Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Government 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• The biggest vaccination programme we have ever undertaken.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The information requested on spend is not held centrally.

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

The information requested on spend is not held centrally.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Government 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Machine Learning projects are being

(i) undertaken:

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

(ii) considered:

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

The 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 increase, we have also re-confirmed circa £60 million, nationally, in supplementary funding for MNSs for the financial year 2021-22, to allow local authorities to preserve MNS funding levels.

Details of funding paid to local authorities can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2021-2022.

The supplementary funding is demand-led, so the amount of funding local authorities will receive will follow the number of three- and four-year-olds taking up the universal 15 hours at MNSs in their area.

There is a presumption against the closure of maintained nursery schools, and any alternative provision must be of equal quality, preserve expertise and be more accessible for parents. The guidance that sets this out can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/851585/Opening_and_closing_maintained_schools1012.pdf.

This does not mean that MNSs can never close, and it is important to note that this decision is for a local authority to take, but it means that there are safeguards in place where closure cannot be avoided.

Like private nurseries, MNSs typically rely on private income for a proportion of their income, unlike most state-funded schools. Therefore, we have ensured that access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is also available to MNSs, in line with published guidance. On 3 March 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that the CJRS will be extended until the end of September 2021. As long as the staff meet the other criteria for the scheme, schools and early years providers are able to furlough their staff if they have experienced a drop in either their income from parents or government. MNSs were also able to access free school meals vouchers via Edenred.

The Department continues to work closely with other government departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as stakeholders across the sector. We continue to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to continue to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.

The Department has recently published updated guidance to support the full opening to education from 8 March, which includes updated advice on face coverings. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964351/Schools_coronavirus_operational_guidance.pdf.

As the guidance outlines, where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by adults, pupils and students when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

In addition, from 8 March, we now also recommend that in schools and colleges where pupils and students in year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms unless social distancing can be maintained.

In primary schools, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and adult visitors in situations where social distancing between adults is not possible (for example, when moving around in corridors and communal areas). Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.

Some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This includes people who cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate. The same legal exemptions that apply to the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport also apply in education settings.

Transparent face coverings, which may assist communication with someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expression to communicate, can also be worn. There is currently very limited evidence regarding the effectiveness or safety of transparent face coverings, but they may be effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The Department is recommending these precautionary measures for a limited time during this period of high COVID-19 prevalence in the community. These measures will be in place until Easter, and as with all measures, we will keep this under close review.

Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The speed and convenience of the tests supports the detection of the virus in asymptomatic individuals, who would not otherwise have been tested. LFD tests are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and are highly specific, with a low chance of false positive test results. They are also very sensitive and able to identify the majority of the most infectious yet asymptomatic individuals. These tests are an additional layer of health protection in addition to hand washing, face covering and social distancing.

For students, they will need to be tested 3 times at an onsite asymptomatic testing site, upon their return to school or college. The Department is aware that LFD tests are more effective when individuals are used to swabbing so this will give students the opportunity to become used to swabbing in a supervised environment first. They will then be provided with home test kits for twice weekly testing.

Test kits are being delivered to secondary schools and colleges from 24 February 2021. There will be a sufficient number of kits for the first 3 to 4 weeks of testing. Secondary schools and colleges will then automatically receive a re-stock of test at home kits between 8 March and 15 March so pupils can collect them after test 3. Schools can provide testing kits in 2 packs of 3, or 1 pack of 7 to each member of staff or student so that they are able to test twice a week.

Students aged 18 and over should self-test and report the result, with assistance if needed. Students aged between 12 and 17 should self-test and report with adult supervision. The adult may conduct the test if necessary. When testing at home, children aged 11 who attend a secondary school, should be tested by an adult.

From 15 March onwards there will be a reordering process for schools and colleges to receive more test stock. It will be the responsibility of the school or college to manage test stock and reordering, as well as exercising appropriate oversight and governance of the testing programme.

The Department has delivered over 70,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home and continues to deliver them where children require remote education. More information on the number of routers delivered can be found by clicking on the ‘download associated files’ link here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data. Data for these routers is also being funded by the Department until the end of July 2021, to align with the end of the academic year.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families, which will support access to educational resources. Families will benefit from this additional data until July 2021, and schools are able to request free mobile data uplifts via the Get Help with Technology service: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/.

The Department has delivered over 70,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home and continues to deliver them where children require remote education. More information on the number of routers delivered can be found by clicking on the ‘download associated files’ link here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data. Data for these routers is also being funded by the Department until the end of July 2021, to align with the end of the academic year.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families, which will support access to educational resources. Families will benefit from this additional data until July 2021, and schools are able to request free mobile data uplifts via the Get Help with Technology service: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have issued guidance for all schools and colleges including specialists settings, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and-other-specialist-settings. Our guidance sets out how schools can best support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The department has worked closely with stakeholders, including the Council for Disabled Children, Contact, Nasen and the National Network of Parent Carer Forums in developing this guidance.

The department regularly signposts guidance, announcements and publications that are relevant to children and young people with SEND, including through email alerts to key stakeholders such as commissioners, providers, and voluntary and community sector organisations. This has included issuing several ministerial open letters to families and stakeholders.

We have also announced over £42 million to continue funding projects in the 2021-22 financial year to support children and young people with SEND. This includes investment to continue strengthening participation of parents and young people in the SEND system, ensuring they have a voice in designing policies and services and have access to high quality information, advice, and support.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

As of Monday 15 February, over one million laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers. This includes over 490,000 laptops and tablets delivered since the 4th January 2021. We are making further deliveries all the time and expect to achieve our overall commitment of delivering 1.3 million devices by the end of the spring term.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 60,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

A number of these laptops, tablets and routers have been delivered to Slough local authority and academy trusts in Slough, details of which are available through this link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-7.

Where pupils continue to experience barriers to digital remote education, we expect schools to work to overcome these barriers. This could include distributing school-owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education, such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils and students on track or answer questions about work.

Guidance, resources and support for teachers and school leaders on educating pupils and students during the current COVID-19 restrictions are available on the get help with remote education page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education.

We know this is a challenging time for parents, carers, and children and that many parents and carers are balancing various responsibilities while supporting their children with education at home. We have published information for parents and carers on remote education and how they can best support their child while learning from home, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19?priority-taxon=b350e61d-1db9-4cc2-bb44-fab02882ac25. This includes resources and advice to help parents and carers on how to establish a routine with their child, and how best to support mental health and wellbeing during this period.

Some pupils and students who have difficulty engaging in remote education may be considered to be vulnerable children and young people and therefore eligible to attend provision. It is up to the child or young person’s education provider or local authority to make this decision. The decision would be based on the needs of the child or young person and their family, and a range of other factors as set out in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people. Lack of access to a device and/or the internet in itself does not automatically mean that the child is vulnerable.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

As of Monday 15 February, over one million laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers. This includes over 490,000 laptops and tablets delivered since the 4th January 2021. We are making further deliveries all the time and expect to achieve our overall commitment of delivering 1.3 million devices by the end of the spring term.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 60,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

A number of these laptops, tablets and routers have been delivered to Slough local authority and academy trusts in Slough, details of which are available through this link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-7.

Where pupils continue to experience barriers to digital remote education, we expect schools to work to overcome these barriers. This could include distributing school-owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education, such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils and students on track or answer questions about work.

Guidance, resources and support for teachers and school leaders on educating pupils and students during the current COVID-19 restrictions are available on the get help with remote education page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education.

We know this is a challenging time for parents, carers, and children and that many parents and carers are balancing various responsibilities while supporting their children with education at home. We have published information for parents and carers on remote education and how they can best support their child while learning from home, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19?priority-taxon=b350e61d-1db9-4cc2-bb44-fab02882ac25. This includes resources and advice to help parents and carers on how to establish a routine with their child, and how best to support mental health and wellbeing during this period.

Some pupils and students who have difficulty engaging in remote education may be considered to be vulnerable children and young people and therefore eligible to attend provision. It is up to the child or young person’s education provider or local authority to make this decision. The decision would be based on the needs of the child or young person and their family, and a range of other factors as set out in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people. Lack of access to a device and/or the internet in itself does not automatically mean that the child is vulnerable.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

As of Monday 15 February, over one million laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers. This includes over 490,000 laptops and tablets delivered since the 4th January 2021. We are making further deliveries all the time and expect to achieve our overall commitment of delivering 1.3 million devices by the end of the spring term.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 60,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

A number of these laptops, tablets and routers have been delivered to Slough local authority and academy trusts in Slough, details of which are available through this link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-7.

Where pupils continue to experience barriers to digital remote education, we expect schools to work to overcome these barriers. This could include distributing school-owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education, such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils and students on track or answer questions about work.

Guidance, resources and support for teachers and school leaders on educating pupils and students during the current COVID-19 restrictions are available on the get help with remote education page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education.

