Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Portrait

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Labour - Slough

First elected: 8th June 2017

Shadow Exchequer Secretary (Treasury)

(since September 2023)

Shadow Minister (Transport)
10th Apr 2020 - 6th Sep 2023
Firearms Bill
8th Mar 2023 - 15th Mar 2023
Approved Premises (Substance Testing) Bill
8th Dec 2021 - 15th Dec 2021
Defence Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Defence Sub-Committee
5th Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
23rd Jul 2018 - 6th Nov 2019
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee
23rd Jul 2018 - 6th Nov 2019


Oral Question
Thursday 7th December 2023
09:30
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Topical Question No. 3
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
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Department Event
Tuesday 19th December 2023
11:30
HM Treasury
Oral questions - Main Chamber
19 Dec 2023, 11:30 a.m.
HM Treasury (including Topical Questions)
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Note: This event involves a Department with which this person is linked, and does not guarantee their actual attendance.
Division Votes
Monday 4th December 2023
Victims and Prisoners Bill
voted Aye - in line with the party majority
One of 161 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 193 Noes - 279
Speeches
Thursday 30th November 2023
Oral Answers to Questions
For UK businesses to benefit from agreements like the CPTPP, we must have a clear plan to boost small business …
Written Answers
Tuesday 17th October 2023
NHS: Staff
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers to Questions 197489, 198434, 198842, …
Early Day Motions
Tuesday 19th December 2017
NATIONAL SIKH WAR MEMORIAL
That this House appreciates the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices of Sikh soldiers in service of Great Britain, including during both …
Bills
None available
MP Financial Interests
Monday 4th September 2023
4. Visits outside the UK
Name of donor: All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases
Address of donor: c/o Malaria No More UK, …
EDM signed
Monday 18th January 2021
Godfrey Colin Cameron
That this House is deeply saddened by news of the death of Godfrey Colin Cameron, a hardworking member of Parliamentary …
Supported Legislation
Wednesday 5th February 2020
Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021
A Bill to impose duties on certain education and training providers in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of …

Division Voting information

During the current Parliamentary Session, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has voted in 678 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(29 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(20 debate interactions)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative)
(17 debate interactions)
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Department Debates
Department for Transport
(99 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(68 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(48 debate contributions)
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View all Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi's debates

Slough Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Government needs to change the law so laboratory animals are included in the Animal Welfare Act. Laboratory animals are currently not protected by the Act and are therefore victims of 'unnecessary suffering' (see section 4 of the Act: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/4).

Call on the government to consider holding debates in Parliament between MPs and university students to raise/discuss issues that affect them. It will allow students to voice their opinions and concerns about tuition fees of £9250 a year which are too high, particularly as grants have been removed

We would like the Government to ban all animal testing UK, including for the development of cosmetics, household products and medicines. Alternatives need to be actively funded. Many products that are tested on animals end up not being suitable for humans. Animal testing is outmoded and should end.

The Government must recognise the urgent need to use animal-free science and publish a clear and ambitious action plan with timetables and milestones to drive the phase-out of animal experiments. As well as preventing animal suffering, this will benefit public health and business.

We ask Parliament to repeal the High Speed Rail Bills, 2016 and 2019, as MPs voted on misleading environmental, financial and timetable information provided by the Dept of Transport and HS2 Ltd. It fails to address the conditions of the Paris Accord and costs have risen from £56bn to over £100bn.

Undocumented Migrants are suffering in silence, with no access to adequate Financial support, or any help. The Government should grant an urgent Amnesty of 5years to those with no criminal record so that they could live their lives as normal human beings and pay tax to help the UK economy.

As a country we see many water-related fatalities every year. We see many more call outs to water related incidents. Throughout lockdown year our coastguards were tasked to almost double the call outs than in the previous year. Our children NEED to learn about Cold water shock & rip currents.

The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms.

India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all.

The Government is refusing to release official research on the characteristics of grooming gangs, claiming it is not in the “public interest”.

We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the Government in full.

The Home Secretary said what happened to victims of child sexual exploitation gangs was “one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience.” Last year local authorities identified 18,700 suspected victims of child sexual exploitation. We want an independent public inquiry into Grooming Gangs.

We want the Education Secretary and the Government to step in and review the exam board’s decision on how GCSE and A-Level grades will be calculated and awarded due to the current coronavirus crisis. We want a better solution than just using our previous data to be the basis of our grade.

A significant number of students will sit their final 2021 examinations. The outcome of which undoubtedly will be their passport, for many of their future life chances and successes. In order for this to be done fairly, it is imperative that the amount of content they are tested on is reduced.


Latest EDMs signed by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

14th January 2021
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi signed this EDM on Monday 18th January 2021

Godfrey Colin Cameron

Tabled by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
That this House is deeply saddened by news of the death of Godfrey Colin Cameron, a hardworking member of Parliamentary security staff and member of the PCS trade union who passed away aged just 55 after contracting covid-19; extends our sincere condolences to his devoted wife Hyacinth, children Leon and …
139 signatures
(Most recent: 8 Feb 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 113
Scottish National Party: 15
Independent: 6
Plaid Cymru: 3
Alba Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
4th June 2020
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi signed this EDM on Wednesday 17th June 2020

Legal Aid and Advice

Tabled by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 515), dated 15 May 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 18 May 2020, be annulled.
138 signatures
(Most recent: 11 Feb 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 110
Liberal Democrat: 9
Independent: 8
Scottish National Party: 4
Plaid Cymru: 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Green Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Alliance: 1
View All Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.



2945 Written Questions in the current parliament

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
16 Other Department Questions
20th Jul 2023
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what changes were made to the terms and conditions of security staff who were transferred from the Metropolitan Police to the Parliamentary Security Department.

The transfer of Security staff from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to the Parliamentary Security Department (PSD) was undertaken in accordance with Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations. Contractual terms and conditions, along with continuity of service from the MPS, were protected at the point of transfer on 1st April 2016. These included (but were not limited to) pay, pension and holiday entitlement.

During a period of consultation for the transfer it was agreed with the trade unions that a number of terms and conditions would be adapted, meaning that they would be subject to some changes. Details of those terms that were adapted are provided in the Annex.

19th Jul 2023
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission plans to publish a report on Operation Marquee.

The House of Commons Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (HC 1684), published on 19 July 2023, include detail on the delivery, cost and impact of the Lying in State in September 2022. In particular, pages 30-31 provide an overview of work undertaken while pages 38-39 detail the related expenditure.

19th Jul 2023
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions have been carded by the Table Office in each of the last 12 months that the House was sitting.

The IT programmes used by the Table Office do not separately record the number or proportion of questions that have been carded. The information requested could only be established by going through each of the 62,668 questions tabled in the periods specified, which would incur disproportionate expense. However, the figures for 3 July 2023, given below, are likely to be representative:

Published unamended or with style edits

233 (78% of total processed)

Published having been carded and subsequently discussed with Member/Member’s office

28 (9%)

TOTAL PUBLISHED

261

Carded and not yet resolved/published

23 (8%)

Of which 5 information readily available, 4 duplicate question, 14 other reason

Carded and withdrawn

12 (4%)

Of which 1 information readily available, 5 duplicate question, 6 other reason

Withdrawn for other reasons

2

TOTAL PROCESSED

298

The Table Office can only put on to the Order Paper questions which comply with the rules of the House. Questions substantially the same as one already tabled are not published. If a question appears to be disorderly the Member is ‘carded’: asked to discuss with the Table Office how the question might be brought within the rules. The rules regarding questions are set out at 3.22 in Erskine May, which is available online: Rules of order regarding form and contents of questions - Erskine May - UK Parliament

The Table Office also provides tailored briefing and coaching in drafting questions for Members and their staff.

23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the process for reporting violations of disabled access legislation in commercial properties.

The Equality Act 2010 provides strong protection for disabled users of commercial premises and effective enforcement mechanisms where the owners or managers of such buildings fail in their duty to make reasonable adjustments such as the installation of a ramp for wheelchair access.

In common with other civil law, where alleged violations of the Act have occurred with no resolution, reporting and enforcement is for the individual or their representative at the County Court or Sheriff’s Court in Scotland, both having effective remedial powers in cases that are proven.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) fossil fuel-, (b) electric- and (c) hybrid-powered road-legal vehicles their Department purchased in the last 24 months.

None for all three categories.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
19th May 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on collecting data on domestic abuse survivors’ access to Discretionary Housing Payments.

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.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
15th Apr 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Department of Health and Social Care’s press release on uptake of covid-19 vaccinations within the Black community published on 30 March 2021, what steps she is taking to tackle low levels of trust in institutions and authorities within the Black community; and what information her Department holds on levels of trust amongst the Black community in those institutions and authorities.

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.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
8th Mar 2021
To ask the hon. Member for City of Chester, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing automatic voter registration.

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.

18th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2021 to Question 136593, whether Members' staff working on the parliamentary estate or in a constituency office incur a work-related expense that is additional to usual living costs by needing to purchase food at that location.

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.

18th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2021 to Question 136594, for what reasons IPSA recognise that Members' staff incur additional costs while working at home through introducing a monthly working from home payment, but do not consider volunteers to be similarly incurring additional costs while volunteering from home for an hon Member.

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.

12th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2021 to Question 133126, for what reasons IPSA has not included the geographical restrictions of volunteer subsistence expenses within the wording of the (i) scheme as it relates to volunteers and (ii) IPSA model volunteer contract; what steps IPSA has taken to ensure that policy complies with section 5(1) of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009; where previously IPSA has published its policy of geographical restrictions of volunteer subsistence costs; when and with whom IPSA consulted ahead of introducing that policy; what steps IPSA took to communicate that policy; on what dates that communication occurred; and whether IPSA has undertaken an assessment of the appropriateness of that policy position during the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

12th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, on which dates in January 2021 the directors of IPSA (a) met and (b) plan to meet to discuss volunteer subsistence costs; and if IPSA will publish minutes relating to (i) those meetings and (ii) other senior IPSA management meetings in the past six months on volunteer subsistence costs.

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.

30th Dec 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if IPSA will provide volunteers working at home during the covid-19 outbreak with the lunch expenses as provided for in the model volunteer agreement.

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.

24th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that more women are appointed to (a) leadership and (b) executive roles in companies.

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.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
24th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the gender pay gap in the public sector.

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.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
31st Mar 2021
To ask the Attorney General, what estimate she has made of the number of CPS prosecutions that have been classified as no longer in the public interest as a result of delays in criminal trials beginning in each of the last five years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) case outcome records compiled in the Case Management System include an allocation of a principal reason for finalised prosecutions not resulting in a conviction (non-conviction outcomes), including the numbers which failed for public interest reasons.

The CPS does not have a specific reason accounting for delays in criminal trials. However, the category ‘Other charge/indictment; loss/harm minor from single incident; delay between offence/charge and trial’ may be allocated. This can apply where there has been a delay since the commission of the offence, or since the defendant was charged, leading either to the case being dropped by the CPS, or stopped by the court on the grounds of abuse of process. It is not possible to further disaggregate these reasons.

The table below shows the number of defendants allocated this reason in each of the last five years, and the six months April to September 2020

2015-2016

2016-2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

April - Sept 2020

Other charge/indictment, loss/harm minor from single incident, delay between offence/charge and trial

5,706

4,711

4,011

4,194

4,417

6,107

% Other charge/indictment, loss/harm minor from single incident, delay between offence/charge and trial

0.9%

0.8%

0.8%

0.8%

1.0%

4.3%

Total Non-Conviction Outcomes

107,579

94,692

84,834

80,474

70,816

21,857

% Non-Conviction Outcomes

16.9%

16.1%

15.9%

16.3%

15.7%

15.4%

Total Completed Prosecution Outcomes

637,778

588,021

533,161

494,811

451,046

141,885

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Between April and September 2020, the volume of completed prosecution outcomes reduced due to court closures and social distancing. However, the volume of cases dropped by the CPS are not as reliant on court hearings and were less impacted.

In response to COVID-19 the CPS introduced an Interim Case Review Guidance on the Application of the Public Interest, as part of the COVID-19 crisis response. The guidance is to be applied for charging decisions, including decisions on whether to continue or discontinue a case that has already been charged. The guidance advises that when considering the question of whether a prosecution is a proportionate response, prosecutors should do so in the context of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the potential delay to criminal proceedings. Application of the principles set out in this guidance may have contributed to an increase in the proportion of cases dropped under the category of ‘Other charge/indictment; loss/harm minor from single incident; delay between offence/charge and trial’.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of the vehicles used by her Department on Government business are electric vehicles.

The Department for Transport is responsible for all government vehicles managed by the Government Car Service.

The Attorney General’s Office, Government Legal Department, Serious Fraud Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have no other vehicles to report.

The Crown Prosecution Service currently lease 4 vehicles, none are currently electric vehicles.

14th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course.

The Cabinet Office has a robust strategic planning regime which promotes horizon scanning and attention to long-term strategic challenges and issues, delivering current priority projects, and responding to current events.This regime and the principles that underpin it are set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework.

Under the Prime Minister, this Conservative Government will always look to make the right long-term decisions for the country.



Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides officials with (a) developed vetting and (b) other security clearances on public interactions.

All staff are given a security induction when joining the department that includes the required security behaviours, a modified version of this induction is repeated for experienced Civil Servants when a new access pass is required.

Alongside this the Resilience and Security team also offer security briefings to Ministers, staff with security concerns or elevated risk and travel advice for all staff.

All staff are reminded, in writing, on receipt of their vetting clearance, that their actions should meet the standards of behaviour set out in the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management and that their behaviour must not place themselves in a position where they could be compromised.

12th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August. As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments.

Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Cabinet Office, they are managed through the department's risk management processes. This includes oversight from a Chief Risk Officer.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
7th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course.

