Tim Farron

Whether or not a business is liable for Business Rates, or occupies business premises, is not a consideration under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

To be eligible for a facility under CBILS, a smaller business must:

• Be UK based in its business activity, with turnover of no more than £45m per year.
• Have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender
• Self-certify that it has been adversely impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, as well as in providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in.

Based on current medical advice, utility workers who cannot work from home, who show no symptoms of Covid-19, and who live in households where no person is self-isolating, can continue to go to work. We encourage households to continue to engage with tradespeople on this basis so that essential repairs and maintenance can be carried out. Where such work takes place, Public Health England (PHE) guidelines should be followed, including social distancing measures where possible.

Construction activity can continue in line with PHE guidance. Through the Construction Leadership Council, the construction industry has issued Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which align with PHE guidance. The SOP set out that, where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres, then employers should closely consider whether the activity needs to continue for the site to operate.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, as well as in providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in.

Based on current medical advice, utility workers who cannot work from home, who show no symptoms of Covid-19, and who live in households where no person is self-isolating, can continue to go to work. We encourage households to continue to engage with tradespeople on this basis so that essential repairs and maintenance can be carried out. Where such work takes place, Public Health England (PHE) guidelines should be followed, including social distancing measures where possible.

Construction activity can continue in line with PHE guidance. Through the Construction Leadership Council, the construction industry has issued Site Operating Procedures (SOP), which align with PHE guidance. The SOP set out that, where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres, then employers should closely consider whether the activity needs to continue for the site to operate.

The Government has been clear that employers should carefully consider Public Health England’s social distancing guidance. The guidance sets out that employers should help their staff to find alternative arrangements to support them to work from home, , including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

Where people cannot work from home, they can continue going into their place of work as long as Public Health England’s guidance is closely followed. This is consistent with the Chief Medical Officer’s advice.

Where a worker has a concern about health and safety which cannot be resolved through speaking with their employer or trade union, they can contact the relevant enforcement agency – either their local authority or the Health and Safety Executive. Where the Health and Safety Executive are made aware of an employer not complying with the relevant Public Health England guidance (including enabling social distancing where it is practical to do so), the Health and Safety Executive will consider a range of actions, from providing specific advice to employers through to issuing enforcement notices.

Based on current medical advice, the Government has stated that workers can continue to work when they cannot work from home, show no symptoms of Covid-19, and live in a household where no person is self-isolating.

We encourage households to engage with tradespeople on this basis, so urgent health and safety issues within homes can be inspected or remedied. Where such work takes place, Public Health England’s social distancing guidelines should be followed, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/social-distancing-in-the-workplace-during-coronavirus-covid-19-sector-guidance#tradespeople-and-working-in-peoples-homes.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, maintaining the nation’s infrastructure and providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in. The Government has stated that construction and utilities work should continue where it can take place in line with the guidance provided by Public Health England.

Construction and utility workers play a crucial role in supporting our public services, maintaining the nation’s infrastructure and providing and maintaining safe, decent homes for people to live in. The Government has stated that construction and utilities work should continue where it can take place in line with the guidance provided by Public Health England.

The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.

While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. As such, provision of postal services in Oxenholme and Allithwaite is operational to Post Office Limited. I have asked Nick Read, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member about this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

The government remains committed to promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The return to school is a key part of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, as attendance at school allows social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits wellbeing, and enables staff to directly provide pastoral support.

Throughout the government’s guidance on the wider opening of schools, we have encouraged schools to focus on pastoral support as pupils return. Children in Reception, year 1 and year 6 are now able to return to primary, and year 10 and year 12 pupils are able to receive face-to-face support at secondary. Primary schools with capacity can bring back additional groups, in line with existing protective measures, and we have given schools the flexibility to have face-to-face ‘check-ups’ with all pupils during the summer term to provide pastoral support. Our intention is for all children to return to school from September and guidance will be published soon.

It is important for schools to be calm and disciplined environments, where everyone follows the rules. The Department has published advice that sets out how, as schools start to welcome pupils back, schools should update their behaviour policy to reflect the new protective measures and new rules and routines:

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

Schools will be aware that the current circumstances can affect the mental health of pupils in a way that affects behaviour. Our guidance on mental health and behaviour in schools can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2.

It sets out how mental health issues can bring about changes in a young person’s behaviour or emotional state and how this can be reflected within the approach to behaviour set out in Creating a Culture:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/behaviour-in-schools.

Additionally, some children will return to school having been exposed to a range of adversity including bereavement and anxiety. This may lead to an increase in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) concerns. We are aware that some children will need additional support and access to services such as Educational Psychologists, social workers, and counsellors, and the guidance below on supporting vulnerable children during the COVID-19 outbreak acknowledges that staff may need to be redeployed:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.

Since the launch of the free school meals voucher scheme, it has been upgraded and is working well for thousands of schools and families. Our supplier Edenred has indicated that orders are currently processed well within the 4-day period specified within our guidance to schools. Edenred has reported that over £169 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Friday 19 June, and that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme.

During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are at home and eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible. However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March, we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the department.

The vouchers for free school meals can currently be spent in a variety of supermarkets. Initially, the scheme included supermarkets that already have e-gift card arrangements in place with our supplier, Edenred, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose. On Monday 27 April, we added Aldi to this list and on Wednesday 29 April, we added McColl’s. We have been working with other supermarkets to encourage them to join. Any additional supermarkets would need to have the right infrastructure to deliver e-gift cards across their network of stores.

Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate free school meal arrangements for eligible pupils during this period.

As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.

Where this is not possible, schools can use the national voucher scheme or make alternative voucher arrangements locally. Our guidance for schools sets out that they can be reimbursed for costs incurred where the national voucher scheme is not suitable for their families, and this can include alternative voucher arrangements with supermarkets that are not part of the national voucher scheme.

Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Infant pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals will be eligible to receive vouchers as part of the COVID-19 Summer Food Fund. However, this provision is not available for children who receive universal infant free school meals and who are not eligible for benefits-related free school meals. It is right that we concentrate resources on those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals at this time.

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. That will ensure that they are able to continue to pay their staff and meet their other regular financial commitments.

We are also providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets, to cover unavoidable costs incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. Our latest guidance on this is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools.

We want to see all children and young people back in school as soon as the scientific advice indicates they can because that is where they learn best. We are working towards bringing all children and young people back to school in September. We will provide further information and guidance with as much notice as possible.

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. That will ensure that they are able to continue to pay their staff and meet their other regular financial commitments.

We are also providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets, to cover unavoidable costs incurred due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. Our latest guidance on this is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools.

We want to see all children and young people back in school as soon as the scientific advice indicates they can because that is where they learn best. We are working towards bringing all children and young people back to school in September. We will provide further information and guidance with as much notice as possible.

The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities (LAs) in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s social care.

Our latest guidance on children in care is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months to understand pressures and issues as they arise.

We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to children with a social worker who do not have access to the internet. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.

In order to ensure engagement with all children and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.

LAs have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of the children in their care. We are committed to supporting local authorities to increase the sufficiency of care placements, having invested part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme in three projects to increase councils’ capacity and improve their commissioning practice. Additional funding for 2 of these projects was confirmed on 24 April as part of the £12.1 million to support vulnerable children who are most at risk. This is in addition to having funded 7 partnerships to test new approaches to commissioning and sufficiency planning in foster care, worth almost £500,000. We have provided temporary flexibility in the fostering regulations which can be found here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/445/contents/made.

This aims to make it easier for LAs to identify potential placements and ensure new foster carers are assessed and approved without delay.

The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities (LAs) in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s social care.

Our latest guidance on children in care is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months to understand pressures and issues as they arise.

We have also committed over £100 million to support access to social care services and remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to children with a social worker who do not have access to the internet. Further, we have committed additional funding worth £26.4 million directly to charities to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children and £1.6 million to expand the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline.

In order to ensure engagement with all children and to support effective risk assessment, through emergency legislation and with Social Work England, we have reinstated the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers so that they can re-join the profession, providing additional resource where it is required.

LAs have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision in their area to meet the needs of the children in their care. We are committed to supporting local authorities to increase the sufficiency of care placements, having invested part of our £200 million Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme in three projects to increase councils’ capacity and improve their commissioning practice. Additional funding for 2 of these projects was confirmed on 24 April as part of the £12.1 million to support vulnerable children who are most at risk. This is in addition to having funded 7 partnerships to test new approaches to commissioning and sufficiency planning in foster care, worth almost £500,000. We have provided temporary flexibility in the fostering regulations which can be found here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/445/contents/made.