We know this is a challenging time for parents, carers, and children and that many parents and carers are balancing various responsibilities while supporting their children with education at home. We have published information for parents and carers on remote education and how they can best support their child while learning from home, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19?priority-taxon=b350e61d-1db9-4cc2-bb44-fab02882ac25. This includes resources and advice to help parents and carers on how to establish a routine with their child, and how best to support mental health and wellbeing during this period.

Some pupils and students who have difficulty engaging in remote education may be considered to be vulnerable children and young people and therefore eligible to attend provision. It is up to the child or young person’s education provider or local authority to make this decision. The decision would be based on the needs of the child or young person and their family, and a range of other factors as set out in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people. Lack of access to a device and/or the internet in itself does not automatically mean that the child is vulnerable.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

As of Monday 15 February, over one million laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers. This includes over 490,000 laptops and tablets delivered since the 4th January 2021. We are making further deliveries all the time and expect to achieve our overall commitment of delivering 1.3 million devices by the end of the spring term.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 60,000 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

A number of these laptops, tablets and routers have been delivered to Slough local authority and academy trusts in Slough, details of which are available through this link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-7.

Where pupils continue to experience barriers to digital remote education, we expect schools to work to overcome these barriers. This could include distributing school-owned laptops or supplementing digital provision with different forms of remote education, such as printed resources or textbooks. This should be supplemented with other forms of communication to keep pupils and students on track or answer questions about work.

Guidance, resources and support for teachers and school leaders on educating pupils and students during the current COVID-19 restrictions are available on the get help with remote education page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education.

We know this is a challenging time for parents, carers, and children and that many parents and carers are balancing various responsibilities while supporting their children with education at home. We have published information for parents and carers on remote education and how they can best support their child while learning from home, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19?priority-taxon=b350e61d-1db9-4cc2-bb44-fab02882ac25. This includes resources and advice to help parents and carers on how to establish a routine with their child, and how best to support mental health and wellbeing during this period.

Some pupils and students who have difficulty engaging in remote education may be considered to be vulnerable children and young people and therefore eligible to attend provision. It is up to the child or young person’s education provider or local authority to make this decision. The decision would be based on the needs of the child or young person and their family, and a range of other factors as set out in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#vulnerable-children-and-young-people. Lack of access to a device and/or the internet in itself does not automatically mean that the child is vulnerable.

The Department continue to expect all primary schools, secondary schools, and further education (FE) institutions in England to provide remote education for the majority of their pupils and students.

The Government is providing over £400 million to support remote education and online social care, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This includes over one million laptops and tablets that were delivered to schools, FE institutions, academy trusts and local authorities by 15 February 2021. More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-7.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has also made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20, and then for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11.

All four major mobile network operators, Vodafone, O2, Three and EE, have also committed to working together to make access to Oak National Academy free for school children. The Department is grateful to BT and EE, who have made access to BBC Bitesize resources free from the end of January 2021.

The BBC has adapted their education support for the 2021 spring term and is making educational content available on the television. This helps to ensure all children and young people can access curriculum based learning from home, even if they do not have access to the internet.

The Department is aware that this is a challenging time for parents, carers, and children and that many parents and carers are balancing various responsibilities while supporting their children with education at home.

The Department has published information for parents and carers on remote education and how they can best support their child while being taught from home. This includes resources and advice to help parents and carers on how to establish a routine with their child, and how best to support mental health and wellbeing during this period. The published information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19?priority-taxon=b350e61d-1db9-4cc2-bb44-fab02882ac25.

Parents and carers should not feel that they need to set work and/or are required to purchase educational resources for their child. If parents or carers feel they need further support or additional materials for their children, they are encouraged to discuss this with their school or FE institution first.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. The Government is providing this significant injection of laptops and tablets on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, academy trusts, local authorities and further education providers.

Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, academy trusts, local authorities or further education providers who can lend these to the children and young people who need them most, during the current COVID-19 restrictions.

We have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.

We are grateful to EE, Lycamobile, O2, Sky Mobile, Smarty, Tesco Mobile, Three, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile and Vodafone for supporting the mobile data offer. We are currently engaged with additional mobile network operators and continue to invite a range of mobile network providers to support the offer.

Keeping children and staff safe is our utmost priority. The department has published ‘Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’ guidance and ‘Education and childcare settings: national lockdown from 5 January 2021’ guidance for early years settings to follow, which can be accessed via these links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/958670/Education_and_childcare_settings_national_lockdown_from_5_January_2021.pdf.

The public health advice in the guidance includes a Public Health England-endorsed system of controls, building on the hierarchy of protective measures that have been in use throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. When implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, these measures create an environment where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced for children and staff.

The system of controls provides a set of principles that, when followed, will effectively minimise risks. All elements of the system of controls are essential. All settings must cover them all, but the way different settings implement some of the requirements will differ based on their individual circumstances.

Setting leaders will be best placed to understand the needs of their settings and communities, and to make informed judgments about how to balance delivering high quality care and education with the measures needed to manage risk.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online, as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home to support online learning.

As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.

More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.

The Department has been investigating an issue with malware that was found on a small number of the laptops provided to schools. In all known cases, the malware was detected and removed at the point schools first turned the devices on.

The Department takes online safety and security extremely seriously and any schools that have concerns about devices should contact the support desk at https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online, as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home to support online learning.

As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.

More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.

The Department has been investigating an issue with malware that was found on a small number of the laptops provided to schools. In all known cases, the malware was detected and removed at the point schools first turned the devices on.

The Department takes online safety and security extremely seriously and any schools that have concerns about devices should contact the support desk at https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online, as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home to support online learning.

As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.

More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.

The Department has been investigating an issue with malware that was found on a small number of the laptops provided to schools. In all known cases, the malware was detected and removed at the point schools first turned the devices on.

The Department takes online safety and security extremely seriously and any schools that have concerns about devices should contact the support desk at https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the outbreak.

The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online, as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home to support online learning.

As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.

More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.

The Department has been investigating an issue with malware that was found on a small number of the laptops provided to schools. In all known cases, the malware was detected and removed at the point schools first turned the devices on.

The Department takes online safety and security extremely seriously and any schools that have concerns about devices should contact the support desk at https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk.

During this period of national lockdown, primary schools, secondary schools, further education (FE) colleges, alternative provision and special settings will remain open to vulnerable children and young people, including those with education, health and care plans (EHCPs).

Where, for any reason, it is not possible for a child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – including children both with an EHCP and those who are supported through SEND support – to attend their education setting during this period, they should receive remote education and support. The legal duty on schools and FE colleges to use their best endeavours to meet the special educational needs of their pupils and students, including those supported through SEND support, remains unchanged, whether they are attending school or FE college or are at home for any period.

To support remote learning, the department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy, both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20, and then for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to year 11. This includes specialist content for pupils with SEND, along with therapy-based lessons and resources across occupational therapy, physical therapy, sensory therapy and speech and language therapy. A link to the Oak National Academy’s specialist resources can be found here: https://classroom.thenational.academy/specialist.

To support schools to make up for lost learning time, the department has also provided a £1 billion package of support. This includes a £650 million catch up premium directly allocated to schools, with additional weighting for specialist settings, recognising the significantly higher per-pupil costs that they face. The package also includes a £350 million National Tutoring Programme, which will increase access to high-quality tuition for disadvantaged pupils, helping to accelerate their academic progress and tackling the attainment gap between them and their peers.

To specifically support children and young people with autism, the department has funded the Autism Education Trust (AET) since 2011 to deliver autism awareness training to staff in early years settings, schools and colleges. To date, the AET has trained more than 287,000 people – promoting a whole-school approach to support for pupils with autism. Resources and training via the AET have been available throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.

We know that the COVID-19 outbreak and the associated measures and restrictions, such as social distancing and school closures, will be impacting on the mental wellbeing of many people, including children and young people. The government has made pupil wellbeing and mental health a central part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the support we have already put in place for schools will be critical during this time.

We have ensured that schools have the flexibility to offer a place in school as a vulnerable child to any pupils for whom being in school will help them to manage their mental health or to access support more easily. Decisions will be informed by the school’s experience of how pupils have been affected so far.

Schools will also continue to offer pastoral support to pupils working remotely at home, informed and supported by training and expert advice that we have made available, including through the £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return scheme. Wellbeing for Education Return is an initiative led by the Department for Education alongside the Department for Health and Social Care, Health Education England, Public Health England and key voluntary sector organisations. Wellbeing for Education Return has trained local experts to provide additional advice and resources for schools and further education (FE) providers to help support the wellbeing, resilience and recovery of pupils, students, parents and carers and staff in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.

Slough Borough Council received Wellbeing for Education Return funding of £22,850 on 30 September 2020 to fund local mental health experts in the 2020-21 financial year. Across the whole of England, over 85% of local authority areas reported that they are delivering additional training and support into local schools and FE providers because of the Wellbeing for Education Return funding.

Nationally, our information indicates that more than 15,000 education settings are being offered this additional training and support. The information and support made available through Wellbeing for Education Return is relevant to remote provision as well as to those attending school.