The Cabinet Office has a robust strategic planning regime which promotes horizon scanning and attention to long-term strategic challenges and issues, delivering current priority projects, and responding to current events.This regime and the principles that underpin it are set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework.

Under the Prime Minister, this Conservative Government will always look to make the right long-term decisions for the country.



Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
4th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many publicly-owned buildings in the UK contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

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.

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

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
18th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's definition is of foreign interference.

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.

17th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to recommendation W in the report on China by the Intelligence and Security Committee, published on 13 July 2023, HC 1605, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring that the Intelligence and Security Committee be notified of any (a) company or person being a high-risk vendor of telecommunications equipment and (b) specification of the limits placed on the use of such equipment.

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.

17th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament entitled China, published on 13 July 2023, HC 1605, how many downloads there have been of the report (a) in total and (b) by country in which the report was downloaded; and what the top ten countries by number of downloads were.

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.

11th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the total cost to the public purse of spending on consultancy by Departments in each year from 2019 to 2022.

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.

3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has purchased any products manufactured by Hikvision or Dahua in the last three years.

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).

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022 on Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, HCWS386,whether any surveillance equipment produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China is connected to departmental core networks.

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.

26th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether water meters have been installed at (a) 10 and (b) 11 Downing Street.

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.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the average pay increase for (a) civil servants and (b) other public sector workers who were (i) prohibited and (ii) not prohibited from striking in each of the last five years.

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.

9th Jun 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect information classified as secret or above in the event of the theft of a Government electronic device.

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.

8th Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to update the list of Ministerial responsibilities following recent machinery of government changes.

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

3rd Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) fossil fuel-, (b) electric- and (c) hybrid-powered road-legal vehicles their Department purchased in the last 24 months.

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

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
2nd Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister next plans to update the Cabinet Manual.

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.

1st Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of ONS data on excess deaths.

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.

6th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value of imports from Russia was in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

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.

13th Dec 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which energy provider supplies energy to their Department; how much carbon dioxide was emitted by their Department in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria their Department uses to select an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly that supplier is; and what recent steps their Department has taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use.

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.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th Dec 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by what date they expect their Department to be carbon neutral in its day to day operations.

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.

7th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Hugh Powell was appointed to help conduct the Heywood Review in 2014; what role Mr Powell had in the conduct of that Review; and what steps were taken to ensure that no conflict of interest affected, or might be seen to affect, the conduct or findings of that review.

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.

7th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle bullying and harassment in his Department.

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.

2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has conducted an investigation into how The Guardian newspaper obtained documents classified as Official-Sensitive relating to emergency plans to cope with energy blackouts.

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

2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 October 2022 in response to the Right hon Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Official Report, column 297, what the factual basis is for his statement that a record number of new homes were built in the last year.

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.

Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
21st Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who attended the Prime Minister’s gathering at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Chequers on the weekend of 16 July; and what was the cost to the public purse of that gathering.

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.

14th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many televised press conferences have taken place in the new Downing Street press briefing room during 2022.

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.

12th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the gesture made by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education outside Downing Street on 7 July 2022 with provisions in the Ministerial Code in respect of the conduct of Ministers during their interactions with members of the public.


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’.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the adequacy of personal protective equipment procured under emergency regulations.

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.

26th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the covid-secure bar in operation within Downing Street on 17 November 2020 as referred to in WhatsApp messages between Downing Street aides published in media reports on 25 May 2022, whether his Office holds information on the (a) opening times and (b) covid-secure measures that were in place.

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.

25th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any alcohol consumed at Downing Street gatherings, for which fixed penalty notices were issued due to breaches of covid-19 regulations, was purchased from the public purse.
25th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the fixed-penalty notices issued to Downing Street staff for breaching covid-19 regulations, whether any staff (a) have been dismissed and (b) are being investigated for (i) misconduct or (ii) gross misconduct.

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.

24th May 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how empty glass bottles in Number 10 Downing Street are recycled.

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.

9th Mar 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) what assessment his Department made to the threat that Russian cyber-attacks poses to UK security and (b) what measures his Department has introduced to improve the UK's cyber-security capabilities.

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.

10th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on the potential use by Ministers and civil servants of legal advice from legal professionals employed or contracted by the Government in responding to requests for information or statements from the police as part of Operation Hillman.

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



8th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the responsibilities of the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency are.

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.

7th Feb 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, what the differences will be between the new Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office.

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

7th Feb 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, what the differences will be between the new Office of the Prime Minister and the existing Prime Minister's Office.

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

7th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his new Chief of Staff will receive remuneration for that role in addition to his Ministerial salary.

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).

27th Jan 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, whether his Parliamentary Private Secretary arranged or attempted to arrange any charter flights to evacuate (a) any animals, (b) any constituents from Slough constituency and (c) any of the other remaining UK nationals in Afghanistan as of 27 January 2022.

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.

13th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the 10 Downing Street Quiz held on 15 December 2020, at what time did that quiz (a) start and (b) finish; and what the estimated cost to the public purse was of that event.

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.

13th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the alleged 10 Downing Street quiz held on 15 December, (a) what the quiz questions were, (b) what the answers to the quiz were and (c) whether any prizes were given out.

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.

13th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the 10 Downing Street Quiz held on 15 December 2020, who attended that event physically; and how Tier Two covid-19 restrictions on that date were complied with by attendees.

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.

24th Nov 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the benefits of offering all press conferences in British Sign Language.

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.

26th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department has withdrawn from Stonewalls' Diversity Champions programme.

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

18th Aug 2021
To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised any concerns regarding the plans for NATO withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan during his discussions with the President of the United States.

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.

6th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason press conferences from his office are not offered with a British Sign Language translator; and if he will make a statement.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
25th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Civil Service management code, what his Department's guidance is on personal relationships between (a) employees and (b) line managers.

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.

25th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Ministerial Code, what his Department's guidance is on personal relationships between Ministers and (a) officials and (b) advisers.

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.

17th Jun 2021
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to WhatsApp communications dated 27 March 2020, published by Dominic Cummings on 16 June 2021, if he will publish his WhatsApp communications with (a) Dominic Cummings and (b) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care between 1 February 2020 and 16 June 2021 on the roll out of covid-19 testing.

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

16th Jun 2021
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to WhatsApp communications dated 27 March 2020, published by Dominic Cummings on 16 June 2021, whether his assessment on that date was that the roll out of covid-19 testing was totally hopeless.

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.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the (a) Prime Minister's and (b) Government's compliance with section 9.1 of the Ministerial Code.

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.

11th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment they have made of the potential (a) threats and (b) opportunities of artificial intelligence in respect of their Department’s responsibilities.

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

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
10th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, to what extent their Department makes use of artificial intelligence in the implementation of its policies; and how much was spent from their Department’s budget on artificial intelligence in each of the last three years.

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

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
27th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2021 to Question 3121 on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, whether he has plans to assess the potential effect of the Emergency Alerts Service issued alert on telecommunication capacity in emergency areas as a result of any significant increase in access to the telecommunication demand following recipients' receipt of an alert, including a significant surge in (a) phone calls, (b) messages and (c) access to data and links provided through the alert.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
27th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2021 to Question 3121 on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, if he will make it his Department's policy that hon. Members are notified of alerts issued to their constituents through the Emergency Alerts Service either simultaneously or immediately afterwards, whichever ensures that there is no delay to constituents' receipt of that alert.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
20th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the value of (a) buildings, (b) nuclear power stations and (c) other UK assets owned outside the UK; and which countries' residents rank highest in terms of their ownership of such UK assets.

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

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the Emergency Alerts Service issued alert on telecommunication capacity in emergency areas as a result of any significant increase in access to the telecommunication demand following recipients' receipt of an alert.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether individuals will be able to opt-out of the UK's Emergency Alerts Service.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the average number of alerts that will potentially be issued through the UK's Emergency Alerts Service on an annual basis; and what safeguards will be in place to ensure that only serious emergencies trigger the alerts so as to ensure messages are always taken seriously.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that hon. Members are notified of alerts issued to their constituents through the Emergency Alerts service at the time of those alerts.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
18th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Emergency Alerts service will send the personal user data of the recipient of an alert through that service to the Government.

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.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the vehicles used by the Prime Minister's office on Government business are electric vehicles.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the vehicles used by his Department on Government business are electric vehicles.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
4th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring veterans can access mental health services when the November 2020 covid-19 restrictions come into effect.

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.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
16th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2020 to Question 23469, whether any of the Prime Minister's special advisers had developed vetting level security clearance as of 2 March 2020.

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.

16th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 25183 on Ministerial Policy Advisors: Dismissal, if he will publish the payments that specialist advisers received on termination of their employment which (a) were and (b) were not in accordance with section 14b of the Model Contract for Special Advisers in each of the last six months.

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.

13th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the ONS data on the well-being of adults, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the well-being of children at the same (a) level and (b) frequency and (c) data size as for adults.

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

13th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what sample size the Office for National Statistics uses to produce well-being data for (a) adults and (b) children.

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

12th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Questions 23469 and 25181 tabled on 4 March 2020 by the hon. Member for Slough.

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.

12th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2020 to Question 25185, for what reasons only figures for the Home Office were supplied and not figures for all government departments; whether those figures provided include grievances against Ministers; for what reasons grievances against those in Government who hold public office are not recorded separately to grievances against Government employees; and if he will publish information on grievances against all Ministers (a) individually or (b) by Department.

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.

4th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many allegations of (a) bullying and (b) harassment have been made against each Minister holding office in his Government by (i) civil servants and (ii) other Ministers, in each of the last twelve months.

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.

4th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March February 2020 to Question 22028, how much money has this Government spent on (a) recruiting and (b) dismissing special advisers since the Prime Minister took office.

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.

4th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March February 2020 to Question 22028 on Ministerial Policy Advisors, for what reason costs relating to the (a) recruitment and (b) dismissal of special advisers are not contained in his Department's Annual Report on Special Advisers.

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.

4th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 03 March February 2020 to Question 22028 on Ministerial Policy Advisors, whether any special advisors received payment as a result of a termination of their employment which was not in accordance with section 14b of the Model Contract for Special Advisers in the most recent reporting period for which figures are available.

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.

3rd Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all of the Prime Minister's special advisers had developed vetting level security clearance as of 2 March 2020.

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.

27th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money has been spent on (a) recruiting, (b) employing and (c) dismissing special advisers since he took office.

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.

4th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to update the National Cyber Security Strategy on the use of artificial intelligence.

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.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for delivery and strategy in the Department, but each minster is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges within their policy portfolios.

The Department has around 20 officials dedicated to horizon scanning, this includes a central Foresight function and specialists within policy areas. Around a further 20 have partial focus on horizon scanning.

Ultimately, all policy, operational, analysis and communications officials work towards delivering the Department’s long-term priorities. However, around 40 focus solely on setting the strategy of our long-term priorities, and around a further 200 have a partial focus on this remit.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
11th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August.

As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments.

Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Department for Business and Trade (the Department), then they are managed through the department’s risk management processes. The Department has a Chief Risk Officer, (the Chief Operating Officer), who oversees all risks relating to the work of the Department, including national security risks. Within the Department, risk is managed and recorded through risk registers that are regularly reported to the Performance and Risk Committee and the Executive Committee.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

Horizon scanning and a focus on long-term strategic challenges are an important part of the Department’s work. Consideration around future issues and risks feature regularly in discussions by senior officials and ministers and underpin broader strategic decision making.

The Department has functions focusing on long-term strategic issues, which means that such work is not crowded by near-term demands. That includes strategic foresight and horizon scanning, working with the broader futures ecosystem to ensure long-term thinking is joined-up across government.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
4th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Royal Mail meets its delivery targets; and what information she has received from Royal Mail on when it will be able to meet its delivery target in any postcode area.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

Ofcom is currently undertaking an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its quality of service performance targets for 2022-23.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many staff in her Department worked in the trade negotiations group as of 18 July 2023.

As of 30/06/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 527 members of staff working on free trade negotiations. Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who have transferred to the Department of Business and Trade. In addition, our headcount figures are updated monthly, and therefore the most recent headcount figure is accurate as of 30/06/23.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2023 to Question 193194 on Companies: Registration, what the (a) second, (b) third, (c) fourth and (d) fifth largest number of companies registered to a single address in the UK is.

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

Ranking

Number of Companies Registered

2

43,184

3

20,269

4

17,232

5

16,601

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2023 to Question 193194 on Companies: Registration, what information she holds on the address which has 77,634 limited companies registered to it.

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

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
11th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

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.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
10th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the largest number of companies registered to a single address in the UK.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the largest number of companies registered to a single individual acting in the role as an officer of those companies.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022 on Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, WMS 386, whether they have (a) ceased deployment of visual surveillance systems produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China onto sensitive sites, (b) ensured no such equipment is connected to their departmental core network, (c) considered whether there are sites outside the definition of sensitive sites to which they would wish to extend risk mitigation and (d) put in place any additional controls or taken any further steps.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the (a) number and proportion of hotels that charge and (b) transparency of service levies for hotel bookings.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the number of businesses that are likely to cease trading as a result of (a) higher interest rates on their debts and (b) reduced consumer disposable income in the next 12 months.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent legislative steps she has taken to protect consumers from builders who charge for work never (a) completed and (b) begun.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to improve consumer protection for victims of rogue traders.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help ensure that (a) shops and (b) other high street businesses are accessible for disabled people.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
7th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information her Department holds on which companies operating in the UK have made profits due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
3rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) fossil fuel-, (b) electric- and (c) hybrid-powered road-legal vehicles their Department purchased in the last 24 months.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
1st Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Financial Reporting Council over the level of compliance with the corporate governance code among FTSE 350 firms.

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.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

All Ministers are responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges. Officials across the Department are engaged in horizon scanning work and delivering long-term priorities.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what is the expected cost to the public purse of Government-funded net-zero innovation projects in financial year 2024-25.