This aims to make it easier for LAs to identify potential placements and ensure new foster carers are assessed and approved without delay.

The information is not available in the form requested. The department is currently in the process of collecting looked after children data from local authorities for the reporting year ending 31 March 2020. Information on the number of children in care in 2019-20 will not be published until later in the year. This data is not collected below local authority area level. The latest annual figures on children in care were published in the statistical release 'Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2018-19':
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2018-to-2019.

Information at local authority and regional level can be located in the underlying data table ‘CLA2019’.

The Department is currently working closely with the sector to determine the best way for schools to open for more pupils when the time is right, in line with the five key tests set out by the Government. There continues to be extensive engagement with teaching unions and other school stakeholder organisations both at a ministerial and official level.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that schools will only reopen when the scientific advice indicates that it is the right time to do so, based on five key tests.

The Department is working with the sector to ensure we have the right guidance and the right support in place once we are ready to reopen schools, based on the latest scientific advice.

Our latest guidance on implementing social distancing in schools and childcare settings in relation to COVID-19 is set out below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

This is a matter for individual examination boards that employ examiners.

As of 12 March 2020, the Government has been advising all schools and other education settings in England against arranging or undertaking any overseas trips for children under 18.

All schools should check with their travel agent and credit card companies regarding securing refunds in the first instance. If unable to recoup their full costs, those academies signed up to the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) for schools should then submit their claims as per the RPA membership pack, and other affected schools should contact their individual insurance company.

Government Covid-19 travel guidance for the education sector can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/covid-19-travel-guidance-for-the-education-sector.

FCO Covid-19 travel guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

This review is ongoing. In announcing that we are reviewing the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, we acknowledged the challenges that the system faces. We are committed to setting out plans to tackle these challenges.

Our reforms in 2014 gave vital support to more children but we know that there have been problems in delivering the changes that we all want to see. It is right that we take the time to consider how we can ensure that there is consistent and joined-up support in different local areas across health, care and education services and that high-quality health and education support is available across the country.

Eligibility for delinked payments will be based on a reference period. For example, it may be necessary to have claimed, and been eligible under the Basic Payment Scheme, in a particular scheme year or years. Where land is let to a tenant, it is the tenant and not the landlord who is eligible to use it to claim under Basic Payment Scheme. Similarly, we expect that tenants who received a Basic Payment Scheme payment during the reference period will usually be eligible to receive a delinked payment. We are consulting with the industry on the detail of how delinked payments will work.

Defra does not hold information on which local authorities have taken enforcement action under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in each of the last three years.

Mains sewerage systems (operated by the Water and Sewerage Companies) cover around 95% of the population of England. Non-mains sewerage systems (including septic tanks or small private sewage treatment works) serve the remaining 5%.

The then Department of Environment conducted a study in 1994 to estimate the number of properties not on mains drainage. It estimated that there were approximately 700-750,000 such properties in England. It further estimated that approximately 85,000 to be within the North West Region. It did not account for specific numbers for Cumbria.

The Environment Agency has recently begun work to understand how many properties are likely served by private sewerage systems. We do not believe that the figures for either England or the North West Region are likely to have changed significantly in the period since the 1994 study.

The number of Official Veterinarians (OVs) holding Official Control Qualifications (OCQs) for export certification are listed below. OCQs permit OVs to certify exports for specific commodities only but OVs may hold more than one OCQ. OVs may work across geographical boundaries. In addition, 1043 Food Competent Certifying Officers working in 153 different Local Authorities across Great Britain can certify some exports and therefore contribute towards certification capacity.

*This course is a prerequisite for the other exports courses and may be sufficient in cases where no further training is required (e.g. for the export of insects or live fish).

The delivery of import controls for animals, plants and their products is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health Authorities. This will continue to be the case after the Transition Period and we will deliver the same high level of protection as we do now.

After the Transition Period, the UK will maintain its own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime to protect the public, animal and plant life and health and the environment, reflecting its existing high standards. We will repatriate the functions of audit and inspections to ensure that trading partners, including those we secure trade deals with, continue to meet our import conditions. This will provide a standing, robust system that will work alongside border controls to maintain our high standards going forward.

I am pleased that the Government has agreed to the establishment of a Trade and Agriculture Commission, the details of which have now been published by the Department for International Trade. This will ensure that the UK's trade policy fully considers our agricultural industry and our commitment to maintain our high standards. We are on the side of UK farmers in trade negotiations and this Government will work hard to ensure any future trade deals are in their best interests and will prioritise both food production and our world-leading environmental targets.

The delivery of import controls for animals, plants and their products is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health Authorities. This will continue to be the case after the Transition Period and we will deliver the same high level of protection as we do now.

After the Transition Period, the UK will maintain its own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime to protect the public, animal and plant life and health and the environment, reflecting its existing high standards. We will repatriate the functions of audit and inspections to ensure that trading partners, including those we secure trade deals with, continue to meet our import conditions. This will provide a standing, robust system that will work alongside border controls to maintain our high standards going forward.

I am pleased that the Government has agreed to the establishment of a Trade and Agriculture Commission, the details of which have now been published by the Department for International Trade. This will ensure that the UK's trade policy fully considers our agricultural industry and our commitment to maintain our high standards. We are on the side of UK farmers in trade negotiations and this Government will work hard to ensure any future trade deals are in their best interests and will prioritise both food production and our world-leading environmental targets.

I am proud to have stood on a manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for International Trade, and officials from both departments, are working together to deliver that commitment.

The Government has been working with the National Park Authorities (NPAs) collectively, individually and through National Parks England from the outset to understand the impacts of COVID-19. We are ensuring that Parks make full use of the existing Government support schemes available to them. We will continue to engage closely with each NPA to assess the level of further support required.

As part of our engagement with NPAs we have gathered information to understand impacts to their revenue. We do not, however, have a breakdown by NPA of car parking revenue.

The Government has been working with the National Park Authorities (NPAs) collectively, individually and through National Parks England from the outset to understand the impacts of COVID-19. We are ensuring that Parks make full use of the existing Government support schemes available to them. We will continue to engage closely with each NPA to assess the level of further support required.

As part of our engagement with NPAs we have gathered information to understand impacts to their revenue. We do not, however, have a breakdown by NPA of car parking revenue.

The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. Our retailers already have highly resilient supply chains and they are working around the clock to ensure people have the food and products they need.

To help industry respond to this unprecedented demand we have introduced new measures to keep food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up more quickly, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest, for example by sharing distribution depots and delivery vans.

We are in close contact with representatives across the food supply chain and civil society to discuss further ways to help with their preparations, in particular to look at supporting those who have to stay at home, including people without access to online shopping. Supermarkets are recruiting more staff and limiting shopping hours so they have more time to restock. They are working hard to deliver a crucial service for us all and have also issued a rallying call for everyone to play their part in the national effort to this response by looking out for their friends, family and neighbours.

The Government is working to ensure that up to 1.5 million people in England identified by the NHS as being at higher risk of severe illness if they contract Coronavirus will have access to the food they need. A new Local Support System will make sure those individuals self-isolating at home and who are without a support network of friends and family will receive basic groceries. The Government is working with a partnership of the groceries industry, local Government, local resilience forums and emergency partners, and voluntary groups, to ensure that essential items can start to be delivered as soon as possible to those who need it.

The Environmental Land Management (ELM) National Pilot will be the means by which Defra will pilot, at scale, the new ELM scheme, in real world situations with a wide range of farmers, foresters and other land managers. The first agreements with those taking part in the Pilot are planned to begin formally in late 2021. The Pilot is planned to run for three years until ELM is launched in late 2024 and will provide an important opportunity for farmers, foresters and other land managers to be involved in shaping the scheme.

The Pilot will be undertaken in close consultation with relevant stakeholders. Detailed proposals on what will be included in the Pilot are currently being developed.

While the initial cases of coronavirus may have been through contact with wildlife in China, this is now a human to human transmission cycle and there is no evidence for the infection in livestock in any affected country. We continue to monitor the situation.

The Agriculture Bill was introduced to Parliament on 16 January. The Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to make payments to protect and improve the health and welfare of livestock, as well as to collect and share data relating to livestock health and traceability.

Where considered appropriate by a vet and farmer, vaccination has a role to play in preventing diseases in livestock. We know that the majority of farmers have animal health plans and good biosecurity measures in place, but there is a clear opportunity to go further.

We are working with industry and veterinary representatives to develop practical actions to help reduce the impact of endemic diseases on livestock and improve animal health. We will also work to improve the breadth and detail of animal health data gathered.