Schools should make sure that parents and pupils know who to contact if they have new concerns about mental health and wellbeing, and that they understand what pastoral support is available. This is backed up by guidance that the department has issued for schools, which includes information and sources of further advice on supporting mental health and wellbeing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

We have also put in place a £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package, with £650 million shared across early years, schools and 16-19 providers over the 2020-21 academic year to support education settings to put the right catch-up and pastoral support in place. The Education Endowment Foundation have published a COVID-19 support guide to support schools to direct this funding, which includes further information about interventions to support pupils’ mental health and wellbeing.

Whole-school approaches will include the new requirement for schools to teach about mental wellbeing as part of relationship, sex and health education (RSHE). The department is committed to supporting all schools in their preparations to teach RSHE, and has developed an online service featuring innovative training materials and an implementation guide. This support will cover all of the teaching requirements in the statutory guidance and will be inclusive of all pupils. We prioritised the production of the training module covering mental wellbeing, so that it was available before the end of the summer term last year: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-mental-wellbeing.

To expand access to mental health support for children and young people with emerging mental health issues, we have committed to establishing new Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) in 20% to 25% of the country by 2023, as part of the additional support for children and young people’s mental health in the NHS Long Term Plan. MHSTs have been created to strengthen existing mental health support in education settings and to provide early intervention on mild to moderate challenges to mental health as well as helping staff within a school or college setting to provide a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. Where already established, MHSTs are adapting their services to continue supporting children and young people remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For those that need specialist support, the government continues to invest in and prioritise mental health. The NHS will receive around an additional £500 million this year to address waiting times for mental health services, give more people the mental health support they need and invest in the NHS workforce. The department will also be convening a task force to look at the effects on children, young people and staff in the education system and we will confirm the next steps as soon as possible.

The Government remains clear that exams are the fairest method to assess students. We know that students and teachers will be working hard in preparation for exams or assessments in 2022, and we will make sure that the interests of students are at the centre of our considerations. It is important that students in this cohort are able to get a grade safely and fairly. We will continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 on all students to ensure that those due to take exams in 2022 are supported to move to the next stage of their lives fairly.

To support students to catch up with their education, the Government has announced a catch-up package worth £1 billion to support children and young people. This includes a catch-up premium worth £650 million and a £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. We have also announced that we will provide a further programme of catch-up over the next financial year. This will involve a further £300 million for early years, schools and providers of 16-19 further education for tutoring. We will work in collaboration with the education sector to develop, as appropriate, specific initiatives for summer schools and a COVID-19 Premium to support catch up.

Where pupils with hearing impairment are not in school, we expect schools to provide suitable remote learning materials, consistent with the Children and Families Act 2014. Schools and other institutions must use their best endeavours to secure the provision called for by the pupil’s or student’s needs.

Our published guidance is clear that schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND, which will include those with hearing impairment, can successfully access remote education alongside their peers. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak. To help support this, a one-off universal £650 million catch up premium for the 2020/2021 academic year to ensure that schools have the support they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time. Schools can use their funding in a way that suits their cohort and circumstances. The department is also, for the 2020/2021 academic year, providing laptops and tablets to schools to help children and families in need to access remote education during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We are continuing to provide local authorities with their high needs funding allocations, which provide for children with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with hearing impairments. These allocations include an additional £730 million in the 2021-22 financial year, on top of the additional £780 million we provided in the 2020-21 financial year. In the 2021-22 financial year, Slough will receive £28.3 million of high needs funding, an 8% increase per head of the 2-18 population compared to the 2020-21 financial year.

Last year, we announced an additional package worth £1 billion to ensure that schools have the resources they need to help all pupils make up for lost teaching time, with extra support for those who need it most. £650 million will be spent on ensuring all pupils have the chance to catch up and supporting schools to rise to the challenge. Each mainstream school will receive £80 per place, and each special, alternative provision and hospital school will receive £240 for each place, across the 2020/21 academic year. We have applied this additional weighting to specialist settings in recognition of the significantly higher per-pupil costs they face.

Where pupils are not in school, we expect schools to provide suitable remote learning materials, consistent with the Children and Families Act 2014. Schools and other institutions must use their best endeavours to secure the provision called for by the pupil’s or student’s needs.

Our published guidance is clear that schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND, which will include those with hearing impairment, can successfully access remote education alongside their peers.

We know there is, understandably, concern about free school meal support during the period that schools will be restricted from opening. Schools in Slough can decide how best to support eligible free school meal pupils who are at home. We have not had any direct queries regarding lunch parcels from parents of children in Slough.

We will provide extra funding to support schools to provide lunch parcels, or locally arranged vouchers. We have also re-opened the national voucher scheme from the week commencing 18 January 2021.

The photos of poor-quality lunch parcels shared on social media are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the high standard of free school meals we expect to be sent to children.

We expect a high standard of free school meals to be provided to eligible pupils. We are working with caterers to ensure that they meet the standards set and are delivering high quality lunches to pupils who are eligible for benefits related free school meals and who are at home during term time.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 4 January 2021 that early years settings remain open for all children during the national lockdown. Details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home.

Schools have been restricted because additional measures are needed to contain the spread of the virus. The wider significant restrictions in place as part of the national lockdown to contain the spread of the virus in the community enable us to continue prioritising keeping nurseries and childminders open, supporting parents and delivering the crucial care and education needed for our youngest children.

Early years settings remain low risk environments for children and staff. Current evidence suggests that pre-school children (0 to 5 years) are less susceptible to infection and are unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission. There is no evidence the new strain of the virus causes more serious illness in either children or adults and there is no evidence that the new variant of coronavirus disproportionately affects young children.

PHE advice remains that the risk of transmission and infection is low if early years settings follow the system of controls, which reduce risks and create inherently safer environments.

Early years settings have been open to all children since 1 June 2020 and there is no evidence that the early years sector has contributed to a rise in virus cases within the community. Early modelling evidence from SAGE showed that early years provision had a smaller relative impact on transmission rate when modelled with both primary schools and secondary schools.

Early years childcare providers were one of the first sectors to have restrictions lifted last summer, in recognition of the key role they play in society. Childminders and nursery staff across the country have worked hard to keep settings open through the COVID-19 outbreak so that young children can be educated, and parents can work. The earliest years are the most crucial point of child development and attending early education lays the foundation for lifelong learning and supports children’s social and emotional development. We continue to prioritise keeping early years settings open in full because of the clear benefits to children’s education and wellbeing and to support working parents. Caring for the youngest age group is not something that can be done remotely.

These plans are being kept under review in the light of emerging scientific evidence. We are working with the scientific community to understand the properties and dynamics of the new variant VUI-202012/01 in relation to children and young people.

The department has been working closely with local authorities to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, setting up dedicated regional teams that are in frequent contact. Bringing together expertise from across the department, these teams monitor the challenges local authorities are facing. Our London regional team is in close contact with Havering and will be assessing the situation for early years settings in the authority.

The Department for Education has worked collaboratively with Public Health England to develop a system of controls, which when implemented in line with a revised risk assessment, create an inherently safer environment where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced for children and staff.

Settings must comply with health and safety law, which requires them to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures.

Settings should thoroughly review their health and safety risk assessment and draw up plans on re-opening, in the event that they have to close. Settings should have active arrangements in place to monitor that the controls are effective, working as planned, and updated appropriately, for example when any issues are identified, or when there are changes in public health advice.

When conducting risk assessments, settings should ensure consideration is given to staff and children with protected characteristics from groups where a disparity has been shown by the review of disparities in risks and outcomes (for example, age and sex, where someone lives, deprivation, ethnicity and/or people’s occupation).

The department has published the ‘Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’ guidance, which provides details on the system of controls and how they work in practice. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

The department is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure rapid asymptomatic testing for all early years staff, to support my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement for early years settings to remain fully open.

Furthermore, regarding vaccinations, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.

Under the priority groups for the first phase of vaccine rollout, those over 50 years of age, and all those 16 years of age and over in a risk group, would be eligible for vaccination within the first phase of the programme. This prioritisation captures almost all preventable deaths from COVID-19.

Regarding the next phase of vaccine rollout, the JCVI have asked that the Department of Health and Social Care consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other government departments. The Department for Education will input into this cross governmental exercise.

On 2 December, the Department published guidance related to the return of students to higher education (HE) for the spring term: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses/students-returning-to-higher-education-from-spring-term.

The guidance sets out that all HE providers should offer asymptomatic mass testing to all students on their return. Improved access to asymptomatic testing for the initial return of students in the spring term provides further support to universities to manage the risk of transmission and take swift action to respond to any cases.

Universities have put a wide range of measures in place to make teaching and learning environments as safe as possible. We have not seen evidence of an increased transmission risk in these carefully managed teaching environments.

To help reduce the risk of transmission from mass movement we have advised that students return to university during a period staggered over five weeks. This will reduce the number of people travelling at once while balancing the importance of reducing disruption to education. The staggered return approach will also support testing capacity.

