband to every home and business across the UK by 2025.

Following the licence fee settlement agreement in 2015, the future of the over 75s concession and how it is funded is the responsibility of the BBC, not of the government.

The government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit.

We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.

This government is investing £500 million over five years through the new Youth Investment Fund to increase the availability of youth services. The fund will be used to build new youth centres across the country, refurbish existing youth facilities, provide mobile facilities for harder to reach areas, and invest in the youth work profession and frontline services. Government is funding up to £7 million through the Youth Accelerator Fund that will expand existing successful projects delivering positive activities, and address urgent needs in the youth sector by delivering extra sessions in youth clubs.

This Government understands how important school attendance is for children’s education, wellbeing and life chances. The Department’s approach to tackling this issue is a cross cutting support-first attendance strategy.

The Department published stronger expectations of schools, trusts, governing bodies and Local Authorities in the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance. Schools are now expected to publish an attendance policy, appoint an attendance champion, and use data to identify, and then support, pupils at risk of becoming persistently absent. The Department deployed 10 expert attendance advisers to work with 155 Local Authorities and trusts to review practices, develop plans to improve and meet expectations set out in the guidance. To help identify children at risk of persistent absence and to enable early intervention, the Department established a timelier flow of pupil level attendance data through the daily attendance data collection. The ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf#:~:text=Some%20pupils%20find%20it%20harder%20than%20others%20to,together%20to%20put%20the%20right%20support%20in%20place.

The launch of the £2.32 million attendance mentor pilot aims to deliver intensive one-to-one support to a group of persistently and severely absent pupils. The findings from this pilot should enable schools, trusts, and Local Authorities to address persistent and severe absence more effectively. The Department also recently launched new attendance hubs with 10 lead schools sharing their effective practice on attendance with up to 600 partner schools, reaching hundreds of thousands of pupils. This is alongside intensive support to Children in Need through Virtual Schools Heads.

The Secretary of State and I co-chair the ‘Attendance Action Alliance’ of national system leaders to work to remove barriers to attendance and reduce absence through pledges. This is in addition to the £5 billion that has been made available for education recovery, helping pupils to recover from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding includes up to £1.5 billion on tutoring and nearly £2 billion of direct funding to schools, so they can deliver evidence based interventions based on pupil needs.

Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.

It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.

The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance.

There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.

The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.

The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.

Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.

All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.

Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.

Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.

While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.

The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.

All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme.

Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/.

Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.

The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.

I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer given on 19 June 2023 to Question 188780.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meet in regular cross-government discussions and are committed to working together. The Department for Education works with the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver the joint £300 million Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which enables 75 local authorities in England to create family hubs, and to improve vital services to give every baby the best start in life. This builds on the government’s previous investment to champion family hubs, including a £12 million transformation fund to open family hubs in a further 12 local authorities in England.

Regarding family hub provision across the UK, education and health are devolved matters. It would therefore be for the devolved governments to decide on the provision of family hubs in their local areas.

Access to British Sign Language (BSL) classes is funded through the adult education budget (AEB) for qualifications in or focussing on BSL up to and including level 2. About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to mayoral combined authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas.

ESFA-funded AEB qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL. It will depend on an individual’s circumstances as to whether they are entitled to free provision or expected to meet part of the cost through co-funding. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.

For some BSL courses, Advanced Learner Loans (ALLs) are available, and parents can find more information about which qualifications are eligible at: https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/Search. More general information about the provision of ALLs is available at: https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan.

For parents learning BSL on an AEB-funded course, there is also additional support available. The AEB provides funding to colleges and providers to help adult learners overcome barriers preventing them from accessing learning. Providers have discretion to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment, and childcare. Learning support funding also helps colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

The government appreciates the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and their positive impact on our society as a whole. The department is proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running by attracting 600,000 international students.

Ministers and officials regularly speak to the HE sector, including sector bodies such as Universities UK and HE providers, on a range of issues.

The government’s International Education Strategy makes clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. A key element of that strategy is diversification. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or a single country.

The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator of HE in England, monitors the risk of over-reliance on overseas income at a sector level. The role of the OfS is not to direct how HE providers manage themselves or to limit their recruitment from a particular country of origin, but to ensure they understand where there is greater reliance and how any risks are being managed, and to take action to protect students from the consequences of unmanaged financial risk, if necessary.