Improving animal health through addressing endemic diseases will improve the welfare of livestock and reduce the need to use antibiotics. It can also significantly improve productivity on farm; endemic livestock diseases are estimated to cost the English livestock industry between £290 million and £710 million per year.

Improving animal health will contribute to the UK five-year action plan for tackling anti-microbial resistance and the 25 Year Environment Plan commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.

The Health Infrastructure Plan set out the Government’s approach to long-term investment in our healthcare system to ensure staff and patients continue to have access to world class facilities. In line with this, the Department provided both the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust with £3.7 million each of seed funding to kick-start their schemes and to support both trusts in their development of plans for improving facilities for the staff and patients of the their communities, looking at potential rebuild options for the Royal Preston Infirmary, the Lancaster Royal Infirmary and Furness General Hospital.

The two neighbouring trusts have been, and continue to, work in close collaboration to develop different options for how to proceed that represent the best outcome for the area as a whole, which may include an option for two separate hospitals. These plans are in the early stage of their development and when developed further, will be subject to public consultation as an integral part in developing the collective and cohesive strategy.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have produced guidance for different organisational sectors aimed at making their workplaces COVID-19-secure; this includes specific guidance for the performing arts, which is available at GOV.UK.

When and where national and local restrictions permit the opening of theatres and concert halls, performers must wear a face covering at all times other than when in the course of their employment or in the course of providing their services, for example during rehearsals and performances. Members of the public in these venues must wear face coverings; as must staff in indoor areas where they are likely to come into contact with customers.

The Government will keep the face covering regulations under review and will take further action if needed.

The document ‘Exercise Cygnus Report: Tier One Command Post Exercise Pandemic Influenza 18 to 20 October 2016’, published on 20 October 2020, is the complete report of the exercise setting out all the lessons identified.

The Radiotherapy Dataset does not collect data on delayed or cancelled radiotherapy treatments relating to COVID-19 or have a count of patients who may be in a cancer treatment backlog.

The Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Transformation Programme for Lancashire and South Cumbria has as its goal to define an integrated emotional and mental health offer for 0-25 year olds. The initial phase of the programme has resulted in a redesigned model of emotional and mental health services based on the THRIVE model for 0-19 year olds, which has been co-produced with service users and carers. Phased implementation of this model is planned to begin from February 2021.

From April 2021, the intention is to commence work to define the offer for 0-25 year olds that reaches across mental health services for children, young people and young adults, providing an integrated approach across health, social care, education and the voluntary sector.

Public Health England was commissioned by the Department to organise, deliver and evaluate Exercise Cygnus. ‘Exercise Cygnus Report: Tier One Command Post Exercise Pandemic Influenza 18 to 20 October 2016’, published on 20 October 2020, is the complete report of the exercise setting out all the lessons identified.

The Government does not routinely publish reports on exercises. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a degree of public interest in the report of Exercise Cygnus.

Prior to publishing the report on Exercise Cygnus and its outcomes, the Department engaged with officials from a range of Government departments and agencies to determine whether publication during the current pandemic was in the public interest. The Department took a cautious approach to publication because of the risk that the response to the current pandemic could be negatively impacted.

NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England are jointly developing a Radiotherapy Data Set (RTDS) Partnership which will be a multi-year agreement to use and enhance the RTDS so that it supports both radiotherapy networks and NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve services and quality. The partnership has a number of workstreams including improving data reporting; developing data to support reductions in variations in access and support clinical care excellence; and developing the knowledge base on outcomes relating to innovative and specialist radiotherapy treatments.

A variety of aggregated data and analyses of the RTDS are available at the following link:

https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/radiotherapy

The Government accepted all 22 recommendations of Exercise Cygnus and actions have been taken forward on all them as part of our pandemic preparedness plans, working across Government and with stakeholders. Specifically, these actions included:

- working across the whole of Government and with the devolved administrations to develop draft legislation to support the response to a future influenza pandemic; and

- improving plans within health and care sectors to flex systems and resources to expand beyond normal capacity levels.

Due to the nature of Exercise Cygnus, we have no plans to publish further details of how and when these actions have been taken forward as releasing the information could prejudice the safeguarding of national security.

Future National Health Service capital funding will be determined as part of the Department’s multi-year settlement at the next Spending Review.

Future National Health Service capital funding will be determined as part of the Department’s multi-year settlement at the next Spending Review.

NHS England is committed to monitoring cancer waiting times on a provider level and publishes monthly statistics on cancer waiting times and treatments. These can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Restoring full operation of all cancer services is a key commitment of the COVID-19 response, as set out in NHS England’s letters dated 10 June and 31 July 2020 at the following links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/second-phase-of-nhs-response-to-covid-19-for-cancer-services/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/07/20200731-Phase-3-letter-final-1.pdf

In July 2020, 95.1% of patients with a decision to treat a first treatment of cancer received treatment within 31 days.

Since 13 June, single adult households - in other words adults who live alone or with dependent children only - can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to spend time together inside each other’s homes, including overnight, without needing to stay two metres apart.

From 4 July people can meet in groups of up to two households (a support bubble counts as one household) in any location - public or private, indoors or outdoors, in any setting and this includes staying overnight. All those in a support bubble can spend time together inside each other’s homes and can act as if they live in the same household.

People in a support bubble do not need to observe social distancing guidelines when they spend time with each other but should limit indoor meetings so are only meeting one other household at a time, in addition to a support bubble (if they have one). There is no limit on the size of either household.

Since 13 June, single adult households - in other words adults who live alone or with dependent children only - can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to spend time together inside each other’s homes, including overnight, without needing to stay two metres apart.

From 4 July people can meet in groups of up to two households (a support bubble counts as one household) in any location - public or private, indoors or outdoors, in any setting and this includes staying overnight. All those in a support bubble can spend time together inside each other’s homes and can act as if they live in the same household.

People in a support bubble do not need to observe social distancing guidelines when they spend time with each other but should limit indoor meetings so are only meeting one other household at a time, in addition to a support bubble (if they have one). There is no limit on the size of either household.

Since 13 June, single adult households - in other words adults who live alone or with dependent children only - can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to spend time together inside each other’s homes, including overnight, without needing to stay two metres apart.

From 4 July people can meet in groups of up to two households (a support bubble counts as one household) in any location - public or private, indoors or outdoors, in any setting and this includes staying overnight. All those in a support bubble can spend time together inside each other’s homes and can act as if they live in the same household.

People in a support bubble do not need to observe social distancing guidelines when they spend time with each other but should limit indoor meetings so are only meeting one other household at a time, in addition to a support bubble (if they have one). There is no limit on the size of either household.

The data requested is not currently available.

NHS England and NHS Improvement expect that all radiotherapy providers will be able to deliver Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy to treat non-small cell lung cancer as well as lung, lymph node and non-spine bone oligometastatic disease by March 2021.

As set out in the ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan’ published on 10 April, we have taken a centralised approach to the procurement of PPE, to limit the potential for different parts of the health and social care sector to compete against each other and push prices up further

The Government has set up a cross-Government PPE sourcing unit, now staffed by over 400 people, to secure new supply lines from across the world and has published rigorous standards against which purchases will be made.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of civil servants working on development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine because it is a cross-Government effort, covering all aspects of vaccine development and delivery, and includes people from a wide range of departments and organisations, led by the new Vaccines Taskforce.

This includes, but is not limited to, civil servants in the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for International Development, Her Majesty’s Treasury and Cabinet Office. This is in addition to people in the Medical Research Council looking at early stage Research and Development, the National Institute for Health Research supporting clinical trials, the Office for Life Sciences on working with industry, and those in Public Health England working on areas such as vaccine procurement, contracting, and training.

Mental health support is currently available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for National Health Service and social care staff. All keyworkers, including NHS and social care staff, can access ‘Our Frontline’. ‘Our Frontline’ is a collaboration of charities providing 24 hours a day, seven days a week one-to-one mental health support, via call or text, from a trained respondent.

NHS and social care staff can also access a free wellbeing support helpline, available 7am-11pm, providing emotional support and onward signposting to specialist financial advice, bereavement care and coaching. If health and care staff call outside of these hours, they will be able to speak confidentially to a Samaritans volunteer.

The pursuit of safe and effective COVID-19 treatments is a cross-Government effort from people in UK Research and Innovation looking at early stage research and development, to those in the National Institute for Health Research supporting clinical trials, and the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England overseeing medicine supply, manufacturing and procurement strategies.

The Therapeutics Taskforce is driving forward, expediting and co-ordinating efforts to research, produce and distribute safe and effective COVID-19 treatments to patients as soon as possible.