The UK Net Zero Research and Innovation Delivery Plan sets out that, across Government, an investment of close to £4.2 billion is expected on net zero research and innovation over the period 2022-25. Of this total, spending in financial year 2024/25 is currently estimated to be approximately £1.5 billion.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

The Department does not have a formally designated Chief Risk Officer for national security risks. The responsibility for risk management and reporting sits with the Departmental Risk Team in the Implementation and Delivery Directorate.

The Department's national security risks are covered by risks on the Departmental Register, each of which is owned by a Director General. The risks and their mitigations are updated monthly by their owners, and reviewed by the central team. National security risks are then considered by the Department's Permanent Secretaries and Directors General at Executive Committee, and are reviewed by our Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to increase energy storage capacity for the purposes of (a) mitigating against price volatility and (b) providing resilience to the UK's energy supply.

In autumn, the Government will publish an update on the role that flexible supplies of gas - including gas storage - play in gas security. GB storage capacity is now c. 3.1bcm, having doubled in the past year.

The Government is facilitating the deployment of electricity storage at all scales through the joint Government and Ofgem Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan. Its approach centres on creating a best-in-class regulatory framework, ensuring that markets reflect the value of flexibility to the system, and investing in innovation.

The last Capacity Market auction secured 1.2 GW of de-rated new build battery storage for the 2026/27 delivery year.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the Government is taking to support the active removal of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.

In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government committed to develop and deploy Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR)technologies at scale, including an ambition to deploy at least 5MtCO2/yr of engineered removals by 2030.

The Government has committed over £100m under the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio to fund direct air capture innovation programmes.

In June, the government response to the GGR business model consultation confirmed that the Government is minded to progress based on a ‘contract for difference’ structure.

The Government is minded to enable GGRs to apply to CCS Track-1 expansion and Track-2, subject to criteria under development.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
8th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding the Government has provided to support net zero innovation projects in 2020 Parliament.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
5th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the value to the UK economy from improving home insulation.

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)

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022 on Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, WMS 386, whether they have (a) ceased deployment of visual surveillance systems produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China onto sensitive sites, (b) ensured no such equipment is connected to their departmental core network, (c) considered whether there are sites outside the definition of sensitive sites to which they would wish to extend risk mitigation and (d) put in place any additional controls or taken any further steps.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
30th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what business appointment and governance rules apply to senior managers within Ofgem seeking to take up senior positions within companies regulated by that regulator.

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

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
21st Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether there are regions of the UK where it is not possible to build new homes due to energy supply constraints.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he or his officials have had discussions with (a) National Grid or (b) industry stakeholders relating to vanadium redox flow batteries.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the energy needs of data centres do not adversely impact the energy supply for new or existing homes.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the impact of BP's emission reduction targets on the UK's net zero target.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has held recent discussions with representatives from BP on (a) corporate social responsibility or (b) the role of energy companies in achieving net zero.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether BP has received any public funds in the last three years.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
13th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

All DSIT Ministers are responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges within their portfolio. The Secretary of State is ultimately accountable for long-term strategic challenges for the entire Department.


DSIT’s work is underpinned by long-term strategies, most notably the Science and Technology Framework, which sets out the ten key actions we will take to deliver our Science and Technology Superpower agenda by 2030. Investment in Science and Technology is an inherently long-term endeavour and DSIT is focused on delivering long- term benefits.

The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course.

8th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer for national security risks.

The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August.

As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments. Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) , then they are managed through the department’s risk management processes. This includes oversight from a Chief Risk Officer.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

The Science and Technology Framework, published in March, sets out a strategic vision for the UK across priority areas to 2030 to meet the UK’s science superpower ambition. Much of DSIT’s work is underpinned by long-term strategies including the UK Life Sciences vision and our recently published National Quantum Strategy. DSIT constantly examines future trends across the breadth of its policy areas, drawing in expertise from across government and externally, for example through our work preparing for the AI Safety Summit and the Frontier AI Taskforce. This is underpinned by the Government Office for Science, which supports strategic long term thinking in government through its Futures and Foresight team.

19th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent states from accessing the UK science and technology base’s (a) intellectual property and (b) research through unauthorised and illegal means.

The Government wants to enable collaborative research, while ensuring our science and technology base is protected. Government has strengthened support to the research sector considerably in recent years, including launching the National Protective Security Authority's Trusted Research campaign. The Department also provides the Research Collaboration Advice Team, which gives advice to research institutions to help them manage national security risks in international collaboration. Government has a comprehensive package of legislative measures in place - including the National Security and Investment Act and Export Controls - to manage risk in this area. We keep all our measures under review and will strengthen these where necessary.

12th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 191947 on Ofcom: Managers, how many times have former Ofcom employees joined a company regulated by Ofcom within 12 months of their employment ending with Ofcom in the last five years.

Ofcom employees must advise their manager and / or senior people manager if they have accepted an offer of employment in a company regulated by Ofcom or an Ofcom supplier with whom they have had contact during their employment. Consideration is given to whether a conflict of interest may be triggered on a case-by-case basis and action taken as appropriate, such as removing the employee from an area of work or placing them on garden leave.

Information on the company which an employee moves to when they leave Ofcom, and any action that Ofcom has taken if they consider there to be the potential for a conflict of interest to be triggered, is kept on the individual’s personnel file. The Government does not hold this information.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

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.

3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022 on Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, WMS 386, whether they have (a) ceased deployment of visual surveillance systems produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China onto sensitive sites, (b) ensured no such equipment is connected to their departmental core network, (c) considered whether there are sites outside the definition of sensitive sites to which they would wish to extend risk mitigation and (d) put in place any additional controls or taken any further steps.

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.

30th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether business appointment and governance rules apply to senior managers within Ofcom who are seeking to take up senior positions within companies regulated by that regulator.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the cost to the public purse is of the BT contract to operate the 999 emergency phone system.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish her Department's contract with BT for the operation of the 999 emergency system; and what recent assessment she has made of whether BT is meeting its contractual obligations.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to (a) increase the operational resilience of the 999 system and (b) ensure that control room systems have effective back-up systems.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Mar 2023
To ask Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of regulation relating to artificial intelligence technologies; and whether her Department has held recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on this issue.

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.

15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the growth of artificial intelligence technology companies of strategic importance to the UK.

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.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
7th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Independent Report entitled, Research, development and innovation (RDI) organisational landscape, Final Report and Recommendations, published in March 2023, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of that report.

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.

7th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment has she made of the adequacy of Government funding dedicated to enhancing the UK's research capabilities.

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.

15th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 290324 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy Supply, whether his Department remains committed to reducing the impact of its operations on the environment and achieving net zero emissions by 2025; and if he will provide an update on the progress taken to date.

BEIS is working towards achieving the Greening Government Commitments which 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.

BEIS is committed to contributing towards the UK government’s net zero by 2050 target.

The response to the PQ 290324 from 2019, suggested BEIS had a net zero target of 2025 which is incorrect.

In 2019/20 BEIS had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 72% compared to a 2009/10 baseline.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
14th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a recent assessment of the reasons for trends in the level of nightclub closures; and whether he has had recent discussions with the (a) Night Time Industries Association and (b) other organisations on the potential impact of trends in the level of nightclub closures on (i) the night time economy, (ii) rates of (A) anti-social behaviour and (B) other crimes and (iii) the growth of unregulated alternative venues.

The Government recognises the importance of nightclubs and other hospitality businesses to the night-time economy. BEIS Ministers and officials meet regularly with the NTIA and UK Hospitality to discuss the challenges facing night time economy businesses, including high energy and cost of living pressures.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that businesses are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period, and my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced in his Autumn Statement a range of measures to support firms with business rates worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years, including increased and extended Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief.

My Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced in his Autumn Statement a range of measures to support firms with business rates worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years, including increased and extended Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief.

The Home Office provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
13th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which energy provider supplies energy to their Department; how much carbon dioxide was emitted by their Department in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria their Department uses to select an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly that supplier is; and what recent steps their Department has taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use.

At the Department’s headquarters building at 1 Victoria Street, London, the gas supplier is Total Gas and Power and the electricity supplier is EDF.

Greenhouse gas emissions figures are published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report and the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) operates a centralised energy procurement strategy for central government and is responsible for selecting the gas and power supply companies on behalf of all departments. CCS is currently conducting its latest tender round and the supplier’s environmental credentials will be part of the selection criteria.

The Department has carried out energy efficiency measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including upgrading lighting to LEDs, upgrading the Building Management System and installing electrical sub-metering.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
12th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by what date they expect their Department to be carbon neutral in its day to day operations.

The Government is committed to delivering Net Zero by 2050. Central 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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
9th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) workplace rights and (b) support for people undergoing fertility treatment.

The Government regularly considers whether the employment rights framework remains fit for purpose. Legislation is not the only way take employment issues forward. We were pleased to note the launch of the “Fertility Workplace Pledge” and encourage employers to sign up.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
1st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to raise awareness of the Energy Bill Support Scheme; and how households can access this credit.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate has she made of the number of households who have yet to claim their Energy Bill Support Scheme payment.

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.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government remains committed to spending £6bn over three years on its own global science fund if it cannot rejoin the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.

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.

25th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the appointment of a CEO for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency.

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.

25th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Advanced Research and Invention Agency will be fully operational.

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.

11th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to ensure parents on parental leave are adequately supported on their return to the workplace.

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.

18th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the role of energy efficiency in meeting the UK’s climate targets.

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.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
14th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to remove restrictions on executive director remuneration.

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.

14th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has plans to remove restrictions on non-executive director remuneration.

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.

13th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the press release entitled Ofgem requires improvements from energy suppliers on customer direct debits, published on 13 July 2022, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the finding that there are moderate to severe weaknesses in the direct debit and charging processes used by some energy suppliers.

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.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the business and employment practices of Sensee; and whether he has received representation on that companies practices on (a) unpaid work, (b) working hours, (c) statutory leave and (d) provision of work equipment.

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.

11th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the level of pay among people of different ethnicities.
8th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in energy prices on (a) households and (b) businesses.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Strangford on 28th 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 9th June 2022 to Question HL493.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of trends in the levels of real-terms research funding since 2010.

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.

24th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the provisions within the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 relating to the public register of beneficial owners of non-UK entities that own or buy land in the UK, for what reason her Department provided for an 18-month transition period for those provisions.

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.

23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with travel companies on failures to refund passengers who have had their package holiday cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

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.

1st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to section 28 of the Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for local authorities, published in December 2021, whether businesses which pay business rates are eligible for the additional restrictions grant.

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

26th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of covid-19 vaccine doses that his Department will have donated to COVAX by the end of January 2022.

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.

23rd Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by what date he plans to donate his Department’s order of 20 million Janssen covid-19 vaccine doses to the Covax scheme.

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.

2nd Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy to issue any further drilling permits for oil fields in the North Sea.

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.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
2nd Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential environmental impact of the Cambo Oil Field on (a) the surrounding wildlife, (b) achieving net zero emission by 2050 and (c) global temperatures.

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.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
26th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the procurement by the UK of the covid-19 booster jab through COVAX on developing countries.

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

26th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is the policy of his Department to use COVAX to procure more doses of the covid-19 booster jab.

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

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to protect the long-term ability of university chemistry departments to develop the chemistry talent pipeline.

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.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will ensure future research funding allocations retain their real-terms value in line with inflation.

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.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of investing in a significant R&D programme in digital chemistry and materials innovation.

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.

22nd Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the number of shops closing since 1 January 2021.

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.

20th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to improve the workplace treatment of app-based courier drivers.

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.

20th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of app-based courier services dismissing their couriers as a result of (a) technical issues, (b) traffic delays and (c) app malfunctions.

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.

20th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the workplace treatment of (a) app-based courier drivers and (b) other gig economy 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 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.

16th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2021 to Question 1169, whether he has (a) considered that evidence from Acas' fact finding exercise and (b) drawn any conclusions from that evidence.

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.

15th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the sale and use of fireworks on pets and other animals.

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.

15th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact that fireworks may have on vulnerable residents.

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.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2021 to Question 12262, what steps is the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) taking to promote its call to evidence on the UK product safety review to (a) leading e-commerce companies and (b) consumer rights organisations; and what is the timeframe for the OPSS to (i) complete and (ii) report on that review.

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.

11th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment they have made of the potential (a) threats and (b) opportunities of artificial intelligence in respect of their Department’s responsibilities.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
10th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to what extent their Department makes use of artificial intelligence in the implementation of its policies; and how much was spent from their Department’s budget on artificial intelligence in each of the last three years.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
9th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to review intellectual property legislation as it relates to the protection of (a) artificial intelligence technology and (b) inventions made by artificial intelligence.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
9th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has a strategy to help ensure that the UK becomes a world leader in (a) research and development, (b) regulation and (c) safe adoption of artificial intelligence.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
8th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure home teeth-whitening kits sold online do not contain dangerous levels of hydrogen peroxide.

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.

20th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has (a) made contingency plans and (b) undertaken any cross-government exercises to respond to a scenario where there is a significant deterioration in or complete loss of all satellite capability and the operational use of space.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
20th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has (a) undertaken a recent review and (b) plans to review any national security implications arising from Chinese-based ownership of £143 billion of UK assets.

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.

19th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions the Government has had with (a) Government and inter-governmental space agencies and (b) Governments of countries with an active space programme on their efforts to support clean space and reduce the amount of human-made orbital debris.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
18th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to (a) prevent and (b) reduce the amount of space 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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
17th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of a Kessler Syndrome type of occurrence in space on the UK's (a) national security, (b) domestic and international defence operations, (c) economy, (d) communications capability, (e) scientific research capability, (f) weather forecasting, (g) aviation and shipping sectors, (h) GPS needs; and what assessment the Government has made of the level of risk of an event of that kind occurring.