As I set out in a letter to MPs on 9 October and in a letter to Vice-Chancellors on 2 November, the government’s clear and stated expectation is that, whether providers are delivering face-to-face, online or blended provision, the quality and quantity of tuition, and accessibility for all students, is maintained. The OfS has made it clear that all higher education providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected. They have also set out that providers must continue to provide sufficient and appropriate facilities, learning resources and student support services to deliver a high-quality academic experience.

Higher education providers must continue to comply with their legal obligations under the Equality Act (2010), ensuring that education and learning is accessible to all students. When making changes to the delivery of their courses, higher education providers need to consider how to support all students, particularly the most vulnerable, to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes.

The OfS is taking very seriously the potential impacts of COVID-19 on teaching and learning and is regularly engaging with all registered providers. It is actively monitoring those providers which have moved provision predominantly online due to COVID-19 restrictions to ensure: that they maintain the quality of their provision, that it is accessible for all and that they have been clear in their communications with students about how arrangements for teaching and learning may change throughout the year. The OfS is also following up directly with providers where they receive notifications from students, parents or others raising concerns about the quality of teaching on offer and requiring providers to report to them when they are not able to deliver a course or award a qualification. If the OfS has concerns, it will investigate further.

The government is aware of the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 is having on some students. That is why the government has already worked closely with the OfS to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers can use the funding, worth around £256 million for the academic year 2020/21, starting from August, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment or connectivity services where students would not otherwise be able to secure these. On 2 December, we announced that the government will also be making available up to £20 million of hardship funding on a one-off basis to support those that need it most, particularly disadvantaged students.

Students have rights under consumer law that they may be able to rely on if they are dissatisfied with their provider’s response to COVID-19. In the first instance, students should speak to their provider to see if they can resolve their issue. We expect student complaints and appeals processes to be operated flexibly, accessibly, and sympathetically by providers to resolve any concerns. If a student at a provider in England or Wales is not satisfied with their provider’s final response, they can make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which has published guidance on this issue, available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students/.

The safety and wellbeing of staff and students in higher education is always our priority. The government is doing all it can to minimise the risks to those working and studying in our higher education institutions during this unprecedented situation, whilst mitigating the impact on education.

The government is committed to prioritising education and wants to enable all students, including those who have travelled home for the winter break, to return to university as safely as possible. On 2 December 2020 we published guidance on students returning to higher education for spring term, which sets out our plans for staggering the return of students over a 5-week period. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses/students-returning-to-higher-education-from-spring-term.

Universities have responded well to COVID-19 outbreaks and continue to learn lessons on how to minimise the risks and support students. Improved access to asymptomatic testing for the initial return of students in the spring term provides further support to universities to manage the risk of transmission and take swift action to respond to any cases.

I have also written to universities asking them to ensure that self-isolating students have a range of choices available for access to food and other essential supplies. This includes providing food to those that need it and facilitating deliveries that will not require students to leave the accommodation where they are self-isolating, thereby preventing the spread of COVID-19.

We strongly encourage students to take a test when they return to university, to help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, and keep themselves and others safe.

The Department does not operate any fleet vehicles for official use. All Ministers have access to the Government Car Service provided by the Department for Transport.

The Department appreciates the continued and significant efforts made by schools and their staff to keep schools open this term. Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and for their wellbeing and has rightly been a national priority. Latest figures show that over 99% of state-funded schools are open.

The Department published guidance to support schools to welcome back all children full time. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Schools have also continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20. This includes an additional £780 million this year and £730 million next year for high needs, taking total high needs funding to over £8 billion. As stated in our guidance, schools should use their existing resources, including these funding increases, when making arrangements to support children this term.

Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with school leaders and their representatives on a wide range of issues around COVID-19, including discussions in relation to costs faced by schools at this time.

The Department also recognises the great efforts made by further education (FE) colleges and their staff to keep colleges open this term, and the financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the sector. We have protected grant funding to the FE sector, worth over £3 billion, for a full year through paying scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year and paying allocations for 2020/21 in line with the national profile. This year, the Department has increased investment in education and training of 16-19 year olds by £400 million, including an increased base rate, and more funding for high cost and high value subjects. We have also brought forward £200 million of the £1.5 billion for capital funding in colleges. For other providers with Education, Skills and Funding Agency contracts, we set up a Provider Relief Scheme.

For colleges in significant financial difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place, including short-term emergency funding. The Department adapted and opened the College Collaboration Fund to support colleges to respond to current challenges, and we have announced the 20 colleges whose bids were successful on GOV.UK.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced an extensive and unprecedented package of support measures for businesses and employees. FE colleges can apply to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for non-grant-funded employees, which has been extended until March 2021.

The Department is working closely with colleges to monitor the financial impacts of COVID-19 and ensure that any colleges facing financial difficulties are able to access relevant support. Financial forecasts for the current year were submitted by colleges in July, and updated cashflow projections are due to be provided this month.

The Department appreciates the continued and significant efforts by schools and their staff to keep schools open this term. Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and wellbeing, and has rightly been a national priority. The latest published figures show that over 99% of state-funded schools are open. The Department published guidance to support schools to welcome back all children full-time. The guidance can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

On 27 November, the Department announced a new COVID-19 workforce fund for schools and colleges to help them remain open. It will fund the costs of teacher absences over a threshold in schools and colleges, for those with high staff absences that are also facing significant financial pressures. The fund will help schools and colleges to meet the cost of absences experienced during the period from the beginning of November until the end of this term. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-funding-to-support-schools-and-colleges-during-covid-pandemic.

Schools have also continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6 billion in the 2020-21 financial year, £4.8 billion in 2021-22, and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20. This includes an additional £780 million this year and £730 million next year for high needs, taking total high needs funding to over £8 billion.

As stated in our guidance, schools should use their existing resources, including these funding increases, when making arrangements to support children this term. Ministers and officials continue to engage regularly with school leaders and their representatives on a wide range of issues around COVID-19, including discussions in relation to costs faced by schools at this time. The Department will continue to review the pressures schools are facing into next term.

The Department appreciates the continued and significant efforts by further education (FE) colleges and all staff to keep colleges open this term. We recognise the financial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on FE colleges and have protected grant funding to the FE sector, worth over £3 billion for a full year, through paying scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019-20 financial year and paying allocations for 2020-21 in line with the national profile. This year, the Department has increased investment in education and training of 16 to 19 year olds by £400 million, including an increased base rate, and more funding for high cost and high value subjects. We have also brought forward £200 million of the £1.5 billion for capital funding in colleges. For other providers with contracts with the Education and Skills Funding Agency, we set up a Provider Relief Scheme.

For colleges in significant financial difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place, including short-term emergency funding. The Department has also adapted and opened the College Collaboration Fund to support colleges to respond to current challenges, and we have announced the 20 colleges whose bids were successful.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced an extensive and unprecedented package of support measures for businesses and employees. FE colleges can apply to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for non-grant-funded employees, which has been extended until March 2021.

The Department is working closely with colleges to monitor the financial impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure that any colleges facing financial difficulties are able to access relevant support. Financial forecasts for the current year were submitted by colleges in July, and updated cashflow projections are due to be provided this month.

The Department has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE) to publish guidance to support schools to welcome back all children from the start of the autumn term.

The guidance provides a framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for pupils and staff. These measures include regular handwashing, promoting good respiratory hygiene, and schools minimising contact between individuals.

Where schools implement the system of controls outlined in our guidance, in line with their own workplace risk assessment, PHE and DHSC confirm that these measures create an inherently safer environment for children and staff where the risk of transmission of infection is substantially reduced. It is therefore appropriate for teachers and other school staff to attend their workplace setting. This includes staff who are clinically vulnerable. School leaders should explain to staff the measures the school has put in place to reduce risks.

While the national restrictions introduced from 5 November are in force, school staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable (as opposed to clinically vulnerable) are advised to work from home and not to go into work. Individuals in this group will have been identified through a letter from the NHS or their GP and may have been advised to shield in the past. Staff in this group should talk to their employers about how they will be supported, including to work from home where possible, during the period of national restrictions. All other staff should continue to attend work, including those living in a household with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

The guidance for schools on full opening can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

The guidance on the new national restrictions can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020#schools.

We know that young people’s employment prospects in particular are expected to be disproportionately affected in the coming months. When a young person is not in education, employment or training (NEET) it is rarely temporary. When 18-24 year-olds are NEET for 3 months, three-quarters of them will stay NEET for at least a year.

That is why in July, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.6 billion of investment to scale up employment support schemes and training for people affected by Covid-19. This includes over £500 million in a package of support to ensure young people have the skills and training to go on to high quality, secure and fulfilling employment. This includes:

• A new payment of £2,000 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2021. Employers can start claiming for payments from 1 September.
• £111 million to triple the scale of traineeships: with three times more funding available to providers in 2020-21 to support 30,000 new places. We have also introduced – for the first time - payments of £1,000 per trainee for employers who offer new or additional work placements (up to 10 trainees).
• £101 million for a brand new offer to give 18 and 19-year-old school and college leavers the opportunity to study high value Level 2 and 3 courses when there are not employment opportunities available to them.
• £32 million over two years to help 269,000 more people receive advice from the National Careers Service.
• £17 million to triple the number of sector-based work academy programme placements in 2020/21, enough funding to support an extra 40,000 job seekers with additional training opportunities and the chance of a job.