The department understands that the vast majority of students will remain unaffected by the industrial action and, in most cases, will receive their full results on time and progress and/or graduate as normal.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has published research findings which surveyed 49% of higher education (HE) institutions in the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff. These institutions provided updated feedback on the impact of the marking and assessment boycott on students at their institutions:

• Over 70% of HE institutions said that ‘less than 2% of students’ will be unable to graduate this summer due to the boycott.
• A further 20% were ‘unsure’ of the number.
• 4% of HE institutions said ‘between 2% and 9% of students’ would be impacted.

These research findings can be accessed at: https://www.ucea.ac.uk/news-releases/23june23/.

On 22 June 2023, I met with Universities UK (UUK), the Russell Group, and UCEA to better understand the impact that this boycott will have on students and the mitigating actions their members are taking to protect students’ interests.

I have also written to the Russell Group and UUK, encouraging them to continue to do everything within their powers to protect the interests of students during this phase of industrial action. On 27 June 2023, I met with a number of HE representative groups to discuss the marking and assessment boycott, including the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.

HE institutions are working on minimising the disruption to their students in a variety of ways, including reallocating marking to other staff members, and hiring external markers. Many HE institutions can award degrees when they have enough evidence of a student’s prior attainment to do so. Others will be able to assign provisional grades to students to allow them to progress.

The government believes students should be at the heart of the HE system. This is why we set up the Office for Students (OfS) to regulate the HE sector in England, protect student rights, and ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS has published guidance to students on their rights during industrial action at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/student-rights-and-welfare/student-guide-to-industrial-action/.

On 12 June 2023, the OfS wrote to institutions affected by the boycott to reiterate its expectations in relation to its conditions of registration. The OfS will continue to monitor this ongoing situation through their normal regulatory mechanisms.

Students who have complaints about their HE experience should contact their provider in the first instance. Students in England and Wales may also raise a complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which was set up to provide an alternative to the courts and is free of charge to students. Further information is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/.

We are exercising operational discretion to ensure students can still apply to the graduate route whilst the marking and assessment boycott continues.

If it is necessary for a student who intends to apply to the ‘graduate’ route to apply to extend their permission whilst waiting for their results due to the boycott, they will be exceptionally exempt from meeting academic progression requirements. All other requirements of the ‘student’ route, including having a new confirmation of acceptance for studies, will still need to be met.

This a discretionary arrangement and not a concessionary policy. It is being communicated in a way that is proportionate to the nature and type of the issue covered. We encourage the sector, including sponsors, to drive the dissemination of this flexibility, as the circumstances are the result of a dispute between institutions and their employees.

We have a world class university sector, with four institutions in the world’s top 10, and the government fully expects the UK to continue to be a major destination of choice for international students.

We hope all parties can reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff and universities, so further industrial action can be avoided.  The department will continue to engage with the HE sector over the coming weeks to help better understand the boycott’s impact on students and the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.

The department understands that the vast majority of students will remain unaffected by the industrial action and, in most cases, will receive their full results on time and progress and/or graduate as normal.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has published research findings which surveyed 49% of higher education (HE) institutions in the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff. These institutions provided updated feedback on the impact of the marking and assessment boycott on students at their institutions:

• Over 70% of HE institutions said that ‘less than 2% of students’ will be unable to graduate this summer due to the boycott.
• A further 20% were ‘unsure’ of the number.
• 4% of HE institutions said ‘between 2% and 9% of students’ would be impacted.

These research findings can be accessed at: https://www.ucea.ac.uk/news-releases/23june23/.

On 22 June 2023, I met with Universities UK (UUK), the Russell Group, and UCEA to better understand the impact that this boycott will have on students and the mitigating actions their members are taking to protect students’ interests.

I have also written to the Russell Group and UUK, encouraging them to continue to do everything within their powers to protect the interests of students during this phase of industrial action. On 27 June 2023, I met with a number of HE representative groups to discuss the marking and assessment boycott, including the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.

HE institutions are working on minimising the disruption to their students in a variety of ways, including reallocating marking to other staff members, and hiring external markers. Many HE institutions can award degrees when they have enough evidence of a student’s prior attainment to do so. Others will be able to assign provisional grades to students to allow them to progress.