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.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
13th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the travel photography industry.

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.

13th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ban fire and rehire practices.

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.

13th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to better understand the changing risks from the expansion of small satellite constellations that use cheaper commercial components and the increased reliance on space-enabled technologies, to allow the Government to better plan for and mitigate the impact of severe space weather.

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.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
11th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on which date the Government last undertook a cross-departmental exercise on responding to a simulated severe space weather event; and what lessons were learnt from that exercise.

The Government last held a cross-departmental exercise on responding to a simulated severe space weather event on 23rd 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.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
11th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to conduct a cross-government exercise to respond to a simulated 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.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to serviced office providers during the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

8th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the proportion of coal from the proposed coal mine in Cumbria which will be (a) burned for energy, (b) exported, and (c) used in domestic steel production.

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.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
15th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to businesses affected by the covid-19 outbreak that are not eligible for an Additional Restrictions Grant.

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.

4th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support available to small businesses in Slough during the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the vehicles used by his Department on Government business are electric vehicles.

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

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
15th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support is available for the warehouse industry as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

19th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advice and support the Government is providing to businesses that have taken on planned seasonal debt in the low season in the expectation of being able to repay that debt in the high season but may be unable to do so as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

27th Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to protect the supply security of critical materials.

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.

27th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress on decarbonising energy for (a) heat and (b) transport.

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.

27th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of jobs in the low carbon and renewable economy.

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.

27th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the rate of reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in each of the last five years.

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.

Year

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Change in UK carbon dioxide emissions from previous year

-8.4%

-3.9%

-5.5%

-3.3%

-2.4%

23rd Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to offer flexible working to their employees.

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.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the expansion rate of offshore wind deployment.

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.

6th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to negotiate alignment with the EU on employment rights after the UK leaves the EU.

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.

14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Premier League and (b) TV broadcasters on the proportion of Premier League games that are available to watch by (i) English and (ii) overseas audiences.

I have not had any recent discussions with the Premier League or TV broadcasters on the proportion of Premier League games that are available to watch by English and overseas audiences. Domestic and international television broadcasting deals are a matter for the Premier League.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

The department is working hard to ensure that long term strategic challenges are considered in its day-to-day activity across policy, resources and legislation. Time and attention is dedicated to staying abreast of future issues in order to help the department and its sectors remain resilient to both short and long term impacts.

Horizon scanning is one of a number of means through which future trends and challenges are explored to ensure that the department is in the best position possible to adapt, respond and overcome the challenges of the day, as well as those for the longer term.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

The department is not a lead for any national security risks.

Where relevant the department is brought in by the Cabinet Office.

The department does not currently have a chief risk officer. Strategic executive risks, including any relevant national security risks published in August 2023, are managed through the department’s risk management processes in line with the Orange Book. The Executive Board leads the assessment and management of strategic risk within the organisation.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.

The department is working hard to ensure that long term strategic challenges are considered in its day-to-day activity across policy, resources and legislation. Time and attention is dedicated to staying abreast of future issues in order to help the department and its sectors remain resilient to both short and long term impacts.

Horizon scanning is one of a number of means through which future trends and challenges are explored to ensure that the department is in the best position possible to adapt, respond and overcome the challenges of the day, as well as those for the longer term.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

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.

Whilst each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions, I would refer the Hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which noted 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 for Culture, Media and Sport has been implementing this policy along with other protective security controls.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to tackle the paid advertising to UK users on social media platforms of (a) weapons and (b) other illicit items.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
19th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with other Government departments on the potential effect of additional public holidays on the tourism industry and the economy.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implications for the Government's policies of suppliers charging VAT on children's sportswear.

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.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
13th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which energy provider supplies energy to their Department; how much carbon dioxide was emitted by their Department in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria their Department uses to select an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly that supplier is; and what recent steps their Department has taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
12th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, by what date they expect their Department to be carbon neutral in its day to day operations.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
16th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the impact on communities of local (a) radio stations and (b) newspapers.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has a microchip strategy for the UK in order to (a) increase the resilience of the supply chain for microchips into the UK and (b) boost the UK semiconductor industry.

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.

20th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support cultural and charitable organisations during the cost of living crisis.

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.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the level of support available to volunteers in the event of a workplace dispute.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to ensure the fair treatment of volunteers within the voluntary and charitable work sector.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders in the betting and gambling industry on the prevention of harmful gambling.

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.

26th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has she made of the adequacy of funding made for youth services.

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

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken recent steps to help ensure young people have access to youth services.

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

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the provision of youth services by local authorities.

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

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to extend enabling powers on prominence and access in television to UK radio services online and on smart speakers.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including the recommendations of the digital radio and audio review published on 21 October 2021 in the broadcasting white paper.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
21st Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on helping to ensure that effective action is taken by the relevant authorities regarding illegal ticket resale.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
21st Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Competition and Markets Authority's recommendations on illegal ticket resale.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
26th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's policy is to withdraw the BBC from Stonewalls' Diversity Champions programme.

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.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
11th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment they have made of the potential (a) threats and (b) opportunities of artificial intelligence in respect of their Department’s responsibilities.

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.

10th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to what extent their Department makes use of artificial intelligence in the implementation of its policies; and how much was spent from their Department’s budget on artificial intelligence in each of the last three years.

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.

9th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government is seeking international regulatory standards and safeguards on the development of artificial intelligence.

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.

27th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to increase participation and representation of people from Asian backgrounds in football (a) nationally and (b) within their local communities.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
27th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve data connectivity in the South East.

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.

23rd Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to tackle online misinformation on covid-19.

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.

22nd Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to (a) expand the eligibility criteria and (b) increase the funding available for Arts Council England grants.

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.

21st Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what further financial support seasonal businesses in the exhibition industry that are affected by the covid-19 outbreak will receive from April 2021 to the end of 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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
21st Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to provide financial support for businesses within events and exhibitions sector that will be affected by the covid-19 outbreak over the next 12 months.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is available to events and exhibition businesses (a) currently and (b) between 15 April 2021 and the end of 2021.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
11th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on news outlets in Slough.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to introduce sector-specific financial support for (a) public interest journalism and (b) local newspapers affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the effect of reduced advertising revenues during the covid-19 outbreak on local newspapers.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment has he made of the effect of (a) suspension and (b) permanent closure of local newspapers during the covid-19 outbreak on local democracy.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
2nd Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that individuals in the UK who publish criminal acts or statements on social media can be brought to justice.

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.

29th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent support he has made available to National League football clubs in (a) Slough and (b) England to ensure they can continue playing for the rest of the season.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
11th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's fiscal policy on the continued operation of local newspapers.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial support available to local newspapers during the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
3rd Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the vehicles used by his Department on Government business are electric vehicles.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Oct 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on supporting people who live with problem gambling.

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.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
21st Oct 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Government support made available for people who were in temporary and freelance roles in the live music industry prior to start of the covid-19 outbreak.

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.

21st Oct 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recent Concert Promoters Association report which states that 26,100 jobs are expected to have been made redundant in the live music industry by the end of 2020 without further Government intervention.

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.

21st Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated from the public purse to the National Citizens Service.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
10th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding his Department has allocated to stand-up comedy performers who have been unable to work as a result of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

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.

3rd Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to mitigate the effect of the covid-19 guidelines on the development of grassroots theatre.

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.

2nd Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of covid-19 guidance on self-employed make-up artists in the film and television industry.

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.

12th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2020 to Question 3870, for what reasons that answer did not include an assessment of the effect of the policy to no longer fund free TV licences for people aged over 75 on loneliness among older people.

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.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of homes that will have full-fibre broadband by 2025.

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.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the policy to no longer fund free TV licences for people aged over 75 on loneliness among older people.

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.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of youth services.

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.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
19th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 198639 on Childcare, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the adequacy of (a) trained staff, (b) safe premises and (c) registered places in Slough constituency by the start of September 2025 to offer eligible children aged nine months and above to access 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks each year until the end of the term before they start at primary school.

Having enough staff in place to deliver high-quality education and care will be key to ensuring the successful delivery of our record expansion of early years entitlements. Driving up interest in early years careers and ensuring there are enough opportunities for career development is a priority for this government.

In the government’s Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this Government will expect 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.

The department is developing a range of new workforce initiatives including the launch of a new national campaign, planned for the beginning of 2024, to boost interest in the sector and support the recruitment and retention of talented staff. To increase interest in early years, we are working to remove unnecessary barriers to entering the sector as well as considering how to make early years qualifications more accessible, coordinated and relevant.

Over the summer the department launched a competition for Early Years Skills Bootcamps with a pathway to an accelerated level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship, and we will consider degree apprenticeship routes so everyone from junior staff to senior leaders can easily move into or indeed enhance their career in the sector. We are also working across government to boost early years career awareness by collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers & Enterprise Company to promote the importance and value of a career in early years.

Regarding safe premises, with a growing number of staff joining the sector, the safety of our youngest children remains as important as ever. All new and existing early years providers must keep children safe and promote their welfare. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers in England must meet to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf.

Under these requirements, all owners and managers of childcare settings have a responsibility to ensure that their premises, including overall floor space and outdoor spaces, are fit for purpose and suitable for the age of children cared for and the activities provided on the premises. All providers must also comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation, including fire safety and hygiene requirements. At all times when children are present, at least one person who has a current paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises.

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. Part B of the Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities should report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2.

The Department has regular contact with each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. Where local authorities report sufficiency challenges, we discuss what action the local authority is taking to address those issues and where needed support the local authority with any specific requirements through our childcare sufficiency support contract.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
18th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of educational psychologists providing services to children in (a) Slough and (b) England.

Since 2020, the Department has increased the number of trainee educational psychologists (EPs), whose places it funds, from 160 to over 200 per year, across England. A total of approximately 920 trainees have been funded since 2018. Specific figures for Slough are not available.

Information on the state funded school workforce in England, including the number of EPs that were reported as being directly employed by local authorities in England, is published in the annual ‘School workforce in England’ national statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

According to the School Workforce Census, in November 2022 there were a reported 2,325 EPs directly employed by local authorities in England, including two by Slough Borough Council. The number employed in the private sector is not collected centrally. The figure provided also excludes local authorities who did not submit a return, or where EP provision has been outsourced or the provision has been shared with other local authorities.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
18th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many educational psychologist training places were funded by her Department in (a) Slough and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Since 2020, the Department has increased the number of trainee educational psychologists (EPs), whose places it funds, from 160 to over 200 per year, across England. A total of approximately 920 trainees have been funded since 2018. Specific figures for Slough are not available.

Information on the state funded school workforce in England, including the number of EPs that were reported as being directly employed by local authorities in England, is published in the annual ‘School workforce in England’ national statistics release, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

According to the School Workforce Census, in November 2022 there were a reported 2,325 EPs directly employed by local authorities in England, including two by Slough Borough Council. The number employed in the private sector is not collected centrally. The figure provided also excludes local authorities who did not submit a return, or where EP provision has been outsourced or the provision has been shared with other local authorities.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
14th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

The Liaison Committee recently launched an inquiry into select committee scrutiny of strategic thinking across Whitehall. The Government will be providing written evidence to this in due course.

The Department for Education is committed to delivering long term reforms such as those outlined in: the 2022 Schools White Paper, ‘Opportunity for All’; the 2023 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan; the 2023 publication ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’; and the 2021 ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper.

Under Rishi Sunak, this Conservative Government will always look to make the right long-term decisions for the country.

12th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through; the internal classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August.

As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments.

Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Department for Education they are managed through the Department’s risk management processes. This includes oversight from a Chief Risk Officer.

For example, within the Cabinet Office, risk is managed and recorded through centralised risk registers that are reported monthly to the Performance and Risk Committee and quarterly to the Executive Committee.

4th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of children who regularly miss school.

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.

4th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England do not make use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

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/.

4th Sep 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any schools in Slough use reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

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.

20th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about the potential merits of facilitating the universal provision of Family Hubs across the UK.

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.

David Johnston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to improve access to British Sign Language classes for families of children who suffer from hearing impairment.

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.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Universities UK and (b) UK universities on (i) diversifying international student recruitment and (ii) the potential risks arising from reliance on international students from a small number of countries.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
12th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has held discussions with representatives of higher education institutions on the potential impact of the University and College Union marking and assessment boycott (a) the experience of students at affected institutions, (b) the reputation of the higher education sector and (c) international students who wish to continue studying in the UK and require an award decision to apply for a visa from the UK.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
12th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of the University and College Union marking and assessment boycott on student visa applications by students (a) studying at a UK higher education institution in the 2022-23 academic year and (b) who wish to apply to study at a UK higher education institution in the 2023-24 academic year; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the boycott on the international reputation of UK higher education institutions.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
11th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.

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.

4th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) quality of student (i) support and (ii) wellbeing services provided by universities.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
3rd Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 November 2022 on Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, WMS 386, whether they have (a) ceased deployment of visual surveillance systems produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China onto sensitive sites, (b) ensured no such equipment is connected to their departmental core network, (c) considered whether there are sites outside the definition of sensitive sites to which they would wish to extend risk mitigation and (d) put in place any additional controls or taken any further steps.

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.

9th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide funding for Family Hubs in Slough.

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.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
2nd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of withdrawing funding from some BTEC qualifications on levels of future recruitment in the (a) public and (b) travel and tourism sector.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
2nd May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) colleges and (b) other stakeholders on the potential impact of the proposed withdrawal of funding from Level 3 BTEC courses for which there would be no replacement qualification.

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.

Robert Halfon
Minister of State (Education)
27th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of (a) training and (b) guidance provided to social workers to support (i) fathers, (ii) mothers and (iii) other guardians of children.

​​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.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
28th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequate provision of nursery places across England following changes to the number of children eligible for free nursery hours.

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.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
27th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of how many children are at increased risk of domestic abuse as a result of being severely absent 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.