It is also more crucial than ever before that we tap into the brilliant talent that our country has to offer, and make sure that university places are available to all who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them and who wish to do so.

We want parents to have access to a range of affordable childcare, giving them increased flexibility in their working hours and helping children thrive in the crucial early years. That is why the department is investing a planned £3.6 billion in our early education entitlements this year.

We offer parents a range of free early education entitlements for children aged 2 to 4 years old, giving them increased flexibility in their working hours and helping children thrive in the crucial early years. This includes 15 hours a week free childcare for 38 weeks of the year for all 3- and 4-year olds, with an additional 15 hours (30 hours free childcare) for working families. Working parents may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through Universal Credit Childcare. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children, payable in arrears.

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is available for children from 0-11 years old, or up to 16 if disabled. The TFC scheme means that for every £8 parents pay their provider via an online account, the government will pay £2. This is up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year (up to £500 every 3 months), or £4,000 if disabled.

The early years sector has received significant financial support throughout the coronavirus pandemic to provide stability and reassurance. We continue to provide extra security to nurseries and childminders that are open by ‘block-buying’ childcare places for the autumn term at the level we would have funded before the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of how many children are attending.

In addition, temporary measures have been put in place to protect parents who would normally be eligible for Tax Free Childcare or 30 hours free childcare, or both, but who, due to the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak, temporarily do not meet the income thresholds.

These were introduced in May. On 26 October, the government announced that working parents who are eligible for TFC or 30 hours but have temporarily fallen below the minimum income requirement, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, will continue to be entitled to TFC or 30 hours of free childcare, or both if they are receiving income from the Job Support Scheme or Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants. This will continue until at least April 2021.

Critical workers who may exceed the income threshold for TFC or 30 hours for the 2020-21 tax year as a result of working more to play a vital role in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak will also continue to be eligible this tax year as a result of these temporary measures.

Departmental officials and I are in regular contact with early years stakeholders across a wide range of matters.

As of 1 June, early years providers have been able to open to all children and since 20 July settings have been able to return to their normal group sizes.

We continue to work with the sector to understand how early years providers can best be supported to ensure that sufficient, safe, appropriate and affordable childcare is available for those returning to work now and for all families who need it in the longer term.

We have published guidance on actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

Early education plays a crucial role in early learning and development, but we recognise that some parents may be worried about sending their children back to nursery. Parents and childcare settings should always work together to make sure that children settle in well. For some children, it may be appropriate to build up their attendance over several weeks.

The School Admissions Code requires admissions authorities to provide for the full-time admission of all children in the September following their 4^th birthday. Parents are able to defer the date that their child is admitted to school until later in the school year, but not beyond the point which their child reaches compulsory school age.

The department does not hold a central register of all wraparound provision and so does not routinely collect data on providers.

However, our Regional Education and Children’s Teams, comprising education and social care staff from both the department and Ofsted, are working closely with local authorities, and will act as a valuable source of intelligence on the sufficiency of wraparound childcare places in local areas. In addition, we have been in close communication with various stakeholders, including several wraparound providers since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak and we will continue this communication over the coming months.

We have ensured that, as of 4 July, wraparound care providers and other providers of out-of-school activities to children have been able to open, both on or away from school premises, with protective measures in place. We have published further updated guidance for providers who run before and after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings for children on the protective measures that should be put in place to ensure they are operating as safely as possible. This is to also ensure that with the introduction of our new local COVID-19 alert levels, that wraparound childcare is able to remain open to support parents, and in particular critical workers, to continue to work. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

We also know that many schools operate their own breakfast and after school clubs, and they should be working to resume this provision, if they have not already. As part of our guidance to schools on full opening, we have provided schools with guidance to support them in reopening this valuable provision. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#wraparound-provision-and-extra-curricular-activity.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 September 2020 to Question 95158.

The department does not hold a central register of all wraparound provision and so does not routinely collect data on the number of providers in operation.

However, as of 4 July, wraparound care providers and other providers of out-of-school activities to children have been able to open, both on or away from school premises, with protective measures in place. We have published further updated guidance for providers who run before and after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school settings for children on the protective measures that should be put in place to ensure they are operating as safely as possible. This is to also ensure that with the introduction of our new local COVID-19 alert levels, that wraparound childcare is able to remain open to support parents, and in particular key workers, to continue to work. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Limitations on childcare will be a last resort, and we will ensure that priority is given to vulnerable children and young people and children of critical workers for this provision in all cases.

We also know that many schools operate their own breakfast and after school clubs, and they should be working to resume this provision, if they have not already. As part of our guidance to schools on full opening, we have provided schools with guidance to support them in reopening this valuable provision. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#wraparound-provision-and-extra-curricular-activity.

In addition, our Regional Education and Children’s Teams, comprising education and social care staff from both the department and Ofsted, are working closely with local authorities, and will act as a valuable source of intelligence on the sufficiency of wraparound childcare places in local areas.

Swimming and water safety are compulsory elements of the PE curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2. The curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be taught to: swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres; use a range of strokes effectively; and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The Department does not collect data centrally on the proportion of pupils at Key Stages 1 to 3 that have been taught swimming and water safety lessons, but all primary schools are required to publish information on the percentage of their pupils in year 6 who met each of the three swimming and water safety national curriculum requirements. Further details are available in the online reporting section of guidance on the Primary PE and Sport Premium, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools#online-reporting.

Swimming and water safety are compulsory elements of the PE curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2. The curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be taught to: swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres; use a range of strokes effectively; and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The Department does not collect data centrally on the proportion of pupils at Key Stages 1 to 3 that have been taught swimming and water safety lessons, but all primary schools are required to publish information on the percentage of their pupils in year 6 who met each of the three swimming and water safety national curriculum requirements. Further details are available in the online reporting section of guidance on the Primary PE and Sport Premium, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools#online-reporting.

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

The department introduced the Period Products Scheme to ensure that everyone has access to period products when they need them at school or college.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, schools and colleges will be able to order products through the established route and distribute them to learners who need them.

This Government is committed to levelling up opportunity for all children. Responsibility for this rightly falls across a number of government departments – to ensure that all policies affecting children receive the focus and dedication they deserve. The provision of high quality education and care services is one part of the work this government is doing to unlock the potential of all children and there is a dedicated Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families. The Cabinet Office plays a critical role in supporting this collective and coordinated effort and ensuring that government policy delivers for society as a whole, including children. In addition, the government supports a number of arms length bodies – such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Social Mobility Commission – to consider the effect of policies on children and young people.

Good mental wellbeing is a priority for this Government. The Department is looking carefully at the evidence about children and young people’s mental wellbeing and how to support it. In October 2019, we published the first ‘State of the Nation’ report on children and young people’s wellbeing to bring together the evidence for England, which has shown a slight fall in recent years. The full report is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2019-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing.

The Department is taking forward a wide range of work to ensure that wellbeing is at the forefront of our approach to supporting children and young people in schools. This includes teaching pupils about looking after their mental health and wellbeing through the introduction of the new subjects of relationships, sex and health education. This will include the importance of sleep, understanding the benefits of rationing time online and the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices, including how the content can affect their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing.

The Department is also improving collaboration with external agencies, to ensure those pupils that need specialist support and treatment get it quickly. In particular, we have a major joint programme of work with NHS England to introduce new mental health support teams linked to schools and colleges, and to support schools and colleges to put in place senior mental health leads.

The Department has several further initiatives in place to support schools to develop and implement whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. These include trialling approaches to promoting positive mental wellbeing to ensure pupils have access to evidence based early support and interventions – the largest trial in the world of its kind, piloting different approaches to peer-to-peer support, and rolling out Mental Health Awareness Training to all state-funded secondary schools, to improve capability to identify potential issues.

The Public Health England Rise Above programme in schools and online provides advice for children and young people on coping strategies for modern life. These strategies include dealing with difficult emotions and situations that can lead to problems such as stress, bullying and self-harm. Details can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-launches-rise-above-for-schools-programme.

We expect employers to comply with the law in their treatment of disabled employees. Employers who discriminate against such employees rightly run the risk of claims for disability discrimination against them being taken to employment tribunals, which have power to award unlimited damages (including compensation for injured feelings) in addition to any award made in relation to employment law claims (such as loss of earnings).

Employment tribunal judgments, including those involving disability discrimination, are publicly available at https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions. Guidance for employers to help them avoid claims for disability discrimination against them are available from Acas and from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

In 2019 the EHRC published two pieces of guidance; a guide to help employees including disabled staff challenge discrimination at work, and a guide to help employers understand their responsibilities to provide disabled staff with additional support and workplace adjustments.

No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to a school. The Government is pleased to support the Private Members' Bill to ‘make provision for guidance to schools about the cost aspects of school uniform policies’, which was recently introduced to Parliament on 5 February 2020. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that school uniform costs are reasonable.