We estimate that there are at least 50 civil servants (27.4 full-time equivalents) working across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and PHE on the development and deployment of treatments for COVID-19. It is not possible to segregate this figure for anti-viral drugs only.

COVID-19 is a new disease and we are continually reviewing the emerging scientific evidence.

Due to a lack of evidence around how COVID-19 may affect pregnant women, we, as a precaution, encourage pregnant women to carefully follow social distancing advice and to have an individual discussion with their employers about their working arrangements.

We have discussed, and will continue to discuss, the evidence around COVID-19 and pregnancy with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other experts.

We recognise that it is important for women to consider their own individual circumstances with their obstetrician or midwife and with their employer in terms of safely managing their pregnancy and work environment.

We have established a web portal for manufacturers of tests from any country to register their interest in supplying COVID-19 tests to the United Kingdom. Through our work in Pillar 5 on the UK Industrial Strategy, we are supporting a number of earlier-stage UK-based companies to develop their clinical evidence bases, obtain regulatory approval, and commercialise their offers.

Once a company registers a test via the online portal, it is reviewed by a panel of clinical experts. The most promising tests are put forward for independent clinical evaluation.

We have published Target Product Profiles for Serology testing, which we continually update, to inform the market of our testing requirements. Through our web portal and crowd sourcing challenge platform, we also flag the types of innovation in Molecular testing that we are trying to identify.

As of 15 May, over 13,000 businesses have contacted the Government with offers of help on supplying personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are related to the manufacture of PPE for the National Health Service and care sectors, a vast majority of which we are taking forward, predominantly from United Kingdom-based companies but also including multinational companies. Some offers were not progressed due to financial and capability considerations.

The Department engages directly with potential manufacturers to qualify and prioritise the opportunity, based on availability of/access to raw supplies, lead-times to manufacture, and other commercial considerations. Product prototypes are submitted to a Technical Product Review process, to ensure they meet essential health, safety and quality standards for PPE. Financial due diligence and fraud prevention measures are also undertaken, after which the Department can contract with the manufacturer.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s efforts to secure sufficient PPE and ensure this gets to where it is needed. He is also driving forward coordination of the end-to-end process design and manufacture of new domestic PPE supplies. As at 15 May, the Department has entered into contract and placed orders with eight manufacturers to provide millions of items of PPE products to the National Health Service and carers. Details of this work can be found in the links below. The volumes will increase in the coming weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-items-of-ppe-for-frontline-staff-from-new-business-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/70-million-face-masks-for-nhs-and-care-workers-through-new-industry-deal

As of 15 May, over 13,000 businesses have contacted the Government with offers of help on supplying personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are related to the manufacture of PPE for the National Health Service and care sectors, a vast majority of which we are taking forward, predominantly from United Kingdom-based companies but also including multinational companies. Some offers were not progressed due to financial and capability considerations.

The Department engages directly with potential manufacturers to qualify and prioritise the opportunity, based on availability of/access to raw supplies, lead-times to manufacture, and other commercial considerations. Product prototypes are submitted to a Technical Product Review process, to ensure they meet essential health, safety and quality standards for PPE. Financial due diligence and fraud prevention measures are also undertaken, after which the Department can contract with the manufacturer.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s efforts to secure sufficient PPE and ensure this gets to where it is needed. He is also driving forward coordination of the end-to-end process design and manufacture of new domestic PPE supplies. As at 15 May, the Department has entered into contract and placed orders with eight manufacturers to provide millions of items of PPE products to the National Health Service and carers. Details of this work can be found in the links below. The volumes will increase in the coming weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-items-of-ppe-for-frontline-staff-from-new-business-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/70-million-face-masks-for-nhs-and-care-workers-through-new-industry-deal

As of 15 May, over 13,000 businesses have contacted the Government with offers of help on supplying personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are related to the manufacture of PPE for the National Health Service and care sectors, a vast majority of which we are taking forward, predominantly from United Kingdom-based companies but also including multinational companies. Some offers were not progressed due to financial and capability considerations.

The Department engages directly with potential manufacturers to qualify and prioritise the opportunity, based on availability of/access to raw supplies, lead-times to manufacture, and other commercial considerations. Product prototypes are submitted to a Technical Product Review process, to ensure they meet essential health, safety and quality standards for PPE. Financial due diligence and fraud prevention measures are also undertaken, after which the Department can contract with the manufacturer.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s efforts to secure sufficient PPE and ensure this gets to where it is needed. He is also driving forward coordination of the end-to-end process design and manufacture of new domestic PPE supplies. As at 15 May, the Department has entered into contract and placed orders with eight manufacturers to provide millions of items of PPE products to the National Health Service and carers. Details of this work can be found in the links below. The volumes will increase in the coming weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-items-of-ppe-for-frontline-staff-from-new-business-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/70-million-face-masks-for-nhs-and-care-workers-through-new-industry-deal

As of 15 May, over 13,000 businesses have contacted the Government with offers of help on supplying personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are related to the manufacture of PPE for the National Health Service and care sectors, a vast majority of which we are taking forward, predominantly from United Kingdom-based companies but also including multinational companies. Some offers were not progressed due to financial and capability considerations.

The Department engages directly with potential manufacturers to qualify and prioritise the opportunity, based on availability of/access to raw supplies, lead-times to manufacture, and other commercial considerations. Product prototypes are submitted to a Technical Product Review process, to ensure they meet essential health, safety and quality standards for PPE. Financial due diligence and fraud prevention measures are also undertaken, after which the Department can contract with the manufacturer.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s efforts to secure sufficient PPE and ensure this gets to where it is needed. He is also driving forward coordination of the end-to-end process design and manufacture of new domestic PPE supplies. As at 15 May, the Department has entered into contract and placed orders with eight manufacturers to provide millions of items of PPE products to the National Health Service and carers. Details of this work can be found in the links below. The volumes will increase in the coming weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-items-of-ppe-for-frontline-staff-from-new-business-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/70-million-face-masks-for-nhs-and-care-workers-through-new-industry-deal

As of 15 May, over 13,000 businesses have contacted the Government with offers of help on supplying personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are related to the manufacture of PPE for the National Health Service and care sectors, a vast majority of which we are taking forward, predominantly from United Kingdom-based companies but also including multinational companies. Some offers were not progressed due to financial and capability considerations.

The Department engages directly with potential manufacturers to qualify and prioritise the opportunity, based on availability of/access to raw supplies, lead-times to manufacture, and other commercial considerations. Product prototypes are submitted to a Technical Product Review process, to ensure they meet essential health, safety and quality standards for PPE. Financial due diligence and fraud prevention measures are also undertaken, after which the Department can contract with the manufacturer.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s efforts to secure sufficient PPE and ensure this gets to where it is needed. He is also driving forward coordination of the end-to-end process design and manufacture of new domestic PPE supplies. As at 15 May, the Department has entered into contract and placed orders with eight manufacturers to provide millions of items of PPE products to the National Health Service and carers. Details of this work can be found in the links below. The volumes will increase in the coming weeks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-more-items-of-ppe-for-frontline-staff-from-new-business-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/70-million-face-masks-for-nhs-and-care-workers-through-new-industry-deal

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we arranged to extend our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to smaller social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

In the week beginning 6 April we issued 37 million items of PPE across 38 local resilience Forums LRFs. All LRFs would have received their allocation by 13 April which was made in two drops.

The level of PPE provided to each LRF in the original allocation, was determined by the number of people within each area, adjusted for the number of people aged 70 and over. Over 7 million more items of PPE have been delivered over the last week to the LRFs identified as being in the highest need of resupply. We will continue to make drops of PPE for distribution by the LRFs to meet some priority need until the new e-commerce solution is operational.

We are monitoring stock levels and usage and working to restock some LRFs with the most urgent clinical need. It is important that LRFs return their data reports to help us identify those in need of an urgent restock.

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we arranged to extend our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to smaller social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

In the week beginning 6 April we issued 37 million items of PPE across 38 local resilience Forums LRFs. All LRFs would have received their allocation by 13 April which was made in two drops.

The level of PPE provided to each LRF in the original allocation, was determined by the number of people within each area, adjusted for the number of people aged 70 and over. Over 7 million more items of PPE have been delivered over the last week to the LRFs identified as being in the highest need of resupply. We will continue to make drops of PPE for distribution by the LRFs to meet some priority need until the new e-commerce solution is operational.

We are monitoring stock levels and usage and working to restock some LRFs with the most urgent clinical need. It is important that LRFs return their data reports to help us identify those in need of an urgent restock.

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we arranged to extend our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to smaller social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

In the week beginning 6 April we issued 37 million items of PPE across 38 local resilience Forums LRFs. All LRFs would have received their allocation by 13 April which was made in two drops.