27th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the safeguarding of children who are severely absent 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.

27th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has a target for reducing the number of pupils who are severely absent 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.

27th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to increase teacher (a) recruitment and (b) retention.

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.

16th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schoolchildren were persistently absent in the 2021-22 academic year.

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.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on childcare funding.

The department’s ministers and officials have regular discussions with HM Treasury on matters relating to early years funding.

On 15 March 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that the hourly rates for the entitlements will be substantially uplifted, on top of additional investments announced in the 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review and on 16 December 2022.

The department will provide £204 million of additional funding this year, increasing to £288 million by 2024/25, for local authorities to further increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers, with further uplifts to follow each year. This will include an average of 30% increase in the two-year-old rate from September 2023 and mean that in 2024, the average hourly rate for two-year-olds will be more than £8 per hour and around £11 per hour for under twos. The average three to four-year-old rate will rise in line with inflation, to over £5.50 per hour from September 2023, with further uplifts beyond this.

This funding is in addition to the £4.1 billion that the government will provide by 2027/28 to facilitate the expansion of the new free hours offer, under which all eligible working parents in England will, by September 2025, be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure adequate funding is available to ensure the safety of school buildings.

Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Over £9 billion has been allocated between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 financial years for keeping schools safe and operational and improving the condition of the school estate, including £1.8 billion in 2022/23. These allocations are informed by consistent data on the condition of schools.

The figure for 2022/23 includes annual School Condition Allocations for Local Authorities, larger multi academy trusts and larger voluntary aided (VA) school bodies to prioritise improving the condition of their schools. It also includes funding for the Condition Improvement Fund, into which smaller and single academy trusts, small VA bodies and sixth form colleges can bid for specific capital projects each year, and Devolved Formula Capital allocated to each school to spend on their own capital priorities. The Department provided an additional £447 million to schools in 2022/23 for capital works, prioritising energy efficiency.

In 2020 the Department announced the School Rebuilding Programme, with a commitment to transform buildings at 500 schools and sixth form colleges over the next decade, prioritising those in the worst condition and with evidence of potential safety issues. 400 schools have been announced to date, including 239 last December.

Where the Department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building that cannot be managed with local resources, additional support is provided on a case by case basis.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to the maintenance and renewal of school buildings in the last five years.

Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Over £9 billion has been allocated between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 financial years for keeping schools safe and operational and improving the condition of the school estate, including £1.8 billion in 2022/23. These allocations are informed by consistent data on the condition of schools.

The figure for 2022/23 includes annual School Condition Allocations for Local Authorities, larger multi academy trusts and larger voluntary aided (VA) school bodies to prioritise improving the condition of their schools. It also includes funding for the Condition Improvement Fund, into which smaller and single academy trusts, small VA bodies and sixth form colleges can bid for specific capital projects each year, and Devolved Formula Capital allocated to each school to spend on their own capital priorities. The Department provided an additional £447 million to schools in 2022/23 for capital works, prioritising energy efficiency.

In 2020 the Department announced the School Rebuilding Programme, with a commitment to transform buildings at 500 schools and sixth form colleges over the next decade, prioritising those in the worst condition and with evidence of potential safety issues. 400 schools have been announced to date, including 239 last December.

Where the Department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building that cannot be managed with local resources, additional support is provided on a case by case basis.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's Condition of School Buildings Survey, published in May 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the safety of school buildings.

The Department published a high level Condition Data Collection (CDC) Key Findings Report in 2021, which estimated the cost of remedial work to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate in England to be £11.4 billion. The report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department is currently updating the data on school building condition in the successor programme, CDC2, which is due for completion in 2026. A full assessment of the remedial costs to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate cannot be made until completion of the programme.

The Department has allocated over £13 billion since 2015 for keeping schools safe and operational, including £1.8 billion in 2022/23. This is informed by consistent data on the school estate. The School Rebuilding Programme will rebuild or refurbish buildings at 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition and with potential safety issues. 400 schools have been announced to date, including 239 in December 2022.

It is the responsibility of the academy trusts and Local Authorities which look after school buildings to maintain them and keep them safe. In 2021, the Department wrote to every responsible body signposting them to available support, reminding them of their responsibility to maintain the safety of their buildings, and inviting them to contact the Department regarding any serious structural issues in their buildings. The Department has been following up individually with the schools that responded to this, steering them towards available funding routes and guidance, and, in some cases, sending a technical adviser to visit the school.

The Department has also sent a questionnaire to all responsible bodies asking them to provide information on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their school buildings. The Department has engaged buildings professionals to work with schools who have reported they suspect RAAC is present to verify its presence and assess its condition. Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed, the Department helps schools with appropriate support.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's Condition of School Buildings Survey published in May 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the cost to repair and replace all defective elements of the school estate.

The Department published a high level Condition Data Collection (CDC) Key Findings Report in 2021, which estimated the cost of remedial work to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate in England to be £11.4 billion. The report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department is currently updating the data on school building condition in the successor programme, CDC2, which is due for completion in 2026. A full assessment of the remedial costs to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate cannot be made until completion of the programme.

The Department has allocated over £13 billion since 2015 for keeping schools safe and operational, including £1.8 billion in 2022/23. This is informed by consistent data on the school estate. The School Rebuilding Programme will rebuild or refurbish buildings at 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition and with potential safety issues. 400 schools have been announced to date, including 239 in December 2022.

It is the responsibility of the academy trusts and Local Authorities which look after school buildings to maintain them and keep them safe. In 2021, the Department wrote to every responsible body signposting them to available support, reminding them of their responsibility to maintain the safety of their buildings, and inviting them to contact the Department regarding any serious structural issues in their buildings. The Department has been following up individually with the schools that responded to this, steering them towards available funding routes and guidance, and, in some cases, sending a technical adviser to visit the school.

The Department has also sent a questionnaire to all responsible bodies asking them to provide information on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their school buildings. The Department has engaged buildings professionals to work with schools who have reported they suspect RAAC is present to verify its presence and assess its condition. Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed, the Department helps schools with appropriate support.

13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of childcare costs on parents' ability to return to work.

The 2023 Spring Budget announced that the department is closing the gap between parental leave ending and the current childcare offer for working parents, ensuring all parents of primary-aged children can access wraparound childcare in school.

This announcement announced the largest ever investment in childcare in England. The measures that were announced will be transformative for parents, children and the economy.

By 2027/28, the department will provide over £4.1 billion to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week, covering 38 weeks per year, for working parents which children aged nine months to three years old in England.

The department will invest £204 million in 2023/24 to uplift the rates for existing entitlements, rising to £288 million in 2024/25, with further uplifts beyond this so that providers have the funding they need to deliver childcare entitlements.

We are removing one of the largest barriers to working parents by increasing the amount of free childcare available. Childcare is a vital enabler for parents to work, which is why we are bringing forward a number of measures to support parents to return and stay in work. This new funding will empower parents, allowing them to progress in their careers and supporting their families.

The department believes all parents should have access to childcare before and after the school day to help them work. That is why we are also launching a new national wraparound childcare pilot scheme.

We will provide a total of £289 million in start-up funding to enable schools and local areas to test flexible ways of providing wraparound childcare.

By 2027/28, government funding on free hours and early education will be in excess of £8 billion a year. This will help working families with their childcare cost.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of childcare costs on parents with children below primary school age.

The 2023 Spring Budget announced that the department is closing the gap between parental leave ending and the current childcare offer for working parents, ensuring all parents of primary-aged children can access wraparound childcare in school.

This announcement announced the largest ever investment in childcare in England. The measures that were announced will be transformative for parents, children and the economy.

By 2027/28, the department will provide over £4.1 billion to fund 30 hours of free childcare per week, covering 38 weeks per year, for working parents which children aged nine months to three years old in England.

The department will invest £204 million in 2023/24 to uplift the rates for existing entitlements, rising to £288 million in 2024/25, with further uplifts beyond this so that providers have the funding they need to deliver childcare entitlements.

We are removing one of the largest barriers to working parents by increasing the amount of free childcare available. Childcare is a vital enabler for parents to work, which is why we are bringing forward a number of measures to support parents to return and stay in work. This new funding will empower parents, allowing them to progress in their careers and supporting their families.

The department believes all parents should have access to childcare before and after the school day to help them work. That is why we are also launching a new national wraparound childcare pilot scheme.

We will provide a total of £289 million in start-up funding to enable schools and local areas to test flexible ways of providing wraparound childcare.

By 2027/28, government funding on free hours and early education will be in excess of £8 billion a year. This will help working families with their childcare cost.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria are used to determine a child’s eligibility for semi-independent living through the social care system.

It is a priority for the government that all looked after children and care leavers live in homes that meet their needs and keep them safe. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient provision to meet the need of children they look after, and for determining which type of setting children are placed, to meet their needs and keep them safe.

The vast majority of looked after children live in foster care or in children’s homes. This must be the case for any child under the age of 16. From September 2021, the government banned the practice of placing children of this age in independent and semi-independent living arrangements that are not currently registered and inspected by Ofsted.

The use of semi-independent homes has continued to grow as more older children enter the care system. These types of settings can be the right choice for some 16 and 17-year-olds. They can offer a place to live with more independence and when combined with the right level of high-quality support, they enable the young people placed there to develop the skills they need to prepare for adulthood and leaving care. Where local authorities place children in this type of setting, they must ensure that the accommodation and support is high-quality and can meet the individual needs of the child.

To make sure that accommodation and support is high-quality and action can be taken where it is not, the department is investing over £142 million up to 2025 to introduce national standards and Ofsted registration and inspection requirements for providers who accommodate 16 and 17-year-old looked after children and care leavers.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 61298 on Schools: Slough, whether her Department plans to publish the details of the Condition Data Collection survey.

The Department plans to publish detailed school level CDC data. The Department is still preparing the data and plans to publish it as soon as possible.

17th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 61298 on Schools: Slough, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the time taken to publish details of the Condition Data Collection survey.

The Condition Data Collection (CDC) was one of the largest and most comprehensive data collection programmes in the UK public sector. It collected data on the building condition of government funded schools in England. The key, high level findings of the CDC programme were published in May 2021 in the ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey: Key Findings’ report. This is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

Individual reports have been provided to schools and the relevant local authority or trust to help inform their maintenance plans alongside their own more detailed surveys and safety checks.

The Department is planning to publish school level CDC data to increase transparency. Publishing the school level data will also improve local understanding about the condition of school buildings and increase innovation by allowing external organisations to interrogate and analyse the data. The Department is still preparing the school level data and plans to publish it as soon as possible.

Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. The Department has allocated over £13 billion for improving the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year. Our 10-year School Rebuilding Programme is condition led, and the Department has now provisionally allocated 400 of the 500 available places on the programme.

3rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) fossil fuel-, (b) electric- and (c) hybrid-powered road-legal vehicles their Department purchased in the last 24 months.

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

1st Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of (a) the cost of childcare for families and (b) the number of parents not in work due to the affordability of childcare on the economy.

The most recent Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents provides some data on the cost of childcare and families. Almost three in five (56%) parents who paid for childcare in 2021 said it was easy or very easy to meet their childcare costs, a rise from 52% in 2018.

The department continues to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use the government-funded support they are entitled to. In England, we have spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on our early education entitlements to support families with the cost of childcare.

In the 2021 Spending Review, the department announced additional funding of £160 million in 2022/23, £180 million in 2023/24 and £170 million in 2024/25, compared to the 2021/22 financial year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers, reflecting cost pressures and changes in the number of eligible children anticipated at the time of the spending review.

For the 2023/24 financial year, we will invest an additional £20 million into early years funding, on top of the additional £180m for 2023/24. This will help support providers at a national level with the additional National Living Wage costs associated with delivering the free childcare entitlements next year.

In July 2022, the department announced measures to increase take-up of childcare support to ensure that families can access government support to save them money on their childcare bills. This included our Childcare Choices communications campaign to ensure every parent knows about the government funded support they are eligible for.

We do not hold the data on the number of parents unable to work due to the cost of childcare.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
1st Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government remain committed to extending free childcare support for three and four-year-olds to 50 hours per week.

All parents of three and four year olds are eligible for 15 hours of free early education over 38 weeks of the year. An additional 15 hours free childcare, also known as 30 hours free childcare, is available for working parents who earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year. In a two-parent family both parents must meet these thresholds, unless one partner receives certain benefits. In a single-parent household the single parent must meet these income thresholds.

The department has never made a commitment to extend free childcare to 50 hours a week. We are, however, looking into options to improve the cost, flexibility and availability of childcare.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of food price inflation on the (a) nutritional value and (b) portion size of school meals.

The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing, and we are holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.

Schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, as a result of the 2022 Autumn Statement. The core schools’ budget, which covers schools’ day-to-day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income-related free school meals, has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. In June 2022, the Government announced an increase to the per pupil meal rate in UIFSM to £2.41. This was backdated, recognising the cost pressures schools and some suppliers may be experiencing.

The standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014 and are designed to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Schools also have flexibility under the Standards to substitute food and regularly update and change menus. They may make changes if ingredients or meals are not readily available.

It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week. Guidance to accompany the School Food Standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups.

15th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any additional financial or other support is provided to schools that are educating minors who are claiming asylum and where (a) English is not their first language or (b) they do not understand a basic level of English.

Schools are responsible for ensuring that all their pupils, including those who are classed as having a first language other than English, or do not understand a basic level of English, can access the full curriculum and have an opportunity to achieve their potential.

Through the English as an additional language (EAL) factor in the national funding formula (NFF), schools are allocated funding for pupils who are classed as having EAL and who have started in the state funded education system in England within the last three years. This equates to an additional £565 per primary school pupil and £1,530 per secondary school pupil in 2022/23 (rising to £580 per eligible primary pupil and £1,565 per eligible secondary pupil in 2023/24). The NFF will distribute a total of £410 million through the EAL factor in the current financial year.