The government believes students should be at the heart of the HE system. This is why we set up the Office for Students (OfS) to regulate the HE sector in England, protect student rights, and ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS has published guidance to students on their rights during industrial action at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/student-rights-and-welfare/student-guide-to-industrial-action/.

On 12 June 2023, the OfS wrote to institutions affected by the boycott to reiterate its expectations in relation to its conditions of registration. The OfS will continue to monitor this ongoing situation through their normal regulatory mechanisms.

Students who have complaints about their HE experience should contact their provider in the first instance. Students in England and Wales may also raise a complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which was set up to provide an alternative to the courts and is free of charge to students. Further information is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/.

We are exercising operational discretion to ensure students can still apply to the graduate route whilst the marking and assessment boycott continues.

If it is necessary for a student who intends to apply to the ‘graduate’ route to apply to extend their permission whilst waiting for their results due to the boycott, they will be exceptionally exempt from meeting academic progression requirements. All other requirements of the ‘student’ route, including having a new confirmation of acceptance for studies, will still need to be met.

This a discretionary arrangement and not a concessionary policy. It is being communicated in a way that is proportionate to the nature and type of the issue covered. We encourage the sector, including sponsors, to drive the dissemination of this flexibility, as the circumstances are the result of a dispute between institutions and their employees.

We have a world class university sector, with four institutions in the world’s top 10, and the government fully expects the UK to continue to be a major destination of choice for international students.

We hope all parties can reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff and universities, so further industrial action can be avoided.  The department will continue to engage with the HE sector over the coming weeks to help better understand the boycott’s impact on students and the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students’ interests.

As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on the Government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.

Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, I would refer the Hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.

It is a priority for the government that students are provided with the mental health support they need.

We are taking an approach based on three pillars:

• Funding vital services and innovative projects via the Office for Students. £15 million has been allocated this academic year to support students starting university for the first time and enable effective partnerships between higher education (HE) providers and local NHS services. £3.6 million was invested to launch Student Space in 2020. It has since provided nearly 300,000 students with free online mental health resources and confidential support.
• Spreading and implementing best practice consistently across providers.
• Clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students, with solutions developed by the Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck.

The department recently conducted research on the design and delivery of mental health and wellbeing services to meet the needs of their students. This found that 99% of HE institutions provided in-house self-help resources and 97% offered in-house psychological support for those experiencing poor mental health, either face-to-face or virtual contact with a counsellor[1]. It also found a substantial increase in the proportion of higher education institutions that now have a specific mental health and wellbeing strategy in place (two thirds in 2022 compared with just over a half in 2019) A link to the report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-wellbeing-practices-in-higher-education.

While good progress has been made by the sector, the department is going further to protect students’ wellbeing. The department wants all universities to be adopting the Mental Health Charter and following the principles it sets out for a whole university approach to mental health. 61 universities are already part of the Charter Programme. The department wants students to have confidence in the support they will receive, whatever university they have chosen to study at. The department has set a target for all remaining universities to sign up to the Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024.

To look at further improvements in student mental health support, the department has asked the Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck, to lead the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. The taskforce will set strong, clear, and measurable targets for the sector. The taskforce will conclude its work with a final report in May 2024, having produced an interim plan by the end of 2023.

The department is confident the HE sector will rise to meet the challenge. If the response is not satisfactory, the department will go further, and ask the Office for Students to look carefully at the merits of a new registration condition on mental health.

[1] 53% of private providers and 93% of Further Education Colleges provided in house self-help resources and 53% and 85% respectively offered either face to face or virtual contact with a counsellor.

On 24 November 2022, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that Departments had been instructed to take a series of actions relating to surveillance equipment subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China. The Department has been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls.

At Report Stage of the Procurement Bill the Government committed that, within six months of Royal Assent, the Government will set out the timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites. The Department will be providing information to the Cabinet Office to support this commitment. It is a longstanding Government policy that specific security arrangements regarding Government estates are withheld on security grounds.

The government would like to see family hubs across the country. However, it is crucial that the department focusses on delivering well and building the evidence in the 87 local areas we are working with through the current family hubs transformation programmes. Through the programme, the government is investing around £300 million in areas with the highest levels of disadvantage and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes. The evidence and learning from this investment will help to improve services across England where they are most needed.