The level of PPE provided to each LRF in the original allocation, was determined by the number of people within each area, adjusted for the number of people aged 70 and over. Over 7 million more items of PPE have been delivered over the last week to the LRFs identified as being in the highest need of resupply. We will continue to make drops of PPE for distribution by the LRFs to meet some priority need until the new e-commerce solution is operational.

We are monitoring stock levels and usage and working to restock some LRFs with the most urgent clinical need. It is important that LRFs return their data reports to help us identify those in need of an urgent restock.

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we arranged to extend our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to smaller social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

In the week beginning 6 April we issued 37 million items of PPE across 38 local resilience Forums LRFs. All LRFs would have received their allocation by 13 April which was made in two drops.

The level of PPE provided to each LRF in the original allocation, was determined by the number of people within each area, adjusted for the number of people aged 70 and over. Over 7 million more items of PPE have been delivered over the last week to the LRFs identified as being in the highest need of resupply. We will continue to make drops of PPE for distribution by the LRFs to meet some priority need until the new e-commerce solution is operational.

We are monitoring stock levels and usage and working to restock some LRFs with the most urgent clinical need. It is important that LRFs return their data reports to help us identify those in need of an urgent restock.

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we arranged to extend our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to smaller social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

In the week beginning 6 April we issued 37 million items of PPE across 38 local resilience Forums LRFs. All LRFs would have received their allocation by 13 April which was made in two drops.

The level of PPE provided to each LRF in the original allocation, was determined by the number of people within each area, adjusted for the number of people aged 70 and over. Over 7 million more items of PPE have been delivered over the last week to the LRFs identified as being in the highest need of resupply. We will continue to make drops of PPE for distribution by the LRFs to meet some priority need until the new e-commerce solution is operational.

We are monitoring stock levels and usage and working to restock some LRFs with the most urgent clinical need. It is important that LRFs return their data reports to help us identify those in need of an urgent restock.

The Government is working rapidly to increase the number of tests that can be conducted by Public Health England and the National Health Service in laboratories. Key worker tests are starting, with hundreds of staff to be tested. This test, for NHS frontline workers, which will confirm whether or not an individual has COVID-19, will make a huge difference to the ability of frontline staff to do their job and to overall capacity.

As of 14 April, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak we have delivered over 923 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to 58,000 different health and care settings including National Health Service trusts, general practitioners, pharmacies and community providers. This includes:

- 173 million masks;

- 163 million aprons;

- 1.3 million gowns; and

- 440 million pairs of gloves.

We have provided PPE equipment to over 26,000 care homes including home care and hospices across the country. Over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, over 48 million PPE items have been delivered.

We are working around the clock to give the NHS and the wider social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. We have brought together the NHS, industry and the armed forces to create a new nationwide PPE distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to those who need it.

We have a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline for those experiencing supply disruption with business as usual ordering channels. Where there may be any shortages, we act on this immediately. Local Resilience Forums are also supporting care homes, hospices, home care and primary care in getting hold of PPE equipment.

Preserving the health, safety and wellbeing of staff is critical as we respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. National Health Service and social care workers over 70 should only be self-isolating if they have symptoms or are in the extremely vulnerable category.

However, people over the age of 70 are advised to minimise social contact where possible.

For staff members in this category, the NHS will support staff to stay well and at work. NHS and social care organisations should make adjustments to enable this wherever possible. Adjustments may include working remotely or moving to a lower risk area.

The following tables show counts of finished delivery episodes for Westmorland General Hospital, Lancaster Royal Infirmary and Furness General Hospital site of treatment, for the years 2009-10 to 2018-19.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital

In October 2019, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust was awarded £34 million funding to improve buildings and infrastructure. This includes at Westmorland General Hospital, where the volume of day surgery work will be increasing. Two new surgical operating theatres are being built, as well as a refurbishment of the existing operating theatres.

In addition the Helme Chase maternity unit will also undergo modernisation this year. Plans are still being developed but are likely to include relocating some clinical activity conveniently close to the main hospital entrance, and relocating some internal administrative departments and patient record areas within the hospital. Neither of these will affect the service offered to patients.

In 2019, the Government launched a new Health Infrastructure Plan which includes £100 million to support 21 major projects (covering 34 hospitals) develop their schemes to be delivered in a second phase of major hospital rebuilds (HIP2), as part of our plan to build 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years. This includes £5 million for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. This business case development will include review of service delivery and opportunities for improvements in infrastructure across the Morecambe Bay, including Westmorland General Hospital.

Future National Health Service capital funding will be provided for as part of the Department’s multi-year settlement at the next capital review.

In October 2019, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust was awarded £34 million funding to improve buildings and infrastructure. This includes at Westmorland General Hospital, where the volume of day surgery work will be increasing. Two new surgical operating theatres are being built, as well as a refurbishment of the existing operating theatres.

In addition the Helme Chase maternity unit will also undergo modernisation this year. Plans are still being developed but are likely to include relocating some clinical activity conveniently close to the main hospital entrance, and relocating some internal administrative departments and patient record areas within the hospital. Neither of these will affect the service offered to patients.

In 2019, the Government launched a new Health Infrastructure Plan which includes £100 million to support 21 major projects (covering 34 hospitals) develop their schemes to be delivered in a second phase of major hospital rebuilds (HIP2), as part of our plan to build 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years. This includes £5 million for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust. This business case development will include review of service delivery and opportunities for improvements in infrastructure across the Morecambe Bay, including Westmorland General Hospital.

Future National Health Service capital funding will be provided for as part of the Department’s multi-year settlement at the next capital review.

Westmorland General Hospital has seen many changes to improve patient care and experience over the last 10 years including:

- The refurbishment and expansion of the Cardiac Lab;

- A new DEXA (Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) scanner facility;

- The development of a Breast Screening Unit;

- The refurbishment of one of the Theatres;

- Improvements to the layout of the Urgent Treatment Centre;

- The opening of a new Oncology day unit;

- The development of the Endoscopy Unit to make it JAG (Joint Advisory Group) accredited;

- A new café in the entrance of the hospital;

- New LED lighting throughout the hospital;

- Improvements to radiology rooms and reception;

- A new water purification system for the Renal Unit;

- A new unit for muscular skeletal therapy; and

- A new unit for macular care.

Official statistics for elective waiting times, known as Referral to Treatment (RTT), are fully compliant with the Statistical Code of Practice (that is, they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value) and are designated as National Statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

The Department receives assurance from NHS England on the accuracy of hospital waiting times. NHS England currently collects and publishes the monthly national waiting times data, carrying out aggregate-level validation checks. Where issues are identified at provider-level, NHS England will work with providers to ensure data errors are rectified. The Standard Contract put in place by NHS England obliges providers to comply with national information standards and data submission requirements. All trust annual governance statements from April 2015 must include an explicit statement on how the trust will assure waiting time data quality, accuracy and risks.

NHS England update RTT recording and reporting guidance when changes are required. The last update was August 2017 and an update is planned by NHS England for the start of 2020/21. New data on waiting times is published every month at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2019-20/

There is also general guidance available on waiting times on the NHS England web page at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/hospitals/guide-to-nhs-waiting-times-in-england/

Official statistics for elective waiting times, known as Referral to Treatment (RTT), are fully compliant with the Statistical Code of Practice (that is, they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value) and are designated as National Statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

The Department receives assurance from NHS England on the accuracy of hospital waiting times. NHS England currently collects and publishes the monthly national waiting times data, carrying out aggregate-level validation checks. Where issues are identified at provider-level, NHS England will work with providers to ensure data errors are rectified. The Standard Contract put in place by NHS England obliges providers to comply with national information standards and data submission requirements. All trust annual governance statements from April 2015 must include an explicit statement on how the trust will assure waiting time data quality, accuracy and risks.

NHS England update RTT recording and reporting guidance when changes are required. The last update was August 2017 and an update is planned by NHS England for the start of 2020/21. New data on waiting times is published every month at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2019-20/

There is also general guidance available on waiting times on the NHS England web page at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/hospitals/guide-to-nhs-waiting-times-in-england/

Currently no estimate has been made.

In October 2015, NHS England committed to investing £130 million to fund the modernisation of radiotherapy across England. This has ensured that older linear accelerators (LINACs - radiotherapy machines) being used by hospitals are being upgraded or replaced, giving cancer patients access to the latest leading edge technology regardless of where they live. Over 80 machines have been replaced or upgraded.

No estimate has been made.

This information is not held centrally.