It is for the governing body of a school (or in the case of academies, the academy trust) to decide whether there should be a school? uniform, what it will be and how it should be sourced. To support them to do this the Department currently issues non-statutory guidance which can be found here:?https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.

Our current guidance states that? school uniform? items should be easily available for parents to purchase and schools should keep compulsory branded items to a minimum. It also states that schools should avoid single-supplier contracts, but where schools do choose to enter into such contracts, they should be subject to a regular competitive tendering process. This makes clear that we expect schools to ensure ?uniform? costs are reasonable.

We are working to ensure that a Learning Difficulty or Disability (LDD) is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits that an apprenticeship offers or to employers who want to make a long-term investment in the skills they need to grow. We have seen increases in the proportion of apprenticeship starts by people declaring an LDD in recent years, rising to 12% of starts in 2018/19 from 11.2% in 2017/18 and 10.3% in 2016/17.

To ensure that employers are supported to create new apprenticeship opportunities, we provide targeted financial support directly to training providers to help remove barriers for people with a LDD. This includes paying £150 a month to providers for additional support. In specific circumstances, this amount can rise to a maximum of £19,000 per year where necessary. Providers and employers recruiting an apprentice aged 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) receive an additional payment of £1000. We also pay 100% of the cost of training for small employers with fewer than 50 employees who take on apprentices who have an EHCP. Disabled apprentices may also receive help from Access to Work to pay for workplace adaptations, job coaches, transport, special equipment and other forms of support.

We are also prioritising sharing good practice. Our Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network has grown to 75 members and brings together employers committed to improving diversity in their apprenticeship programmes, including for those with disabilities:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/apprenticeship-diversity-champions-network.

We have integrated the Department for Work and Pensions Disability Confident campaign into the apprenticeship recruitment service. Therefore, the Disability Confident logo is displayed on apprenticeship vacancies for registered employers.

The Department recognises that Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services to disadvantaged children.

Last October we announced increases in hourly funding rates paid to local authorities for the early education entitlements for 2020-21.

In 2020-21, all local authorities will see an increase of 8p an hour to the hourly funding rates for the 2-year-old entitlement and an increase of 8p an hour for the vast majority of areas for the 3- and 4-year-old entitlement.

In addition to the hourly funding rates above, the Department invests approximately £60 million in ‘maintained nursery school supplementary funding’ each financial year, to allow local authorities to preserve MNS funding levels and last October we announced that this additional funding will continue at its current level for the whole of the 2020-21 financial year.

Details of funding paid to local authorities can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2020-2021.

The Department remains committed to funding for MNS in the longer term. Any reform to the way they are funded in the future will be accompanied by appropriate funding protections. The Department plans to spend more than £3.6 billion on early education in 2020-21.

This government is committed to ensuring that children are well nourished and develop healthy eating habits that stay with them for the rest of their lives. Healthy eating not only supports children’s health but also has an important contribution to make in ensuring children are able to concentrate and learn in schools, and therefore achieve their potential in life.

Under the benefits-based criteria, around 1.3 million of the most disadvantaged children are eligible for and claiming free school meals. Benefits-related free meals were extended to disadvantaged further education students in September 2014. A further 1.4 million infants receive a free nutritious meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme.

We do not currently have plans to extend free school meals to all primary pupils. We believe in prioritising the policy so it is focused on children that are most in need. We will review the eligibility criteria for free school meals at the end of the roll-out of Universal Credit. We have increased access to free meals through the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and Further Education Free Meals. Our amended free school meal criteria, introduced in April 2018 mean we expect more pupils to benefit from benefits-related free school meals in 2022, compared to the legacy system.

​The department has not made any assessment on the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on the number of children on child protection plans. However, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and the department regularly meet with other government ministers and their departments to discuss their policies, including the impact of changes to the welfare system and children’s social care. The department recognises the importance of a cross-government approach to tackling social issues.

No child or young person should be held back from reaching their potential, including those with complex special needs. This is why we have announced £780 million of additional high needs funding next year (2020-21), an increase of 12% compared to this year, bringing the total amount for supporting those with the most complex needs to £7.2 billion. This will be the largest year-on-year increase since the high needs funding block was created in 2013. Allocations for future years will be announced in due course.

Every local authority will see an increase in high needs funding, of at least 8% per head of population aged 2 to 18, with some seeing gains of up to 17% per head. This will provide valuable extra resources so that support is in place to make sure that no pupil or student is left behind.

However, the response to cost pressures cannot simply be about the amount of funding available. We have launched a review of the special educational needs and disabilities system to see what further improvements are necessary to make sure every child gets the education that is right for them.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal health and welfare, having committed to working with producers and the food sector to raise standards across the board. We are delivering a series of ambitious reforms that will continue our collective drive to improve standards in farm animal health and welfare through, for example, delivery of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.

As part of our plans for future farming, this autumn will see the launch of Annual Health and Welfare Review, the first step on the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, which will fund vet visits to undertake a health and welfare review for farms across England. In 2023 we will introduce Animal Health and Welfare Grants, followed by Endemic Disease Eradication and Control Programmes and a Payment-by-Results trial. Beyond this financial assistance, the Pathway also aims to stimulate market demand for higher welfare products by increasing transparency and strengthening the regulatory baseline.

We also remain committed to delivering the Government’s bovine TB (bTB) eradication strategy. Developing a deployable cattle bTB vaccine with the objective of introduction by 2025 is one of the Government’s top priorities. A deployable cattle bTB vaccine is expected to be a game-changer in terms of providing a strong additional tool to help eradicate bTB. Field trials began in 2021.

We have a strong track record in raising the bar for welfare standards — the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 now provides legal recognition that animals are sentient beings and introduced an Animal Sentience Committee as a new scrutiny mechanism requiring Ministers to explain how policy decisions have taken into account their impact on animals.

Transitioning to non-caged systems continues to be a government priority. We are committed to working with producers and the food sector to raise standards of animal health and welfare, supporting farmers through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

Ultimately, decisions we make on cage reforms must be the right ones and need full consideration of the implications for animal welfare and for the sectors concerned, including a realistic phase out period to secure achievement of our better welfare goals and sustainability for the industry.

Defra ministers and officials regularly talk to local authorities, including around issues relating to fly-tipping. Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), which include local authorities, to share best practice on tackling fly-tipping. We are currently developing a fly-tipping toolkit and the first part has recently been published on the NFTPG website. The NFTPG has also previously produced guides on preventing fly-tipping and roles and responsibilities.

This year we are providing capital funding of £450,000 through our fly-tipping intervention grant to enable several councils to implement a range of measures to tackle fly-tipping. We intend to run a second round later this year.

The Government recognises the benefits of urban wetlands and has various policies and funding available to support them. This includes our current review of the implementation of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) which, if implemented, will introduce standards for new sustainable drainage systems. They use features such as wetlands to absorb rainwater, reducing the risk of surface water flooding, improving water quality, biodiversity, and amenity benefits.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021. The Bill includes new restrictions on pet movements into Great Britain, which covers the non-commercial movements of cats as well as dogs and ferrets. The Bill also contains powers to restrict the import of cats, dogs and ferrets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.

In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats. This is because there is currently limited evidence that there is a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. Overall, the number of movements of cats into Great Britain is much lower than for dogs.

The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats was the right approach. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups in order to shape our future policy.

The Bill also includes a new offence of taking and detaining a dog as part of our response to a recommendation made by the Pet Theft Taskforce. The new offence, which was added to the Bill at its Commons Committee stage, is initially limited to the abduction of dogs in recognition of the Taskforce’s finding that seven out of 10 pet abductions in England and Wales involved dogs. However, the Bill also includes a power to extend the offence to other pets, including cats, if necessary.

When used improperly, snares can cause immense suffering to both target and non-targeted animals. The use of snares is therefore an issue we are looking at closely as part of our continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

Through the Government's Animal Action for Welfare Plan, published in May 2021, we are looking at whether changes need to be made to reflect concerns raised.

There is already a Code of Practice for the use of snares to control foxes in England which sets out clear principles for the legal and humane use of snares. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 also prohibits the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals such as badgers.

We recognise that solvent-based paint, paint thinner and white spirit are hazardous and as such, disposal can be challenging.

We welcome voluntary action being taken by industry, such as the British Coatings Federation’s Paintcare proposals, and community initiatives, supported by local authorities, to allow donations to local community repaint schemes. The law at present encourages reuse and recycling through waste hierarchy obligations on all waste handlers.

To strengthen action on reuse, we will shortly publish our new Waste Prevention Programme for England on which we consulted in 2021, including on steps to improve local systems and services that facilitate reuse and recycling of this nature.

This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of pets very seriously. My department supports the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible online advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange. We have backed the set of Minimum Standards that PAAG developed which many of the UK's largest classified websites have agreed to meet. Illegitimate sellers remaining anonymous by using online platforms is an issue for pet theft as well, as stolen dogs can be sold to unsuspecting buyers through untraceable adverts. The Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce recommended that we encourage sales platforms to implement more identity checks to improve the traceability of sellers, and to encourage the use of cashless transactions. Defra will continue to work with PAAG to ensure that pet theft is a core consideration for improvements to sales platforms.

Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting on where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a 12-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licencees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.

In November 2015, the UK Government asked Ofwat to assess the costs and benefits of extending retail competition to residential water customers in England. Ofwat's report did not indicate significant benefits for household customers and highlighted initial bill increases to fund the extension of the retail market.

The industry is regulated to protect customers. As part of the recent Price Review process for 2020-2025, Ofwat challenged companies on efficiency and set out a package that will enable water companies to deliver more for people today, invest for future generations and reduce the average household bill by 2025.

Ofwat, the independent economic regulator, is responsible for ensuring that water companies charge fair prices and deliver quality services, through a process called the Price Review. Ofwat has set spending budgets over the next five years - reducing the average household water bill. While there are systems in place to deliver value for money to consumers, we acknowledge that some households struggle with their water bills.

We are committed to ensuring all customers receive reliable water and waste services. All water companies offer reduced bills for eligible customers via the WaterSure scheme and social tariffs. In addition, water companies also offer a range of other financial support measures such as payment holidays, bill matching and advice on debt management and water efficiency.

Each year the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) publishes its Water for All report, which examines the efforts made by each water company in England and Wales to support customers who need financial help or other forms of assistance if they’re in vulnerable circumstances.

Last October, Defra commissioned CCW to review the effectiveness of existing support schemes in water to ensure they are fit for purpose now and in the future. Their report sets out ten key recommendations that could result in better outcomes for the most vulnerable customers. Defra is working with CCW and industry to explore these recommendations further and a number of water companies have already established pilots to improve their support measures.

The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042, which encompasses single-use plastic waste. I would also refer to the Answer of 11 June 2021 to Question 7904, as many of the actions set out there will incentivise businesses. We are making great strides to tackle plastic pollution across the country. In December 2018, we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which set out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy which keeps resources in the system for as long as possible. The Resources and Waste Strategy also sets out a timeline for action, although in some instances the impact of Covid-19 has led to delays. In clearly laying out the Government's position and direction, we intend to provide industry with the confidence to take action to reduce their use of plastics.

Indeed, industry is acting. The UK Plastics Pact was jointly founded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Ellen McArthur Foundation and is supported by the Government. The Pact brings together organisations from across the plastics supply chain, with four key targets for 2025 that aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. Members of the Pact account for two-thirds of consumer plastic packaging in the UK.

Alongside our support for voluntary action by industry, the Government is taking regulatory action. The single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, has been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers to encourage customers to bring their own bags to carry shopping and reduce the volumes of single-use plastic being used.

We have included a number of measures in the Environment Bill to enable us, through regulations, to tackle plastics and plastic waste. These include measures to impose charges on single-use plastic items; introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers; and make producers cover the costs of collecting and managing plastic packaging waste. As well as this, the Bill gives us powers to provide consistent recycling services for household and businesses; ensure all packaging is labelled either 'recyclable' or 'not recyclable'; set requirements regarding design and material usage for products; and allows for us to control the export of plastic waste better.

The Government is also reforming the packaging producer responsibility regulations and developing extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging. Our proposal is for the first phase of EPR to be established in 2023. EPR for packaging will see packaging producers paying for the waste management costs associated with the packaging that they place on the market. This will ensure producers are thinking about the necessity of any packaging they use. In developing EPR for packaging, we will also take consideration of how EPR for packaging could be used to encourage packaging reuse and refill systems. The Government consultation on EPR for packaging closed on 4 June 2021:

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/.

Defra maintains a high-level, persistent watch on emerging technologies via our Digital, Data and Technology Services innovations team’s emerging technologies radar and the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Office Futures team. As such, Defra both recognises the potential for artificial intelligence to play an important part in ensuring that data and science are at the heart of decision making, and is also aware of the general threats and opportunities afforded by AI.

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

Defra recognises the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to play an important part in ensuring that data and science are at the heart of decision making.

Defra recognises the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to play an important part in ensuring that data and science are at the heart of decision making.

All of Defra’s ongoing and previous research projects, including a number involving AI and machine learning (ML), are published on Defra’s research and development website: randd.defra.gov.uk. Planned projects are advertised on Bravo: defra.bravosolution.co.uk. The specific information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Areas particularly benefitting from these tools include the interpretation of Earth Observation and automated sensor data, the development of advanced modelling techniques, and improved customer service. We are further developing our data science capabilities (data linkage, advanced tooling and platforms) to ensure our scientists and analysts are able to effectively exploit data using advanced analytic techniques which include AI components, such as ML and other novel innovative approaches that will inform decision making.

We will continue to work in partnership across Government, with academia and industry to develop the use of AI and ML for Defra.

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 UK Government Decontamination Service (GDS) was provided by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2014, during which time budget and expenditure records were collated and held centrally by Fera. GDS became the CBRN Emergencies Team when it moved to core Defra on 1 August 2014. Defra does not hold information on budgets or expenditure prior to 2012.

The environmental impacts of food are complex, with the whole food chain having a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting both domestic and international climate targets. There are currently no legal requirements for UK restaurant chains to display information related to carbon emissions from food production on their menus. However, the Government is supportive of work being done in this area. Examples include Defra's funding of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (known as WRAP) to work across the supply chain to cut carbon and food waste in the sector by one fifth between 2015 and 2025.

The Government will continue to work with the hospitality industry to help it reduce its environmental impacts and provide this information clearly to consumers in an efficient manner, without creating unnecessary burdens that can result in increased prices for consumers.

Defra will investigate the opportunity to review aspects of food labelling following the outcomes of Henry Dimbleby's independent review of the food system, due this summer. The Government will respond to this with a Food Strategy White Paper within six months.

The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.

Industry is already taking action. The UK Plastics Pact jointly founded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Ellen McArthur Foundation is supported by the Government. The Pact brings together organisations from across the plastics supply chain, including all the major supermarkets, with four key targets for 2025 that aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. Current Pact business members are responsible for 80% of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets.

Through the Pact, work has been done to increase the sale of unpackaged products. The WRAP Fresh Produce Guidance was published in November 2019 which includes advice for retailers to help determine if fresh produce can be provided loose. In June 2019, Waitrose & Partners unveiled a new trial, 'Waitrose Unpacked', to explore alternative ways of shopping. It included a dedicated refillable zone, the UK's first supermarket frozen 'pick and mix' station, and the first borrow-a-box scheme are among a series of ideas being looked at in a unique test in order in order to potentially save thousands of tonnes of unnecessary plastic and packaging. Since its initial introduction in their Botley Road branch in Oxford this initiative has been extended to three other stores in Wallingford, Abingdon, and Cheltenham and they continue to extend the range of products available unpacked.

Alongside supporting voluntary action by industry, the Government is taking regulatory action to reduce the use of non-recyclable waste. For instance, the single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, was increased to 10p and extended to all retailers on 21 May 2021. This will further encourage customers to bring their own bags to carry shopping and reduce the volumes of single-use plastic being used.

The Government is also reforming the packaging producer responsibility regulations and developing extended producer responsibility for packaging. Extended producer responsibility for packaging will see packaging producers pay the waste management costs associated with the packaging they place on the market. This will encourage producers to consider the necessity of any packaging they use. In developing extended producer responsibility for packaging, we will also consider how the use of packaging reuse and refill systems can be encouraged. The Government has stated its intention to bring forward proposals for reuse/refill targets by the end of 2023 and introduce targets or obligations on producers from 2025. The Government consultation on extended producer responsibility for packaging closed on 4 June 2021, more details can be found at:

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/.

In the recently published England Peat Action Plan we have committed to undertake a full consultation in 2021 on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament. The consultation will also examine other measures, including the feasibility of introducing a point-of-sale charge for the purchase of growing media containing peat (this could use the plastic bag charge as a model).

As outlined in the Action Plan, we are committed to working with the industry to understand the implications of our proposals, identify blockages and to working with the private sector to develop and enact solutions, thus making the transition to peat alternatives as seamless as possible.

The England Peat Action Plan can be found at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987859/england-peat-action-plan.pdf

The UK Government has not made any assessment of CO₂ produced by the export of UK waste. The UK monitors and reports emissions from the shipping industry through the National Emissions Inventory but this information is not disaggregated to the level of individual cargo movements.

The export of UK waste for disposal is generally prohibited, save for the strictly limited exceptions which are laid out in the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste. Under the UK legislation on waste shipments, businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. All waste exports need to be made in accordance with the relevant legislation and we have a system of inspections in place to verify compliance. The regulators mount targeted inspections at UK ports working with the shipping sector to help detect and prevent illegal waste shipments. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the requirements in the legislation waste can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.

We have pledged to introduce tougher controls on waste exports, and the Environment Bill includes a power to introduce mandatory electronic tracking of waste which will make it harder for criminals to obtain and export waste illegally.