All local authorities in England, including Slough, are able to access expert advice, guidance and resources from the National Centre for Family Hubs in order to support the implementation of family hubs. Further information can be found here: https://www.nationalcentreforfamilyhubs.org.uk/. Some local authorities are already operating their own family hubs, using existing funding streams to move their local service model towards a family hub model. Additional family hubs funding for local areas would be subject to future spending decisions.

Qualifications reform will ensure that A levels and T Levels are at the heart of most young people’s study programmes, as these qualifications offer the best progression for students. The department will also fund other qualifications where they are necessary, high-quality and lead to good progression. This includes alternative academic qualifications, such as BTECs, which could be studied alongside A levels to support entry to public sector occupations, such as the police. The new system will also support technical occupational entry qualifications where these cover Institution for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) occupational standards not covered by T Levels, such as in travel and tourism and public services.

Unlike current alternatives to A levels such as BTECs, T Levels, and other new technical qualifications at level 3 will be designed in line with IFATE occupational standards. The standards can be found here: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.

These standards have been designed by employers to ensure that young people have the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need in the workplace. Alongside the highly successful apprenticeships programme and the increasing availability of T Levels, this represents a transformation of technical education to ensure that it meets the needs of employers in the future and provides excellent outcomes for young people.

There are no T Levels specifically in travel and tourism or public/protective services. However, there are several occupational standards at level 3 on which reformed travel and tourism qualifications could be based, and the department fully anticipates awarding organisations to be adapting existing qualifications and basing them on these standards. We anticipate that current large qualifications in travel and tourism will be reformed to align with the relevant occupational standards so that they can be approved as technical qualifications going forward.

The department regularly meets with colleges, stakeholders and employers to discuss the development of this new technical education landscape. We have also provided extensive support to colleges to facilitate the transition to T Levels, such as online guidance materials, workshops, and webinars for employers to attend, as well as offering direct, hands-on support.

The newly updated provider support package supports providers in delivering T Levels, but from September 2023 will also aid providers in developing effective employer engagement strategies to aid them to source industry placements and engage with employers at scale.

Earlier this year, the department launched a £12 million one-year employer support fund that will provide financial assistance to employers offering placements in the 2023/24 financial year, to help with costs such as administration, support with training staff who will supervise learners or tangible costs such as personal protective equipment or vaccinations.

We have also launched the T Levels and Industry Placement Support for Employers website, which can be found here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb. The website offers guidance, case studies and more information about T Levels, specifically for employers. Following this, in November 2022, we launched the ‘Connect with employers interested in T Levels’ service, which enables providers to find employers who have expressed an interested in T Levels and industry placements. This service can be found here: https://connect.tlevels.gov.uk/start.

The department regularly discusses qualification reform with stakeholders and listen to their concerns.

Qualifications reform will ensure that A levels and T Levels are at the heart of most young people’s study programmes, as these qualifications offer the best progression for students. The department will also fund other qualifications where they are necessary, high-quality and lead to good progression. This includes alternative academic qualifications, such as BTECs, which could be studied alongside A levels to support entry to public sector occupations, such as the police. The new system will also support technical occupational entry qualifications where these cover Institution for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) occupational standards not covered by T Levels, such as in travel and tourism and public services.

Unlike current alternatives to A levels such as BTECs, T Levels, and other new technical qualifications at level 3 will be designed in line with IFATE occupational standards. The standards can be found here: https://occupational-maps.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.

These standards have been designed by employers to ensure that young people have the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need in the workplace. Alongside the highly successful apprenticeships programme and the increasing availability of T Levels, this represents a transformation of technical education to ensure that it meets the needs of employers in the future and provides excellent outcomes for young people.

There are no T Levels specifically in travel and tourism or public/protective services. However, there are several occupational standards at level 3 on which reformed travel and tourism qualifications could be based, and the department fully anticipates awarding organisations to be adapting existing qualifications and basing them on these standards. We anticipate that current large qualifications in travel and tourism will be reformed to align with the relevant occupational standards so that they can be approved as technical qualifications going forward.

The department regularly meets with colleges, stakeholders and employers to discuss the development of this new technical education landscape. We have also provided extensive support to colleges to facilitate the transition to T Levels, such as online guidance materials, workshops, and webinars for employers to attend, as well as offering direct, hands-on support.