NHS England produced a stocktake, which included age, of linear accelerators in full clinical use in 2016 as part of the Equipment Modernisation programme, which enabled 80 machines to be replaced or upgraded. Further work to update this stocktake is underway to reflect both the impact of the Equipment Modernisation programme and any local changes.

This information is not available in the format requested.

It is intended that the specialist eating disorder service in South Cumbria, which will include one to one and family-based therapies, will commence in April 2020. This is dependant on a number of factors, including consultation with existing staff and recruitment of new staff.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits to the National Health Service developing comprehensive crisis pathways so that 24 hour, age appropriate mental health crisis care is available across England, via NHS 111, by 2023/24.

The information is not held centrally in the format requested.

The prevention of further human rights violations against the Rohingya remains a priority for the British Government. It is our view that further violations can only be prevented by addressing the underlying causes of the crisis, specifically through the implementation of the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission and through ensuring there is accountability for the atrocities that took place. We continue to engage the Myanmar Government and regional governments on these issues. In October 2019, Baroness Sugg during her visit to Myanmar raised with ministers the plight of refugees and pushed for faster progress with the remaining Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations. The UK has also shone a spotlight on violations by the Myanmar military by co-sponsoring resolutions on Myanmar at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2019, and at the UN General Assembly in December 2019.

The Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) is intended to encourage investment into social enterprises. Since 2014, about 110 social enterprises and trading charities have used the scheme, raising £11.2 million.

The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review in order to ensure they continue to meet policy objectives and represent value for money for taxpayers. The Government committed to a full review of SITR within two years of its expansion, and published a Call for Evidence last year on the use of the scheme to date. A Summary of Responses will be published in due course alongside a decision on the policy’s future.

Under current VAT rules, the installation of water and wind turbines is subject to the standard rate of VAT. However, the installation of other energy saving materials that generate domestic energy, such as solar panels and micro combined heat and power units, are subject to the reduced rate of VAT when certain conditions are met.

Although there are no current plans to extend the scope of the relief already in place, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Under current VAT rules, the installation of water and wind turbines is subject to the standard rate of VAT. However, the installation of other energy saving materials that generate domestic energy, such as solar panels and micro combined heat and power units, are subject to the reduced rate of VAT when certain conditions are met.

Although there are no current plans to extend the scope of the relief already in place, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

The decision to furlough an employee must ultimately be agreed to by both the employer and employee. If an employee is concerned that their employer is not claiming on their behalf, they should speak with their employer in the first instance, then with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Where it is permitted and does not go against public health guidance, businesses may wish to ask their employees to continue working as usual. Maintaining economic activity where possible will help towards creating a robust economic recovery as the UK emerges from this pandemic.

The Government seeks, as far as possible, to protect people’s jobs and incomes. This is an unprecedented jobs retention scheme and the Government has been working hard to set out further details on the scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 19 March 2020. Full details can be found in the guidance available at www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme, which provides answers to these questions.

The decision to furlough an employee must ultimately be agreed to by both the employer and employee. If an employee is concerned that their employer is not claiming on their behalf, they should speak with their employer in the first instance, and then with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Where it is permitted and does not go against public health guidance, businesses may wish to ask their employees to continue working as usual. Maintaining economic activity where possible will help economic recovery as the UK emerges from this pandemic.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is designed to help firms that have been severely affected by coronavirus to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. The scheme is open to all UK employers providing they have created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020 and have a UK bank account. Employers do not need to place all their employees on furlough.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme does not subsidise part-time work. It is designed to support individuals who would otherwise have been made redundant and it also protects public health by minimising the number of non-key workers outside of their homes on a regular basis. The Government has strengthened the welfare system to support those whose hours change, including an increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and the working tax credit basic element.

Insurance is not an appropriate product where a risk has already materialised, or where it is overwhelmingly likely that a risk will occur. For this reason, where businesses did not already have an appropriate policy that covers government-ordered closure or unspecified notifiable diseases, insurance is not a suitable tool for the Government to cover the financial losses due to COVID-19.

The Government recognises that businesses who do not have appropriate insurance cover will require support from elsewhere. That is why the Chancellor set out a package of support in the Budget, on 17 March, and on 20 March, which includes measures such as business rates holidays, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and wage support.

The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector about its contribution to handling this unprecedented situation.

In addition, the Chancellor has made clear that, for those businesses which have an appropriate policy covering pandemics, the Government’s medical advice of 16 March is sufficient to allow businesses to make a claim against their insurance, provided the other terms and conditions in their policy are met. We recognise that most businesses have not purchased insurance that covers pandemic-related losses. Any affected businesses should note the government’s full package of support.

The FCA’s rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim, and appropriate information on its progress; not

reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed.

The Business Secretary will write to all Local Authorities by the end of the week with information on the small business grant scheme, and to encourage them to prepare to deliver this quickly. Detailed guidance for Local Authorities will follow by 1st April, and Local Authorities will then write to all eligible businesses with information on how to claim this grant.

We will give small businesses in the retail, hospitality or leisure sectors a higher grant of £25,000 per business if they have a property that has a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000. Properties in those sectors with a rateable value of £15,000 or less will receive a £10,000 grant even if they are not eligible for small business rates relief. It will be administered in the same way as the small business grant scheme.

The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses and individuals affected by Covid-19, and remains committed to doing whatever it takes to support the economy as necessary.

UK VAT registered businesses, including charities, can defer VAT payments due with their VAT returns between now and the end of June. No UK VAT registered business will have to make a VAT payment alongside their VAT return to HMRC in that period. They will have until the end of the financial year to repay.

The Government will also give all eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England a 100% business rates holiday for the next 12 months. The Government also extended the support available to individuals and businesses, including a package of government-backed and guaranteed loans, which make available an initial £330 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of GDP.

For Income Tax Self-Assessment, payments due on the 31st of July 2020 will be deferred until the 31st of January 2021.

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, employers (including charities) can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500 a month, providing they keep the worker employed. They will receive the grant from HMRC, covering the cost of wages backdated to 1 March 2020.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be available for those unable to work because they are self-isolating in line with government advice; this is on top of the Prime Minister’s announcement that SSP will be payable from day 1 instead of day 4 for affected individuals. Support will be available through Universal Credit and Contributory Employment and Support Allowance for those not eligible for SSP.

HMRC have scaled up their Time to Pay offer to all taxpayers, including charities, who are in temporary financial distress as a result of Covid-19 and have outstanding tax liabilities. Taxpayers can contact HMRC’s dedicated Covid-19 helpline to get practical help and advice on 0800 0159 559.

The Chancellor will continue to review and make further announcements as events unfold if required.

Banks and building societies are ready and able to support consumers impacted by COVID-19. On 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling. This will enable affected borrowers to more easily defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months. Customers who are concerned about the current financial situation should get in touch with their lender at the earliest possible opportunity. The benefits system is ready to assist renters with their housing costs if they find their incomes disrupted by coronavirus.

Following urgent discussions with the banking industry, the mortgage payment holiday of up to 3 months announced on 17 March will be extended to landlords whose tenants are experiencing difficulty due to coronavirus. Lenders have also agreed to a three-month moratorium on residential and buy to let possession action to start immediately to provide customers with reassurance that they will not have their homes repossessed at this difficult time.

The government has announced that to further protect renters, emergency legislation will be taken forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. At the end of this period, landlords and tenants will be expected to work together to establish an affordable repayment plan, taking into account the tenant’s individual circumstances.

The Chancellor also announced tax cuts of nearly £20bn for British businesses. Budget announced that eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, with a rateable value of less than £51,000, would pay no business rates this year. The Chancellor’s announcement of 17 March goes further and provides those businesses an additional cash grant of up to £25,000 per business. It also extends the business rates holiday to all eligible properties in those sectors, irrespective of rateable value, so that all businesses in retail, hospitality or leisure will pay no business rates for 12 months.

Budget announced government will provide £3,000 grants to 700,000 SMEs. This grant is now increased to £10,000.

We expect the highest standards from our providers, who are expected to conduct regular checks across the accommodation estate. The Home Office have access to providers’ systems to monitor compliance.

Throughout the pandemic, the ability to inspect accommodation in the usual way has faced some understandable logistical challenges, however we have robust systems in place to monitor and ensure continued accordance with the high standards of service we and those we accommodate expect.

Asylum seekers can also raise specific issues or concerns about their accommodation through the 24/7 Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service operated by Migrant Help. The Home Office and our providers receive feedback on complaints raised through our regular dialogue with Migrant Help, which enables attention to be focussed on any areas of concern.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC) have a robust performance management system, against which providers are expected to deliver. Where performance falls short of the required standard, failures are recorded and can result in the award of points and, ultimately, service credits being applied. Providers’ performance is monitored closely by dedicated staff in each contract area, who are in daily contact with them.