We are also taking action to reduce the volume of waste generated in the first place. Our approach is focused on encouraging greater uptake of reusable alternatives and increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. The Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December 2018, sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than we do now. Our target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

The UK Government has not made any assessment of CO₂ produced by the export of UK waste. The UK monitors and reports emissions from the shipping industry through the National Emissions Inventory but this information is not disaggregated to the level of individual cargo movements.

The export of UK waste for disposal is generally prohibited, save for the strictly limited exceptions which are laid out in the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste. Under the UK legislation on waste shipments, businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. All waste exports need to be made in accordance with the relevant legislation and we have a system of inspections in place to verify compliance. The regulators mount targeted inspections at UK ports working with the shipping sector to help detect and prevent illegal waste shipments. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the requirements in the legislation waste can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.

We have pledged to introduce tougher controls on waste exports, and the Environment Bill includes a power to introduce mandatory electronic tracking of waste which will make it harder for criminals to obtain and export waste illegally.

We are also taking action to reduce the volume of waste generated in the first place. Our approach is focused on encouraging greater uptake of reusable alternatives and increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. The Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December 2018, sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than we do now. Our target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

The UK Government has not made any assessment of CO₂ produced by the export of UK waste. The UK monitors and reports emissions from the shipping industry through the National Emissions Inventory but this information is not disaggregated to the level of individual cargo movements.

The export of UK waste for disposal is generally prohibited, save for the strictly limited exceptions which are laid out in the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste. Under the UK legislation on waste shipments, businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling. All waste exports need to be made in accordance with the relevant legislation and we have a system of inspections in place to verify compliance. The regulators mount targeted inspections at UK ports working with the shipping sector to help detect and prevent illegal waste shipments. Individuals and businesses found to be exporting waste in contravention of the requirements in the legislation waste can face a two-year jail term and an unlimited fine.

We have pledged to introduce tougher controls on waste exports, and the Environment Bill includes a power to introduce mandatory electronic tracking of waste which will make it harder for criminals to obtain and export waste illegally.

We are also taking action to reduce the volume of waste generated in the first place. Our approach is focused on encouraging greater uptake of reusable alternatives and increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. The Resources and Waste Strategy for England, published in December 2018, sets out the Government’s plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than we do now. Our target is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the life of the 25 Year Environment Plan, but for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.

Industry is already taking action on this. The UK Plastics Pact was jointly founded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Ellen McArthur Foundation and is supported by the Government. The Pact brings together organisations from across the plastics supply chain, including all the major supermarkets, with four key targets for 2025 that aim to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. Current Pact business members are responsible for 80% of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets.

Through the pact, work has been done to increase the sale of unpackaged products. The WRAP Fresh Produce Guidance was published in November 2019 which includes advice for retailers to help determine if fresh produce can be provided loose.

Alongside supporting voluntary action by industry, the Government is taking regulatory action. For instance, the single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, was increased to 10p and extended to all retailers on 21 May 2021. This will give greater encouragement to customers to bring their own bags to carry shopping and reduce the volumes of single-use plastic being used.

The Government is also reforming the packaging producer responsibility regulations and developing extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging. EPR for packaging will see packaging producers paying for the waste management costs associated with the packaging that they place on the market. This will ensure producers are thinking about the necessity of any packaging they use. In developing EPR for packaging, we will also take consideration of how EPR for packaging could be used to encourage packaging reuse and refill systems. The Government consultation on EPR for packaging closed on 4 June 2021:

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/.

The UK Government is committed to banning the export of plastic waste for recycling to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Government will consult on this measure and work is underway to make this happen.

Under the UK legislation on waste shipments, businesses involved in the export of wastes are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling.

All waste exports need to be made in accordance with the relevant legislation and we have a system of inspections in place to verify compliance. The Environment Agency mounts targeted inspections at UK ports working with the shipping sector to help detect and prevent illegal waste shipments. Recycling facilities in other countries are permitted and regulated by that country’s authorities.

The 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy sets out the Government's ambitions for increased resource efficiency and a more circular economy in England. These ambitions require changes in how we produce and consume products and materials, as well as how we treat and dispose of them at end-of-life.

In the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to taking actions which will help to stimulate private investment in reprocessing and recycling infrastructure. The Collection and Packaging Reforms (Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (EPR), consistency and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)) are expected to increase and incentivise appetite for commercial infrastructure investment, giving investors greater confidence in the growing UK reprocessing market. Our ambition to recycle 65% of municipal waste and reduce waste to landfill to no more than 10% will help to drive investment. Also, the HMT plastic packaging tax is expected to increase demand for secondary material plastic and increasing reprocessing infrastructure will help meet this demand.

Further capacity is likely to be required if the UK was to reprocess domestically the increased levels of packaging material expected to be captured for recycling as a result of the reforms.

We are already seeing a response from the sector to increase reprocessing capacity.
Defra is also working with other departments (e.g. BEIS and DIT) and the waste sector to highlight the investment opportunities that result from the reforms.

Data on exports of waste materials is collated and published by HMRC and is available at the following link https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data/ots-custom-table/

Defra does not hold data on the amount of waste suitable for recycling generated in the UK.

The Government takes the conservation of endangered species in the UK and internationally very seriously, which is why we will be banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered species. Our approach will be comprehensive, robust and effective and will deliver the change we promised to help protect thousands of species worldwide. We will be setting out plans soon.

In 2019, the UK recorded 63 imports of hunting trophies from species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The UK recorded 33 imports in 2018, 69 in 2017, and 143 in 2016. Defra has not made an assessment of the reasons for this increase in 2019 but imports fluctuate year-on-year for many reasons including fluctuations in the number of animals hunted, and how hunting trophies are recorded and counted on permits.

The National Flood Response Centre (NFRC) was developed in response to the National Flood Resilience Review, after the flooding in the winter of 2015/16. The review recommended that the Government should establish a single national flood emergency operations room to improve shared situational awareness between Government departments during severe flooding events.

The strategic objectives for the NFRC are to develop and maintain shared situational awareness between departments, Devolved Administrations and agencies, optimise central government’s response to flooding and to support COBR, providing Ministers with accurate information and recommendations to address any challenges or decision points.

Typically, relevant Government departments and agencies move all or part of their crisis team and emergency operations to the NFRC when severe flooding has occurred or is expected. Where co-location is not possible then partners will be represented virtually. Recent use of the NFRC includes November 2019 (flooding in North England), February and March 2020 (Wales, West Mercia and Yorkshire) and in January 2021 it was scaled up virtually in response to Storm Christoph.

Tackling the harm caused by sewer overflows is a top priority for this Department.

Since the privatisation of water companies, around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage, covering improvements in sewage treatment and in sewer overflows.

During periods of significant rainfall untreated sewage diluted by rainwater will discharge through storm overflows to avoid streets, premises and sewage treatment plants from being flooded. Water companies are committed in the five-year business planning period (2020-25) to a significant programme of improvements to the monitoring and management of storm overflows at a cost of around £1.1 billion. This investment includes undertaking 800 investigations and 798 improvement schemes to provide environmental improvements by reducing spills from frequently spilling overflows.

I recognise that there is more to do to manage sewage pollution. I met water company CEOs in September last year and made clear that the volumes of sewage discharged into rivers and other waterways in extreme weather must be reduced. To achieve this, I have set up a new Taskforce - bringing together Government, the water industry, regulators and environmental NGOs - which has agreed to set a long term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows. The Taskforce is now working on plans to start making progress towards that goal, and they have commissioned research to gather evidence on the costs, benefits and feasibility of different options.

Water companies are currently producing for the first time comprehensive Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans to assess the capacity of their wastewater networks. We are also taking key steps through the Environment Bill to require water companies to produce such Plans on a statutory basis. These plans will be another tool to help address the risks that storm overflows pose to the environment.

We are reviewing our policy on access for supertrawlers. This review will be driven by evidence. We will need to consider how any measures fit with our obligations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU and avoid taking any action against individual vessels which could be construed as discriminatory.

Under the Fisheries Act 2020, vessels permitted to fish in UK waters have to be licensed and comply with UK rules and regulations including those on sustainability. Licence conditions set by UK Sea Fisheries Authorities apply to both UK and foreign vessels alike.

We are currently developing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. EPR for packaging will see producers paying for the waste management costs associated with the packaging that they place on the market. In addition to this, EPR for packaging will see those costs modulated (varied) to account for various criteria, including recyclability. This will provide an incentive to producers who use recyclable packaging, as they could be paying less than those who don't. We will be consulting in early 2021 on our proposals for introducing EPR for packaging.

In developing these proposals and in preparation for the upcoming consultation, engagement with stakeholders, including supermarkets, has been a priority. As part of this focus on engagement, a joint project was recently launched to develop a key element of the new EPR for packaging system. This project is developing an approach to the modulation of producer fees and will run until July 2021. It is being led jointly between the Government and the Devolved Administrations, the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), and the British Retail Consortium (BRC). At all stages of the project, stakeholder engagement will be central to our approach.

Victoria Prentis

As of 12 November 2020, the proportion of electric cars operated by Defra is 6.0%. The table below shows the proportion split by organisation.