Schools have flexibility over how they use their overall funding budget to support pupils with EAL, as they are best placed to understand and respond to the particular needs of their pupils.

14th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to change the threshold of eligibility for free school meals.

The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables pupils to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.

The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.

13th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which energy provider supplies energy to their Department; how much carbon dioxide was emitted by their Department in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria their Department uses to select an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly that supplier is; and what recent steps their Department has taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use.

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) operates a centralised energy procurement strategy for central Government and is responsible for selecting the gas and power supply companies on behalf of all departments. CCS is currently conducting its latest tender round on behalf of departments and the supplier’s environmental credentials will be part of the selection criteria.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) manages the Department’s building assets and procures energy through the CCS frameworks. The current suppliers are Total Energies Gas & Power Ltd for gas and EDF Energy for electricity. These suppliers are used in the following offices where the Department is the major tenant: Coventry, London and Sheffield.

The Department is also the major tenant in its Darlington and Manchester offices. The GPA do not hold the details of utilities suppliers for those offices where energy suppliers are managed directly by the landlord.

The Department’s most recent carbon emissions data is in the Greening Government Commitments 2019 to 2020 annual report. It is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029548/Greening_Government_Commitments_Annual_Report_2019_to_2020.pdf

The Department’s steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its energy use are delivered through the GPA’s activities. More broadly, the Department’s steps to reduce emission are outlined in the Greening Government Commitments, which outlines the UK Government’s intentions to mitigate climate change and work towards Net Zero by 2050: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025/greening-government-commitments-2021-to-2025.

The Department is also supporting the education sector to play its role in positively responding to climate change. This work was set out in April 2022 in our Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for the education and children’s services systems: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/sustainability-and-climate-change-a-strategy-for-the-education-and-childrens-services-systems.

12th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when they expect their Department to be carbon neutral in its day-to-day operations.

The Government is committed to delivering Net Zero by 2050.

Central 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 Department reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with current targets for the 2021-25 period. The Department is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions wherever possible, and has ambitious targets under the Greening Government Commitments.

9th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which five teams in their Department have the highest number of staffing vacancies as a proportion of total staff as of 8 December 2022; and what proportion of roles were vacant in each of those teams.

The five teams in the Department with the highest number of staffing vacancies as a proportion of staff as of 8 December 2022, and the proportion of roles that were vacant in each of those teams, can be seen below:

Departmental team

Proportion of roles vacant within team

Staff within the team

Vacancies within the team

Education and Skills Funding Agency Provider Market Oversight

50%

1

1

Post-16 Funding

28%

29

11

Higher Education Reform

22%

28

8

Basic Skills & Multiply

22%

15

7

Transformation

21%

23

6

The data provided is accurate as at the requested date but is subject to change as individuals join and leave the Department.

8th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of real-terms changes in school budgets due to the impact of inflation.

The 2022 Autumn Statement announced significant additional investment in schools. The core schools budget will increase by £2 billion in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. This is over and above totals announced at Spending Review 2021. This year, schools' funding is £4 billion higher than last year, rising by another £3.5 billion in 2023. Taken together, that means a 15% increase in funding in two years. The Institute for Fiscal Studies have said that this additional funding will fully cover expected increases in school costs up to 2024, and will take per pupil spending back to at least 2010 levels in real terms.

The additional funding will enable head teachers to continue to concentrate funding in the areas that the Department knows has a positive effect on educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most, as well as help schools to manage higher costs, including higher energy bills and staff pay awards

The Department also provides a range of school resource management tools, designed to help schools get the best value from their resources, and help direct funding towards improving outcomes for their pupils.

The Department understands that each school’s circumstances are different. Where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their Local Authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

8th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the regulation of independent tuition centres.

Independent tuition centres would generally be considered to be out-of-school settings. Out-of-school settings are currently defined by the Department as “any institution providing tuition, training, instruction or activities to children in England, without their parents’ or carers’ supervision, that is not a school, college, 16-19 academy or providers caring for children that are registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency”. This definition covers a wide range of settings, which includes settings offering part-time or supplementary education to support mainstream or home education, extra-curricular clubs and activities (such as dance classes, sports tuition, instrumental music tuition), and uniformed youth organisations (such as Scouts and Brownies).

In many cases, these settings are already eligible to register with Ofsted on the General Childcare Register and can be subject to inspection. There are many existing powers in place to protect children in out-of-school settings, and the Department knows that they provide enriching education in a safe environment.

While the Department has not ruled out further regulation, it is important that the Department ensures any future system appropriately targets those settings exposing children to harmful practices, without causing undue burdens on the sector as a whole. Any future system introduced should also build on, and complement, the existing legal powers already in place, making the current system more effective.

The Department has provided over £3 million of targeted funding to selected Local Authorities to examine ways to boost local capacity to identify and intervene in settings of concern, and test the utility of existing powers. The Department is working closely with key safeguarding partners and stakeholders to consider the findings in the report and set out the Department’s next steps on the policy, with the aim of launching a consultation next year on how to best ensure these settings are as safe as possible.

The Department has also published a code of practice for out-of-school settings. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings.

8th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the funding available for children's social care services.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the department discuss and work with other government departments on a regular basis, including HM Treasury, on a range of issues.

Local government fund their children’s social care services from their core spending power. This is principally made up of council tax, retained business rates and central government grants. This year, as agreed in the 2021 Spending Review, councils have access to £54.1 billion core spending power for their services – an increase of £3.7 billion on 2021/22.

The government announced in the 2022 Autumn Statement that £1.3 billion in 2023/24 and £1.9 billion in 2024/25 will be distributed to local authorities through the Social Care Grant for adult and children’s social care. This is in addition to the funding agreed in the the 2021 Spending Review.

Further details of the total funding available to local authorities in 2023/24 will be provided in the provisional local government finance settlement as soon as is reasonably possible this winter.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
28th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of trends in the level of real terms school funding in the last five years.

The increase in funding announced in the 2022 Autumn Statement will restore funding to at least 2010 levels, in real terms per pupil by 2024/25.

24th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided to schools to meet the needs of students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The department commissioned the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review in March 2022 to understand how improvements can be made to the SEND system, recognising that reforms to the system from 2014 have been unable to achieve the intended outcomes. The review aims to determine what changes can be made in order to establish a system that constantly delivers for children and young people with SEND. Combined with the Schools White Paper and wider reforms, we are seeking to create a coherent education, health and care system, which aims to support all children and young people in England to realise their potential.

In March 2022, the department shared High Needs Provision Capital Allocations, announcing new investment of over £1.4 billion. This funding is to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25, and to improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision (AP).

This investment is alongside the increase in high needs revenue funding, which is rising by £1 billion in 2022/23 (compared to 2021/22), and follows an increase of more than £1.5 billion over the previous two years. This brings the total high needs budget to £9.1 billion.

The 2022 Autumn Statement has provided an additional increase in the core schools budget, including funding for high needs schools, of £2.3 billion in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. After adjusting to take account for the removal of the compensation for employer costs of the Health and Social Care Levy, this brings the core schools budget to a total of £58.8 billion in 2024/25, £2 billion greater than published at the 2021 Spending Review.

The department will continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change, and continue to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who need AP. We intend to publish a full response to the SEND and AP green paper to make sure that every child gets the support they deserve.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
24th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding provided to schools to meet educational provision in the context of the increase in inflation.

The Department is in regular communication with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on all matters related to schools. The Chancellor announced in the 2022 Autumn Statement that core schools funding will increase by net £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This increase in funding, on top of the funding awards previously announced at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, means total schools funding will increase by 15% between 2021/22 and 2023/24 from £49.8 billion to £57.3 billion, nationally. These increases will deliver additional support to schools, helping to deliver on the Government’s commitment to levelling up education across the country.

Schools are also being supporting with energy costs over the winter months. From October 2022 to 31 March 2023, schools will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This will provide a price reduction to protect them from high energy bills over the winter period.

24th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the adequacy of the support provided to schools to help with rising utility costs.

The Department is in regular communication with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on all matters related to schools. The Chancellor announced in the 2022 Autumn Statement that core schools funding will increase by net £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This increase in funding, on top of the funding awards previously announced at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, means total schools funding will increase by 15% between 2021/22 and 2023/24 from £49.8 billion to £57.3 billion, nationally. These increases will deliver additional support to schools, helping to deliver on the Government’s commitment to levelling up education across the country.

Schools are also being supporting with energy costs over the winter months. From October 2022 to 31 March 2023, schools will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This will provide a price reduction to protect them from high energy bills over the winter period.

18th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the financial support available to kinship carers.

The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families

The department is now considering these recommendations, including the recommendation to create a financial allowance. The department is working on a comprehensive response to the recommendations in the review, which will set out how we intend to help kinship families.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
18th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the nutritional value of meals provided to children in early years settings.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards that all early years providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to age five. The framework can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

The framework requires that where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, they must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. This is set out at Section 3.38, which also refers to example menus and guidance designed specifically for early years settings. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/example-menus-for-early-years-settings-in-england.

The example menus guidance has been promoted to early years settings in various ways, such as via correspondence to the sector and links to the guidance being published on the help for early years providers online platform. The platform can be accessed here: https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
17th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the nutritional guidance for school dinners.

The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014, to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children gain the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The Department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in the UK continue to receive high quality and nutritious food, building healthy eating habits for life.

The Department’s current focus is on promoting compliance with the School Food Standards and this will be kept under review. In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper outlined what the Department is doing to strengthen adherence, including piloting work with the Foods Standards Agency, investing up to £200,000 in a pilot Governor Training Scheme, and encouraging schools to complete a statement on their school websites setting out their whole school approach to food.

17th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the National Food Strategy's recommendation to remove the requirement to serve meat three times a week from the School Food Standards.

The Department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high-quality and nutritious food, that encourages healthy eating habits for life.

The Department’s current focus is on promoting compliance with the school food standards and it will keep this under review. In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper outlined a number of things the Department is doing to strengthen adherence, including piloting work with the Foods Standards Agency, spending up to £200,000 in a pilot Governor Training Scheme and encouraging schools to complete a statement on their school websites setting out their whole school approach to food.

The Department will consider the National Food Strategy’s recommendations in future updates.

31st Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of pay for educational psychologists in the context of the cost of living crisis.

I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer the former Minister for Schools and Childhood, Kelly Tolhurst, gave on 21 September 2022 to Question 45529.

Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
24th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers.

The Department is investing £181 million in financial incentives. This includes tax free bursaries worth £27,000 and tax free scholarships worth £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to train in key subjects such as chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics. The Department is also offering a £25,000 tax free bursary for geography and languages, a £20,000 tax free bursary for biology and design & technology and a £15,000 tax free bursary for English.

For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages. This is part of a wider package of new measures to make teaching in England even more attractive to the best teachers and trainee teachers from around the world. This also includes a relocation premium to help those moving to England with the costs of visas and other expenses.

The Department remains on track to deliver £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the best teachers. Additionally, the Department has announced a tax free Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 for maths, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers, who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas.

To support retention in the crucial first few years of teaching, the Department has rolled out the Early Career Framework nationally. This provides solid foundations for a career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding, and a new and updated suite of fully funded National Professional Qualifications to support teachers and school leaders at all levels to continuously develop their expertise.

The Department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing, working with the profession to understand and address longstanding issues around marking, planning and data management. The school workload reduction toolkit has been developed alongside school leaders and is a helpful resource for schools that can enable them to reduce workload. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit.

Additionally, the Department has worked in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts to develop the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which schools are encouraged to sign up to.

12th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the affordability of childcare provision in the Slough constituency.

The department is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. We continue to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.

The department collects data on the main characteristics of childcare and early years provision in England and fees data can be broken down to local authority level. The latest data shows the average hourly fee for childcare in Slough to be £6.00 for two-year-old children and £5.75 for three and four-year-old children.

11th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1 to 3 and (ii) 4 to 11 are living in Slough constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

A breakdown in the number of Ofsted-registered childminders who are working, and the number of children aged 1-3 and 4-11 by parliamentary constituency and local authorities requested, can be found in the attached table. Childminders are generally the most affordable and flexible form of childcare and form an important part of the broader childcare market.

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. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.

11th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2022 to Question 51633 on Schools: Solar Power, how many school buildings in Slough constituency were inspected as part of the CDC Survey.

The Department is preparing detailed analysis of the data collected for the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme and plan to publish the details by the end of the year.

The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 in the report ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key Findings’.

The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department has no plans to make a statement.

11th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 27 September to Question 51628 on Schools: Buildings, which schools in Slough constituency have one or more buildings classified in Category D of condition need; how long each of those buildings have been classified in that category; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is preparing detailed analysis of the data collected for the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme and plan to publish the details by the end of the year.

The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 in the report ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key Findings’.

The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.

The Department has no plans to make a statement.

11th Oct 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to ensure parents have access to affordable childcare.

In July 2022, the department announced measures to increase take-up of childcare support and reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers. This included consulting on changing staff to child ratios for two-year-olds in group-based settings and clarifying flexibilities for childminders, to give providers more autonomy. The department has announced additional funding of £160 million in the 2022/23 financial year, £180 million in 2023/24 financial year and £170 million in 2024/25 financial year, compared to the 2021/22 financial year, for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers.

The department has also announced a £1.2 million marketing campaign underway via the Childcare Choices website to ensure that every parent knows about the government funded support they are eligible for.

The department continues to work across government, looking at ways to make childcare more affordable and to encourage families to use government-funded support they are entitled to.

21st Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make a comparative assessment of average nursery costs as a proportion of income after benefits in the (a) UK and (b) OECD; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for that difference.

The department has invested more than £3.5 billion in each of the last three years to deliver our early education entitlements, and continues to help families with their childcare bills through Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.