This is supplemented by a formal governance process which includes quarterly Strategic Review Management Boards and monthly Contract Management Groups. Service credits and subsequent improvement plans are discussed and monitored as part of this process.

We expect the highest standards from our providers, who are expected to conduct regular checks across the accommodation estate. The Home Office have access to providers’ systems to monitor compliance.

Throughout the pandemic, the ability to inspect accommodation in the usual way has faced some understandable logistical challenges, however we have robust systems in place to monitor and ensure continued accordance with the high standards of service we and those we accommodate expect.

Asylum seekers can also raise specific issues or concerns about their accommodation through the 24/7 Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service operated by Migrant Help. The Home Office and our providers receive feedback on complaints raised through our regular dialogue with Migrant Help, which enables attention to be focussed on any areas of concern.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts (AASC) have a robust performance management system, against which providers are expected to deliver. Where performance falls short of the required standard, failures are recorded and can result in the award of points and, ultimately, service credits being applied. Providers’ performance is monitored closely by dedicated staff in each contract area, who are in daily contact with them.

This is supplemented by a formal governance process which includes quarterly Strategic Review Management Boards and monthly Contract Management Groups. Service credits and subsequent improvement plans are discussed and monitored as part of this process.

A draft ethical decision-making model has been produced and this is now being tested with different teams across the Home Office.

The sites at Penally and Napier are being used to accommodate single, adult males. All asylum seekers are subject to an initial screening process by UK Visas and Immigration, which includes security and safeguarding checks and we are taking great care to ensure that those with identified vulnerabilities are moved to appropriate accommodation. We will also take swift action in relation to any new safeguarding issues that emerge (for example the identification of previously unknown vulnerabilities).

Further checks are made, to confirm suitability for transfer to the accommodation, before individuals are moved to sites and asylum seekers will be briefed by the accommodation provider in advance of their move.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications and initial decisions on applications are published in table Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets, which include a breakdown on unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) and year of application or initial decision.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate up to September 2020. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.

Immigration Statistics will be updated on February 25^th 2021 which will include data up to December 2020.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

In line with Wendy Williams’ recommendation, the Home Office has commissioned the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) to undertake an independent review of the Home Office complaints system and provide advice on improvements.

The Home Office is also looking at the roles of Independent Complaints Examiners in other government departments. We will provide an update on next steps in due course.

As outlined in the Comprehensive Improvement Plan on 30 September 2020, the Home Office is consulting with the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group on how best to advance this recommendation to ensure the function works independently and effectively.

The Windrush Cross-Government Working Group brings together key stakeholders and community leaders with representatives from a number of government departments.

This Government has made it clear that we are embarking on an ambitious programme to fix our broken asylum system to make it firm and fair. As the Home Secretary said in her Conservative Party Conference speech, we will seek to stop abuse of the system while ensuring it is compassionate towards those who need our help, welcoming people through safe and legal routes.

Section 3 of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 (the Act) sets out a statutory obligation to review the ways in which protection claimants, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), who are in an EU member state are able to enter the United Kingdom lawfully. As a part of this review, the statutory obligation includes a public consultation on legal routes for UASC in the EU seeking to join family in the UK.

The Act includes a requirement to lay a statement before Parliament by 10 February 2021 providing further details of the review and consultation.

This Government has made it clear that we are embarking on an ambitious programme to fix our broken asylum system to make it firm and fair. As the Home Secretary said in her Conservative Party Conference speech, we will seek to stop abuse of the system while ensuring it is compassionate towards those who need our help, welcoming people through safe and legal routes.

Section 3 of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020 (the Act) sets out a statutory obligation to review the ways in which protection claimants, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), who are in an EU member state are able to enter the United Kingdom lawfully. As a part of this review, the statutory obligation includes a public consultation on legal routes for UASC in the EU seeking to join family in the UK.

The Act includes a requirement to lay a statement before Parliament by 10 February 2021 providing further details of the review and consultation.

The new Immigration Rules make provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping. The new rule will apply on a discretionary basis to non-EEA citizens from 1 December 2020 and to newly arriving EEA citizens from 1 January 2021. The provision will be used sparingly and only where individuals have repeatedly refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.

A person is expected to leave the UK if their leave is cancelled or refused. If they do not choose to leave voluntarily we may enforce their removal. They will not be subject to deportation action which is reserved for foreign national offenders with serious and persistent criminality as well as for reasons of national security.

The Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, operated by Migrant Help is a single integrated and national service for asylum seekers.

The AIRE service will provide advice and guidance to service users on the asylum process, their rights and signposting different services.

It will also provide asylum seekers with a single point of contact, independent from the accommodation providers and the Home Office, to report issues.

AIRE are contracted to provide information on the availability of legal advice and representation and signposting of Service User’s to the Legal Aid Agency, where appropriate upon induction into temporary accommodation.

We are working with Migrant Help to pilot additional measures for legal aid signposting in temporary accommodation, including Napier and Penally.

The new Immigration Rules make provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping. The new rule will apply on a discretionary basis to non-EEA citizens from 1 December 2020 and to newly arriving EEA citizens from 1 January 2021. The provision will be used sparingly and only where individuals have repeatedly refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.

A person is expected to leave the UK if their leave is cancelled or refused. If they do not choose to leave voluntarily we may enforce their removal. They will not be subject to deportation action which is reserved for foreign national offenders with serious and persistent criminality as well as for reasons of national security.

As outlined in the Comprehensive Improvement Plan on 30 September 2020, the Home Office will be consulting with the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group on how to take forward the Migrants’ Commissioner role.

The Working Group brings together key stakeholders and community leaders with representatives from a number of government departments, to support the delivery of solutions for the Windrush generation.

The Home Office is exploring many options to reduce the number of outstanding asylum claims. Alongside seeking temporary resource from within the Home Office and other government departments, we are also exploring with third-party suppliers, through a proof of concept, to test the viability of whether they can deliver the support required as a temporary, short term measure. Asylum interviews have not been outsourced.

At this stage we are only exploring the potential feasibility of using third party resource to support asylum interviewing, however the name of the third-party supplier who is assisting with the proof of concept is commercially sensitive at this stage.

Any future service, beyond a proof of concept, would be subject to an appropriate commercial process subject to any recommendations being agreed to do so. Any future service would increase interview throughput, help rebalance the system, but also speed up decision making, reduce the number of outstanding cases and support costs.

The Home Office will evaluate the success of the proof of concept pilot by conducting an evaluation once we have completed the proof of concept exercise. The evaluation will include a lessons learnt exercise, inform findings and conclusions on any future service requirement.

To ensure external suppliers are suitably equipped to carry out the role, third-party interviewing officers will complete a bespoke training package, delivered by the qualified asylum operations training team, that has been designed specifically to meet their needs. Anyone who conducts asylum interviews receives thorough training to ensure they are fully equipped for the role. The Home Office is not planning to disclose to a claimant if they have been interviewed by a third party rather than a Home Office employee as we expect the experience to equal the existing high standards already in place.

To guarantee governance and accountability, mechanisms are in place for the oversight of third-party interviews, the department has a quality assurance process which assesses the quality of decisions, interviews and the application of Home Office policy.

The Home Office is exploring many options to reduce the number of outstanding asylum claims. Alongside seeking temporary resource from within the Home Office and other government departments, we are also exploring with third-party suppliers, through a proof of concept, to test the viability of whether they can deliver the support required as a temporary, short term measure. Asylum interviews have not been outsourced.

At this stage we are only exploring the potential feasibility of using third party resource to support asylum interviewing, however the name of the third-party supplier who is assisting with the proof of concept is commercially sensitive at this stage.

Any future service, beyond a proof of concept, would be subject to an appropriate commercial process subject to any recommendations being agreed to do so. Any future service would increase interview throughput, help rebalance the system, but also speed up decision making, reduce the number of outstanding cases and support costs.

The Home Office will evaluate the success of the proof of concept pilot by conducting an evaluation once we have completed the proof of concept exercise. The evaluation will include a lessons learnt exercise, inform findings and conclusions on any future service requirement.

To ensure external suppliers are suitably equipped to carry out the role, third-party interviewing officers will complete a bespoke training package, delivered by the qualified asylum operations training team, that has been designed specifically to meet their needs. Anyone who conducts asylum interviews receives thorough training to ensure they are fully equipped for the role. The Home Office is not planning to disclose to a claimant if they have been interviewed by a third party rather than a Home Office employee as we expect the experience to equal the existing high standards already in place.