The newly updated provider support package supports providers in delivering T Levels, but from September 2023 will also aid providers in developing effective employer engagement strategies to aid them to source industry placements and engage with employers at scale.

Earlier this year, the department launched a £12 million one-year employer support fund that will provide financial assistance to employers offering placements in the 2023/24 financial year, to help with costs such as administration, support with training staff who will supervise learners or tangible costs such as personal protective equipment or vaccinations.

We have also launched the T Levels and Industry Placement Support for Employers website, which can be found here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb. The website offers guidance, case studies and more information about T Levels, specifically for employers. Following this, in November 2022, we launched the ‘Connect with employers interested in T Levels’ service, which enables providers to find employers who have expressed an interested in T Levels and industry placements. This service can be found here: https://connect.tlevels.gov.uk/start.

The department regularly discusses qualification reform with stakeholders and listen to their concerns.

​​The social work regulator, Social Work England, sets the education and training standards which all providers of initial social work education must meet, including preparing social workers to meet the Professional Standards. The current cycle of initial education inspection is expected to be completed by July 2025.

Once social workers are qualified, guidance on supporting fathers, mothers and guardians is provided in the statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.

Local authorities are responsible for the continuous professional development of their workforces, including social workers. To support child and family social workers to continuously improve their practice, the department funds professional development for around 4,000 social workers each year. The new Early Career Framework for child & family social workers will significantly extend the training and support they receive in the early stages of their career, helping to equip them with the knowledge skills they need to support children and families.

In the Spring Budget announcement of 15 March 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children, and the economy. By 2027/28, the government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

Our reforms include:

• Providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months
• Investing £204 million from September 2023, rising to £288 million in 2024/25 to uplift the rates for existing entitlements
• Increasing the supply of wraparound care through £289 million start-up funding
• Attracting more people to childminding through an up to £7.2 million start-up grant fund
• Giving providers more flexibility by changing staff-to-child ratios to 1:5 for two-year-olds in England
• Launching a consultation on further measures to support reform of the childcare market, to explore further flexibilities for providers.

The department is ensuring a phased implementation of the expansion to the 30 hours offer to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity.

We will also continue to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children. Ofsted data shows that the number of places offered by providers on the Early Years Register has remained broadly stable at 1.3 million places since August 2015.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. The department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing.

We will continue to work closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms and explore how we can support the sector to deliver the additional places that will be required. The department will set out further details in due course.

Regular school attendance is vital for pupils’ educational attainment, wellbeing, and wider development. For those pupils most at risk of harm, it is also an important safeguarding factor.

Most absence from school is accounted for by illness. Pupils who miss more than 50% of possible school sessions in a school year are considered to be severely absent. In the 2021/22 academic year, the severe absence rate was 1.7%.

As part of the drive to improve school attendance, the Department published the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance last year, which makes clear the importance of addressing the barriers to attendance through strong, multi agency working at school, multi academy trust, and Local Authority level. This includes a specific focus on identifying and supporting those pupils most at risk of persistent and severe absence from school to tackle absence early and put plans in place to improve attendance.

Schools and Local Authorities should agree a joint approach to supporting severely absent pupils, recognising that their needs are often more complex, and they are more likely to need support from a number of agencies locally.

The statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018)’ emphasises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all professionals who work with children. Where a professional has concerns about a child, they should make an immediate referral to Local Authority children’s social care. It is the responsibility of Local Authority children’s services to assess children’s risk of harm. The latest data from 2021/22, shows that domestic abuse remains one of the most common factors identified in Children's Social Care Assessments.

While there have been no specific discussions with my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on severe absence, the Home Office and the Department for Education have regular discussions on areas of joint interest. This includes the Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) taskforces in mainstream schools and the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces, which involve specialist support for children disengaged from education to improve their attendance and reduce their involvement in serious violence. The Secretary of State for Education chairs an Attendance Action Alliance of leaders of key frontline services that support families. Members from education, health, justice, the third sector, and parent organisations meet regularly and have collectively committed to use their roles and organisations to undertake activities to improve attendance and tackle persistent absence from school.

Regular school attendance is vital for pupils’ educational attainment, wellbeing, and wider development. For those pupils most at risk of harm, it is also an important safeguarding factor.