The information requested is not held by the department but has been published previously by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The OECD publishes data on childcare as a percentage of average household income. This shows that in 2020, two parents both earning an average salary with two children, spent 19% of their net household income on childcare, compared to the OECD total of 9%. Reasons for differences in childcare costs between different countries can include differences in enrolment rates, types of government childcare support offered, how much time a child spends in childcare, staff-to-child ratios, qualification levels of staff, and differences in starting ages. This information is available on the OECD website and can be accessed here: https://stats.oecd.org/viewhtml.aspx?datasetcode=NCC&lang=en.

The department continues to explore what more can be done to help parents access childcare which suits their lives, including out of hours or before or after school childcare. We are committed to working together across government to make our current suite of offers work as effectively as possible and ensure it delivers for those parents who need it.

21st Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps to help reduce the proportion of income after benefits that parents spend on nursery fees.

To support parents to become financially resilient by moving into and progressing in work, eligible Universal Credit (UC) claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month, regardless of the number of hours they work, compared to 70% in tax credits. This is up to the maximum amount of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. For families with two children, this could be worth over £13,000 a year.

Those who need extra financial support for their first set of childcare costs when moving in to work, or when they are significantly increasing their work hours, can apply for help from the Flexible Support Fund. This is discretionary non-repayable payment that will pay their initial childcare costs directly to the childcare provider up to the point they receive their first, or increased, salary.

Working parents on low incomes and in receipt of certain benefits (earning less than £15,400 and in receipt of UC or earning less than £16,190 and receiving tax credits) can also qualify for 15 hours free early education for 2 year olds.

13th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Government's delivery partner Capita on reports of missing SATs papers.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) oversees the logistics and marking operation for assessments for almost 680,000 pupils in over 16,000 schools, including the collection, scanning, and marking of some 3.8 million test scripts. The vast majority of these were collected, scanned, and marked without any issues. STA is in constant communication with Capita over service delivery, including understanding and investigating the small number of instances where papers may be flagged as missing.

STA will work with Capita to identify lessons learned from the delivery of this year’s assessments so that service improvements can be implemented for the next test cycle.

13th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish all emails from the Department's Permanent Secretary to departmental staff informing them of the appointment of a new Secretary of State for Education.

On the appointment of a new Secretary of State, the Permanent Secretary will generally communicate with staff to inform them of the appointment, noting the continuation of the department’s key business, while outlining any changes to portfolios or responsibilities. In the department, this is not done by email but through all-staff live broadcasts. Factual updates on department ministerial appointments have also been published on the departmental staff intranet and through the all-staff weekly newsletter. Information on all departments’ ministerial appointments, and portfolios, is already available in the public domain.

5th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that childcare is (a) affordable and (b) accessible.

The government is committed to improving the cost, choice, and availability of childcare. That is why we have spent over £3.5 billion in each of the past three years on early education entitlements.

On 4 July, the government announced further measures to increase take-up of childcare support and reduce the costs and bureaucracy facing providers. We have also announced a new £1.2 million campaign to make sure that every parent knows about the government-funded support for which they are eligible.

5th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all primary school children reach the expected level of achievement in (a) reading, (b) writing and (c) maths.

The department’s 2030 ambition is 90% of primary school children achieving expected standards in reading, writing and maths, and that the national GCSE average grade in both English language and mathematics increases from 4.5 in 2019 to 5 by 2030.

The department will be publishing part two of the reading framework in 2023, which will provide evidence-based, non-statutory guidance on teaching reading for years 2 to 9. Our validation of systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programmes specifies that all validated programmes must provide opportunities for children to apply their phonics knowledge to writing words and sentences. This will support schools to drive up writing standards.

In 2018, the department launched the £26.3 million English Hubs Programme. This is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In 2021, we launched the £10 million accelerator fund for English and mathematics as part of the government’s education recovery package. To date, over 430 schools have been provided with funding to adopt a department-validated phonics scheme and the training to implement this successfully. Thousands of primary schools have also benefitted from additional Maths Hubs support to strengthen the teaching of the core subject.

Our national network of 40 school-led Maths Hubs is also continuing to support local schools improve the quality of their mathematics teaching based on best practice. This includes through the established £100 million Teaching for Mastery programme, which will have brought training on mastery teaching to a total of 11,000 schools across England by 2023.

16th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children local authorities reported as being placed outside of their local authority area between January 2020 to December 2020.

The children looked after return (SSDA903 return) collects information about children who are looked after by local authorities from 1 April to 31 March each year. The latest figures show there were 32,890 new placements outside the local authority boundary for children looked after during the year ending 31 March 2021. If a child had more than one placement in the year, then all placements are counted.

11th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of SATs in measuring children’s learning and attainment.

The main purpose of statutory assessment, as set out in the Standards and Testing Agency’s test frameworks is to ascertain what pupils have achieved in relation to the age-related attainment targets set out in the national curriculum. These test frameworks are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum-assessments-test-frameworks. A validity framework to demonstrate how well the tests meet this purpose is published in the appendices of the test handbook, available on GOV.UK.

Due to the cancellations of the statutory assessments in 2020 and 2021, the most recent version of the test handbook is from 2019 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2019-national-curriculum-test-handbook.

11th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of SATs on primary children’s mental health.

The department knows that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and will have an impact in the longer-term. We expect leaders and teachers to consider their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing as a priority and identify those who may need additional support.

Although schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well in primary assessments, the department does not recommend that they devote excessive time to preparation, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. Schools should support a culture of wellbeing amongst staff and pupils.

Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is a priority for this government. The department is continuing to help schools support children and young people’s wellbeing, announcing in May 2021 more than £17 million of mental health funding to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges. This includes £9.5 million dedicated to training senior mental health leads in over 8,000 schools and colleges, with an additional £3 million announced this year to extend this training to even more schools and colleges. The training will equip leads with the skills and knowledge to develop a culture and ethos that promotes positive mental health wellbeing, as well as how to make the best use of local resources to support children and young people experiencing issues such as anxiety.

The department has also recently brought together all its sources of advice for schools and colleges into a single site on GOV.UK, which includes signposting to external sources of mental health and wellbeing support for teachers, school staff and school leaders. This site is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges#mental-health-and-wellbeing-resources.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support is available for adoptive parents to ensure they can maintain the cultural, religious and linguistic values of their adopted child's community.

The department’s statutory guidance on adoption makes it clear that all families should help children placed with them to understand and appreciate their background and culture. Where the child and prospective adopter do not share the same background, the prospective adopter will need flexible and creative support.

All adoptive families are entitled to an assessment of support. Adoption agencies should set out in the family’s support plan the training and support they will offer to ensure that child can embrace important cultural, religious or linguistic values of their community, to understand their background and origin.

Our National Adoption Strategy sets out our key aims to driving improvements in all areas of adoption policy, including support for adoptive families.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Children’s Social Care Digital Programme guidance will be published.

Guidance for local authorities on improving case management systems for children's social care services was published by the department on 9 March 2022. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-social-care-improving-case-management-systems.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access for families to social care support before children enter the care system.

Families access a range of support before children enter the care system, including universal and early help support, and social care services. This is outlined in the statutory guidance, Working Together To Safeguard Children. The guidance is clear on the expectations placed on individuals who work to support children and families and how they need to work together in partnership with others to meet the child and family’s needs. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2.

In each local area, the safeguarding partners should publish a threshold document, which sets out the local criteria for action to assist children and families. This should include the process for early help and the type and level of early help services to be provided, as well as the criteria and processes in place for families when they are referred to children’s social services.

The department takes robust action when an authority does not meet its requirements to provide support and protect all children and young people. Local authorities rated inadequate by Ofsted receive comprehensive support from the department. Those performing well are supported to share best practice.

We are clear that nothing is more important than children’s welfare, and those who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support as soon as a need is identified. We recognise the need to make significant change to the current system to improve the lives and outcomes of those supported by children’s social care. That is why we have launched a bold, broad and independently led review that is looking at the needs, experiences and outcomes of the children and families it supports and what is required to make a real difference to their lives. In doing so, the review will contribute to ambitious and deliverable reforms, taking into account the sustainability of local services and effective use of resources and considering how the social care system responds to the needs of all children who are referred. It will address major challenges, including inconsistencies in nationwide practices and outcomes.

The Review published its Case for Change in June 2021, setting out the key issues and inviting feedback from parties with an interest in the Review. The Case For Change: Your Feedback was published in October 2021 and the Review’s full report is due to be published this Spring.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many family hubs he estimates will be established in (a) England and (b) the South East by 2024.

In the 2021 Budget, the government announced £82 million to create a network of family hubs. This is part of a wider £300 million package to transform services for parents, carers, babies, and children in half of local authorities across England. It builds on the £39.5 million the government had already committed to family hubs to champion the model, including a £12 million transformation fund which will support at least 12 local authorities in England to transform to a family hub model of service delivery.

Family hubs are a way of joining up locally to improve access to services, the connections between families, professionals, services, and providers, and putting relationships at the heart of family help. They bring together services for children of all ages, with a great Start for Life offer at their core. How services are delivered varies from place to place and the department will work with local authorities eligible for the funds above to establish ambitious plans for their family hubs, considering local circumstance and need. More detail will be set out in due course.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care will be published.

The review is scheduled to share its final recommendations in the spring and the government will respond to the recommendations once the review concludes.

28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children local authorities reported as being placed outside of (a) their local authority area and (b) England in the year January 2020 to December 2020 inclusive.

The latest figures on children looked after by the locality of the placement are shown in the attached table. The children looked after collection (SSDA903 return) collects information about children who are looked after by local authorities from 1 April to the 31 March each year and these are the time periods presented in the attached table. Figures have been provided for the years ending 31 March 2020 and 31 March 2021.

A range of figures on children looked after by placement location in a different format to that provided in the table are published in the table ‘National – Children looked after by placement type, distance and the locality of placement’ in the annual statistical release available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.

25th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Children’s social work workforce, published on 24 February 2022, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that vacant social worker positions are filled.

The government works closely with local authorities to recognise and understand their workforce pressures, and to ensure that there are enough high-quality child and family social workers in the system.

The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England is increasing every year. On 30 September 2021, there were 32,500 FTE child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England. This is an increase of 2.0% compared to 2020, and an increase of 14.1% compared to 2017. The average social worker at a local authority in England held 16.3 cases in 2021, the same as in 2020, and down from 17.8 in 2017. 16.7% of social worker posts were vacant, up from 16.1% in 2020. This represents a total of 6,520 vacancies. However, there was considerable variation between regions – the North East had the lowest vacancy rate (8.7%), and London had the highest (23.5%). It is important to note that the 4,995 social worker who left their roles in 2021 includes all social workers who have moved between local authorities but are still working in children’s social care.

While we recognise the picture local authorities are seeing on the ground may vary from place to place, we are working closely with local authorities and using central programmes and funding to respond to their needs.

We are supporting the recruitment and retention of social workers through our investment in fast-track initial social worker training programmes, and in professional development programmes to improve leadership. We are also seeing some innovative practices from local authorities that are driving down agency rates and stabilising their workforces.

Our COVID-19 Recovery Action Plan aims to stabilise and strengthen children’s social care as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, so that we deliver well for children and young people and provide a strong foundation for longer-term reform, informed by the independent review of children’s social care.

25th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Children's social work workforce, published on 24 February 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of child social care provision in England.

The government works closely with local authorities to recognise and understand their workforce pressures, and to ensure that there are enough high-quality child and family social workers in the system.

The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England is increasing every year. On 30 September 2021, there were 32,500 FTE child and family social workers employed by local authorities in England. This is an increase of 2.0% compared to 2020, and an increase of 14.1% compared to 2017. The average social worker at a local authority in England held 16.3 cases in 2021, the same as in 2020, and down from 17.8 in 2017. 16.7% of social worker posts were vacant, up from 16.1% in 2020. This represents a total of 6,520 vacancies. However, there was considerable variation between regions – the North East had the lowest vacancy rate (8.7%), and London had the highest (23.5%). It is important to note that the 4,995 social worker who left their roles in 2021 includes all social workers who have moved between local authorities but are still working in children’s social care.

While we recognise the picture local authorities are seeing on the ground may vary from place to place, we are working closely with local authorities and using central programmes and funding to respond to their needs.

We are supporting the recruitment and retention of social workers through our investment in fast-track initial social worker training programmes, and in professional development programmes to improve leadership. We are also seeing some innovative practices from local authorities that are driving down agency rates and stabilising their workforces.

Our COVID-19 Recovery Action Plan aims to stabilise and strengthen children’s social care as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, so that we deliver well for children and young people and provide a strong foundation for longer-term reform, informed by the independent review of children’s social care.

2nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an online portal to allow headteachers to alert (a) his Department, (b) the Children's Commissioner for England and (c) other relevant authorities about missing or absent pupils where schools have safeguarding concerns.

Safeguarding of children and young people is the statutory responsibility of local partners, including schools, the local authority, police and health. There are already clear responsibilities and arrangements in place for schools to notify the local authority of pupils who are not attending school or where there are safeguarding concerns. The statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education, sets out this process along with the role of each school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead in coordinating and making referrals to children’s social care and the police as appropriate. These clear, statutory responsibilities, alongside our commitment to introduce a local authority registration system for children not in school, mean that an online portal is not required at this time.

27th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice review will be published.

The department is currently conducting a major review of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system. In the first three months of this year the department will launch a consultation on our proposals. The department will need to consider the outcome of the consultation to determine whether any legislative changes are required in relation to any parts of the SEND system.

The SEND Code of Practice is statutory guidance about the exercise of SEND functions under Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The department will therefore be consulting on updating the Code as part of delivering a reformed SEND system.

27th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress his Department has made on reviewing the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

The department is currently conducting a major review of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system. In the first three months of this year the department will launch a consultation on our proposals. The department will need to consider the outcome of the consultation to determine whether any legislative changes are required in relation to any parts of the SEND system.