Most absence from school is accounted for by illness. Pupils who miss more than 50% of possible school sessions in a school year are considered to be severely absent. In the 2021/22 academic year, the severe absence rate was 1.7%.

As part of the drive to improve school attendance, the Department published the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance last year, which makes clear the importance of addressing the barriers to attendance through strong, multi agency working at school, multi academy trust, and Local Authority level. This includes a specific focus on identifying and supporting those pupils most at risk of persistent and severe absence from school to tackle absence early and put plans in place to improve attendance.

Schools and Local Authorities should agree a joint approach to supporting severely absent pupils, recognising that their needs are often more complex, and they are more likely to need support from a number of agencies locally.

The statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018)’ emphasises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all professionals who work with children. Where a professional has concerns about a child, they should make an immediate referral to Local Authority children’s social care. It is the responsibility of Local Authority children’s services to assess children’s risk of harm. The latest data from 2021/22, shows that domestic abuse remains one of the most common factors identified in Children's Social Care Assessments.

While there have been no specific discussions with my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on severe absence, the Home Office and the Department for Education have regular discussions on areas of joint interest. This includes the Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) taskforces in mainstream schools and the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces, which involve specialist support for children disengaged from education to improve their attendance and reduce their involvement in serious violence. The Secretary of State for Education chairs an Attendance Action Alliance of leaders of key frontline services that support families. Members from education, health, justice, the third sector, and parent organisations meet regularly and have collectively committed to use their roles and organisations to undertake activities to improve attendance and tackle persistent absence from school.

Regular school attendance is vital for pupils’ educational attainment, wellbeing, and wider development. For those pupils most at risk of harm, it is also an important safeguarding factor.

Most absence from school is accounted for by illness. Pupils who miss more than 50% of possible school sessions in a school year are considered to be severely absent. In the 2021/22 academic year, the severe absence rate was 1.7%.

As part of the drive to improve school attendance, the Department published the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance last year, which makes clear the importance of addressing the barriers to attendance through strong, multi agency working at school, multi academy trust, and Local Authority level. This includes a specific focus on identifying and supporting those pupils most at risk of persistent and severe absence from school to tackle absence early and put plans in place to improve attendance.

Schools and Local Authorities should agree a joint approach to supporting severely absent pupils, recognising that their needs are often more complex, and they are more likely to need support from a number of agencies locally.

The statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018)’ emphasises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all professionals who work with children. Where a professional has concerns about a child, they should make an immediate referral to Local Authority children’s social care. It is the responsibility of Local Authority children’s services to assess children’s risk of harm. The latest data from 2021/22, shows that domestic abuse remains one of the most common factors identified in Children's Social Care Assessments.

While there have been no specific discussions with my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on severe absence, the Home Office and the Department for Education have regular discussions on areas of joint interest. This includes the Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed (SAFE) taskforces in mainstream schools and the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces, which involve specialist support for children disengaged from education to improve their attendance and reduce their involvement in serious violence. The Secretary of State for Education chairs an Attendance Action Alliance of leaders of key frontline services that support families. Members from education, health, justice, the third sector, and parent organisations meet regularly and have collectively committed to use their roles and organisations to undertake activities to improve attendance and tackle persistent absence from school.

As at the last school workforce census (November 2021, published in June 2022), the number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 full time equivalent teachers working in state funded schools across the country. This is over 24,000 more than in 2010.

The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and at ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession. The Department announced a £181 million financial incentives package for those starting initial teacher training in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing. The Department has expanded the offer to international trainees in physics and languages.

Additionally, the Department provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas.

The Department has recently raised starting salaries outside London by 8.9% to £28,000 and remains committed to the Government’s ambition of delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract talented people to teaching.

To support retention in the first few years of teaching, the Department has rolled out the Early Career Framework nationally, providing the foundations for a successful career in teaching. This is backed by over £130 million a year in funding.

The Department has also launched a new and updated suite of National Professional Qualifications for teachers and headteachers at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high-quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts.

The Department has published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing. This includes the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which the Department is encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. The Department has also published the workload reduction toolkit, developed alongside headteachers to help reduce workload, and resources to support schools to implement effective flexible working practices.

Information on the number of pupils who were persistently absent is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.