The SEND Code of Practice is statutory guidance about the exercise of SEND functions under Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The department will therefore be consulting on updating the Code as part of delivering a reformed SEND system.

24th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps has his Department taken to support the teaching of religious education in schools.

The government firmly believes in the importance of good quality religious education (RE) as it is essential in developing children’s knowledge of British values and traditions, and those of other countries. It is a compulsory subject for all state-funded schools, including academies, for all pupils up to the age of 18.

The department supports the teaching of RE in several ways, including through central funding, curriculum support and teacher training.

Each local authority is required by law to establish a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE), and department funding is provided via the central schools services block of the national funding formula. We do not specify what proportion of funding is allocated to specific services, but it is expected that some is allocated by local authorities to their SACRE-related activity. The responsibilities of each SACRE include:

  • advising the local authority on all aspects of its provision for RE in its schools
  • advising on matters relating to training for teachers in RE and collective worship
  • developing ways of supporting schools in the delivery of locally agreed RE syllabuses and monitoring its delivery

In relation to the curriculum, Oak National Academy, funded by the department, provides lesson plans, teaching materials and curriculum maps for RE for key stages 1 to 4. Further information is available here: www.thenational.academy.

In relation to teacher training, subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses may be appropriate in cases where a Schools Direct lead school or an initial teacher training provider identifies applicants who have the potential to become outstanding teachers but who need to increase their subject knowledge in a range of subjects, including an 8 week religious education course. Further information is available here: www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction.

The 8 week SKE can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis, and it must be completed before qualified teacher status can be recommended and awarded.

10th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carry out local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections. Inspectors will look for evidence of how children and young people with SEND are identified, how their needs are assessed and met, and how they are supported to move on to their next stage of education, the world of work and wider preparation for adulthood.

Slough had a local area SEND inspection between 27 September 2021 and 1 October 2021 and are required to produce a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) to improve in 7 areas of significant weakness, which is concerning. Slough are required to send their proposed WSoA within 70 working days of receiving their Ofsted SEND report (due 18 February 2022), and Ofsted will decide if it is acceptable. The department and NHS England advisers are providing support and challenge to Slough in their producing of the WSoA.

Across the south-east of England, there are 10 local areas that were not required to produce a WSoA following an Ofsted inspection. There are 2 local areas that have an active WSoA, and 3 local areas that have an active Accelerated Progress Plan and are making good progress against their individual plans. One local area has an inspection pending, and one was inspected in December and awaits the inspection report.

24th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the financial impact of interest-bearing student loans on Muslim students.

The government undertook an assessment of the impact of interest-bearing loans on Muslim students in the impact assessment for the Higher Education and Research Act, which was published in December 2017, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-and-research-act-impact-assessments.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
24th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of increasing student loan contributions for graduates on the accessibility of higher education for people from lower-income backgrounds.

The student loan system in England removes financial barriers for those hoping to study higher education courses, while sharing its costs between learners and the general taxpayer.

In 2020, record rates of English 18-year-old state school students who were in receipt of free school meals at age 15 were accepted on full time university courses (up 1.4 percentage points to 20.3%). These students were 74% more likely to go to university in 2020 than in 2009.

After finishing study, monthly student loan repayments are linked to income, not to interest rates or the amount borrowed. This protects lower earners, and any outstanding debt is written off after 30 years at no detriment to individual borrowers.

As part of the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding we are carefully considering a range of options to ensure that student finance continues to deliver value for money for both students and the taxpayer. The interim conclusion of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and we will conclude the review in full in due course.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
24th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will carry out an impact assessment of potential increases to student loans contributions on graduates’ standard of living.

I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer I gave on 22 November 2021 to Question 74983.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has been made on implementing the Takaful fund for student finance.

I refer the hon. Members for Luton North and Slough to the answer I gave on 21 September 2021 to Question 49129.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support early career science teachers whose training was disrupted by the covid-19 outbreak.

The department is creating a world-class teacher development system by transforming the training and support teachers and head teachers receive at every stage of their career. We are investing an unprecedented amount of funding to improve the quality and delivery of professional development for teachers giving us a significant opportunity to impact pupil outcomes.

The department acknowledges the disruption to teacher training for early career science teachers, indeed for all teachers, during the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why we ensured that Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees and their tutors were designated as critical workers at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. We encouraged schools to host ITT trainees throughout the national lockdowns and beyond to provide as many trainees as possible with a varied training experience in schools.

The sector coordinated examples from ITT providers of flexible and innovative approaches to placements, which were shared through sector channels. Those trainees whose courses were severely disrupted and needed extra time to qualify were given government funded course extensions, allowing them the opportunity to achieve Qualified Teacher Status.

As part of the education recovery plan announced in June 2021, we secured over £250 million of additional funding to provide 500,000 world-leading training opportunities for teachers and leaders, wherever they are in their career. The package includes £69 million to extend the rollout of the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms to meet far higher than expected demand for the programme. The ECF reforms are transforming support for early career teachers, introducing the most significant reform to teaching since it became a graduate only profession.

The department is investing over £130 million a year to ensure that all new teachers have access to a fully funded entitlement to an extended two-year induction to the profession. The structured package of support is linked to the best available research evidence, alongside funded time off timetable in the second year of teaching and support for mentors.

The ECF was designed in consultation with the education sector and covers five core areas: behaviour management, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and professional behaviours, and is designed to work for all early career teachers regardless of their subject, phase or school. The lead providers delivering the programme have ensured that there are materials and exemplification to cover a range of subjects, including science.

More widely we are committed to gathering evidence about the implementation and impact of the ECF, to ensure that it continues to provide the best support for new teachers entering the profession. Therefore, we are working with the Education Endowment Foundation to design a comprehensive package of evaluation activity which will ensure the reforms remain relevant, up to date and open to all.

We are committed to ensuring that all schools have access to highly skilled teachers. The department funds a package of programmes to support subject-specific professional development for science teachers. These include the network of Science Learning Partnerships delivering local continuing professional development (CPD) and support to increase the take up of triple science and Project Enthuse which provides bursaries for teachers to participate in CPD.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support subject-specific professional development for science teachers.

We are committed to ensuring that all schools have access to highly skilled teachers. The department funds a package of programmes to support subject-specific professional development for science teachers. These include the network of Science Learning Partnerships delivering local continuous professional development (CPD) and support to increase the take up of triple science, Project Enthuse which provides bursaries for teachers to participate in CPD, the Isaac Physics programme which offers support and activities in physics problem-solving to teachers and students studying GCSE and A level physics, and the Stimulating Physics Network to improve the take up of physics. In addition, we also recently announced our levelling-up premium which offers incentives of up to £3,000 to recruit the best teachers across the country.

The department is providing every early career teacher access to free, high-quality training and support underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF was designed in consultation with the education sector and is designed to work for all early career teachers regardless of their subject, phase or context.

The training providers delivering these programmes will build on the curriculum knowledge embedded in the Initial Teacher Training core content framework and have ensured that content includes materials and exemplification that is applicable to all teachers to help them deliver high quality curriculum content.

Building on this, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are designed to help the teaching profession hone and develop the skills they already have, helping them to become more effective teachers and leaders inside and outside the classroom. The department is committed to ensuring that NPQs offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders wanting to expand their knowledge and skills.

The department will be introducing a reformed suite of NPQs from Autumn 2021. All teachers and school leaders in state funded schools and 16-19 organisations are able to access this new fully funded suite of qualifications. Each qualification continues to build on embedding excellence in curriculum design and delivery.

15th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish its plans for alternative student finance for students whose religion prohibits them from taking out a student loan payment.

The government has been considering Alternative Student Finance carefully, alongside its other priorities, as it concludes the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding and responds to the detailed recommendations of the independent panel chaired by Sir Philip Augar.

We will provide an update on this matter when we conclude the Post-18 Review.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
24th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's announcement that schools in the United Kingdom will be encouraged to celebrate One Britain One Nation Day on 25 June 2021, what assessment he has made of potential difficulties of implementing that announcement given that (a) Northern Ireland is not located in Great Britain and (b) many schools in Scotland will be closed for the summer holidays on that day.

The Department is supportive of One Britain One Nation’s broad aims to help children learn about equality, kindness and pride. The Government believes in the importance of these shared values which are taught and reinforced every day in schools across the UK.

Participation, and the nature of it, is a matter for schools.

11th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment they have made of the potential (a) threats and (b) opportunities of artificial intelligence in respect of their Department’s responsibilities.

Guidance for public sector organisations on how to use automated or algorithmic decision-making systems in a safe, sustainable and ethical way is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ethics-transparency-and-accountability-framework-for-automated-decision-making.

The Government Automation Taskforce, with the Government Digital Service and the Office for Artificial Intelligence (AI), have developed a 7-point framework to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI and intelligent automation across the public sector: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ethics-transparency-and-accountability-framework-for-automated-decision-making/ethics-transparency-and-accountability-framework-for-automated-decision-making. It builds on existing Government and third-party guidance and legislation.

This framework is intended to significantly reduce the likelihood of an algorithmic or automated decision-making related incident. It should help to build trust, send clear intent and progress the Government’s effort to ensure the safe and ethical use of algorithms and automated systems.

The Department uses elements of automation, robotics and machine-learning, although much of the work remains experimental. The majority of automation that has been developed is for internal use. It is aimed at improving our operational processes across the Department and not to aid implementation of policies.

10th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, to what extent their Department makes use of artificial intelligence in the implementation of its policies; and how much was spent from their Department’s budget on artificial intelligence in each of the last three years.

The Department uses elements of automation, robotics, and machine learning, although much of the work remains experimental. Most of the automation that has been developed is for internal use and is aimed at improving operational processes across the Department, not directly to aid implementation of policies. Automation and robotics work is used to reduce the administrative burden brought about from back office processes and the processes involved in exchanging data and information with providers, employers, and other Government Departments. Machine learning is used as a technique to inform an evidence base. Neither our robotics, automation, or machine learning work are used in isolation to make decisions and do not drive decisions or actions directly or in an automated fashion.

9th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support teachers to deal with instances of sexual abuse in the classroom.

The Department is updating statutory guidance for Keeping Children Safe in Education for this September, ensuring schools have even clearer guidance on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse.

The Department has already introduced the new compulsory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum, and from next term we expect the RSHE curriculum to be implemented in full and have asked head teachers to dedicate time from inset days to consider how best to do this.

The Department will also be investing additional money to further test the impact of support and supervision models for designated safeguarding leads in up to 500 more schools.

20th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of primary school children’s water safety education in the context of school and leisure centre closures during the covid-19 outbreak.

Water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the curriculum for Physical Education at primary school. The Department has discussed the ‘Impact of Coronavirus on school swimming and water safety’ report with Swim England. We recognise that children have missed out on opportunities to learn to swim due to COVID-19 restrictions and we are working closely with Swim England and other swimming and water safety organisations to support pupils returning safely to swimming and promoting water safety education.

This includes an additional £10.1 million to improve use of school sport facilities, including swimming pools. Water safety education is a priority for the summer period to enable children to know how to be safe and in around water. This is why the Department has made new virtual water safety lessons available through Oak National Academy and will support the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week 2021.

19th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of Swim England’s recent findings that a quarter of a million children are unable to swim the length of a standard swimming pool on water safety risks on rivers and lakes over the summer period.

Water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the curriculum for Physical Education at primary school. The Department has discussed the ‘Impact of Coronavirus on school swimming and water safety’ report with Swim England. We recognise that children have missed out on opportunities to learn to swim due to COVID-19 restrictions and we are working closely with Swim England and other swimming and water safety organisations to support pupils returning safely to swimming and promoting water safety education.

This includes an additional £10.1 million to improve use of school sport facilities, including swimming pools. Water safety education is a priority for the summer period to enable children to know how to be safe and in around water. This is why the Department has made new virtual water safety lessons available through Oak National Academy and will support the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week 2021.

18th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to ensure that children who have missed out on swimming lessons as a result of school and leisure centre closures are able to learn about water safety.

Water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the curriculum for Physical Education at primary school. The Department has worked with Oak National Academy and swimming and water safety organisations to make virtual lessons on water safety available to all schools.

The Department is also working with the Royal Life Saving Society UK to continue to support the Drowning Prevention Week in June 2021 in order for as many schools as possible to have access to these water safety resources.

13th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with academy schools charging parents for school meals (a) over period where schools were closed as a result of covid-19 restrictions and (b) at increased rates while schools were open compared with pre-pandemic rates.

Schools are responsible for setting the prices at which they charge parents for the provision of school meals. This must, however, be within the parameters set under the law.

State-funded schools, including all academies apart from 16-19 academies, must provide meals for all registered pupils upon request and meals must be provided free of charge for those who meet the entitlement conditions for free school meals.

Where schools charge for meals, the prices they charge should not exceed the costs they have incurred in providing those meals.

If parents or pupils at a school feel they are being charged unfairly, they should contact the school at first instance and follow the steps in the school’s complaints procedure. If, having done this, they feel that their complaint was not dealt with correctly, they can ask the Department for Education to consider their complaint using the following link: https://form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education.

12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to help ensure that no maintained nursery school closes in Slough constituency as a result of reductions in the Maintained Nursery School supplementary funding; and what steps he is taking to provide financial support to maintained nursery schools at risk of closure.

Maintained nursery schools (MNSs) are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services, especially in disadvantaged areas. This government remains committed to the long-term funding of MNSs. Early years providers, including MNSs, have continued to receive early education entitlements funding during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For the financial year 2021-22, we have increased the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 8p an hour for the two-year-old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 6p an hour for the three- and four-year-old entitlement. This funding rate increase is paid for all the hours of childcare delivered by all types of providers in the local authority’s area, including MNSs. In addition to the hourly funding rate