To guarantee governance and accountability, mechanisms are in place for the oversight of third-party interviews, the department has a quality assurance process which assesses the quality of decisions, interviews and the application of Home Office policy.

All asylum seekers have access at all times to Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE), a single, integrated service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help.

The AIRE service provides advice and guidance to asylum seekers on the asylum process, their rights and signposts different services.

This includes information on the availability of legal advice and representation, including legal aid, upon induction into temporary accommodation.

The Home Office is exploring many options to reduce the number of outstanding asylum claims. Alongside seeking temporary resource from within the Home Office and other government departments, we are also exploring with third-party suppliers, through a proof of concept, to test the viability of whether they can deliver the support required as a temporary, short term measure. Asylum interviews have not been outsourced.

At this stage we are only exploring the potential feasibility of using third party resource to support asylum interviewing, however the name of the third-party supplier who is assisting with the proof of concept is commercially sensitive at this stage.

Any future service, beyond a proof of concept, would be subject to an appropriate commercial process subject to any recommendations being agreed to do so. Any future service would increase interview throughput, help rebalance the system, but also speed up decision making, reduce the number of outstanding cases and support costs.

The Home Office will evaluate the success of the proof of concept pilot by conducting an evaluation once we have completed the proof of concept exercise. The evaluation will include a lessons learnt exercise, inform findings and conclusions on any future service requirement.

To ensure external suppliers are suitably equipped to carry out the role, third-party interviewing officers will complete a bespoke training package, delivered by the qualified asylum operations training team, that has been designed specifically to meet their needs. Anyone who conducts asylum interviews receives thorough training to ensure they are fully equipped for the role. The Home Office is not planning to disclose to a claimant if they have been interviewed by a third party rather than a Home Office employee as we expect the experience to equal the existing high standards already in place.

To guarantee governance and accountability, mechanisms are in place for the oversight of third-party interviews, the department has a quality assurance process which assesses the quality of decisions, interviews and the application of Home Office policy.

The Home Office is exploring many options to reduce the number of outstanding asylum claims. Alongside seeking temporary resource from within the Home Office and other government departments, we are also exploring with third-party suppliers, through a proof of concept, to test the viability of whether they can deliver the support required as a temporary, short term measure. Asylum interviews have not been outsourced.

At this stage we are only exploring the potential feasibility of using third party resource to support asylum interviewing, however the name of the third-party supplier who is assisting with the proof of concept is commercially sensitive at this stage.

Any future service, beyond a proof of concept, would be subject to an appropriate commercial process subject to any recommendations being agreed to do so. Any future service would increase interview throughput, help rebalance the system, but also speed up decision making, reduce the number of outstanding cases and support costs.

The Home Office will evaluate the success of the proof of concept pilot by conducting an evaluation once we have completed the proof of concept exercise. The evaluation will include a lessons learnt exercise, inform findings and conclusions on any future service requirement.

To ensure external suppliers are suitably equipped to carry out the role, third-party interviewing officers will complete a bespoke training package, delivered by the qualified asylum operations training team, that has been designed specifically to meet their needs. Anyone who conducts asylum interviews receives thorough training to ensure they are fully equipped for the role. The Home Office is not planning to disclose to a claimant if they have been interviewed by a third party rather than a Home Office employee as we expect the experience to equal the existing high standards already in place.

To guarantee governance and accountability, mechanisms are in place for the oversight of third-party interviews, the department has a quality assurance process which assesses the quality of decisions, interviews and the application of Home Office policy.

To help reduce the potential spread of Covid 19, in March 2020 the Home Office placed a temporary suspension on the long-standing requirement for fresh asylum claims to be submitted in person in Liverpool. The suspension was brought in as a measure to reduce travel and direct contacts between applicants and officials. It was permitted instead for evidence relating to a fresh claim to be submitted electronically or through the post.

There are no current plans to make the suspension on in-person appointments for fresh asylum claims a permanent arrangement. The situation is kept under regular review, though it is not expected that in-person appointments will resume in the near future.

We take the wellbeing of asylum claimants extremely seriously and have put in place a range of measures to register asylum claims in a safe way for claimants and officials in response to COVID 19.

Asylum in the UK should continue to be sought at the first available opportunity, this means on arrival, at a port of entry. For those who have failed to claim on arrival, or whose circumstances have changed since arrival, can lodge a claim at an in-country location – this is usually by appointment at the Asylum Intake Unit (AIU) in Croydon.

The asylum registration process requires the enrolment of biometrics (photographs and fingerprints) to complete immigration and security checks against Home Office systems. This process requires attendance in person and cannot be undertaken remotely.

The AIU in Croydon has continued operate throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, however in line with Government COVID 19 guidance and restrictions, additional regional locations have been temporarily introduced to ensure asylum seekers are able to safely register their claims. The asylum screening and registration process has been temporarily abridged to minimise in person contact and limit travel required but remains under ongoing review. The AIU and the regional registration locations all facilitate social distancing for the safety of claimants and officials.

Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue. A review of the policy is ongoing, and we are considering the evidence put forward on the issue. The findings of the review will be announced once the work has been completed.

Covid-19 has created both challenges and the opportunity to explore new working practices for the Home Office. Whilst certain documents have been accepted electronically, we consider it is likely we will still need to see certain original document where appropriate in the future.

However, business practices are kept under review and new ways of working which have been implemented to cope with current restrictions, where they have been successful, may be continued beyond the current Covid-19 related restrictions.

There are no plans to change the current application process for Destitute Domestic Violence Concession cases.

Covid-19 has created both challenges and the opportunity to explore new working practices for the Home Office. Whilst certain documents have been accepted electronically, we consider it is likely we will still need to see certain original document where appropriate in the future. However, business practices are kept under review and new ways of working which have been implemented to cope with current restrictions, where they have been successful, may be continued beyond the current Covid-19 related restrictions.

The Home Office has begun to reuse previously enrolled biometrics in limited circumstances where they are suitable for such use. This includes some students who apply for visas under the new points-based immigration system, to manage the specific demand placed on our resources and to free up biometric enrolment facilities for other applicants. We will consider how best to widen our use of previously enrolled biometrics in due course.

There is already published, independent evidence showing that good economic conditions and essential services can create an incentive for people to choose to go to a particular country illegally. This is because it is easier to work under such conditions – and we cannot ignore that access to the labour market is among the reasons that so many people choose to come to the UK illegally, rather than remain in any of the countries through which they transit.

That is why it is important to distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here, who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Our wider policy could be undermined if migrants bypassed work visa Rules by lodging unfounded asylum claims here.

Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue. This is under review; it is crucial we take the time to get this right and we are listening carefully to the arguments and considering the evidence put forward on the issue. The Home Office will be happy to discuss the content of the review once it has been completed.

There is already published, independent evidence showing that good economic conditions and essential services can create an incentive for people to choose to go to a particular country illegally. This is because it is easier to work under such conditions – and we cannot ignore that access to the labour market is among the reasons that so many people choose to come to the UK illegally, rather than remain in any of the countries through which they transit.

That is why it is important to distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here, who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Our wider policy could be undermined if migrants bypassed work visa Rules by lodging unfounded asylum claims here.

Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue. This is under review; it is crucial we take the time to get this right and we are listening carefully to the arguments and considering the evidence put forward on the issue. The Home Office will be happy to discuss the content of the review once it has been completed.

The Home Secretary is considering the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report on Family Reunion Applications and it will be laid in Parliament as soon as possible.

ICIBI reports can only be laid before Parliament when both houses are sitting.

The information requested is not held in a reportable format and could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The information requested is not held in a reportable format and could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.

We take the wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously.

As part of our response to COVID-19, we have introduced regional intake units to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe way that adheres to social distancing guidance and minimises travel.

The introduction of the regional intake units in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds, Solihull and Cardiff, is a temporary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these changes do not represent a new operating model. These are contingency measures put in place to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe manner and ensure those that are at immediate risk of destitution can access support.

Room sharing take place in a number of sectors and is not limited to supported asylum seekers.

There asylum accommodation contracts set out clearly when room sharing can take place and the numbers of people sharing rooms is minimal.

There are currently no plans to end room sharing for unrelated asylum seeking adults.

The decision to suspend the cessation of support will be reviewed before the end of June.

A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations and evictions is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders, which included members of the voluntary and community sector.

Generally, upon receipt of a “positive” cessation a person is given 28 days’ notice and is referred to the Department of Work and Pensions to apply for benefits if they require them and to Local Authorities for housing assistance. During the Covid 19 crisis newly granted refugees have been continuing to receive support and accommodation while their applications to mainstream benefits have been considered.

All people currently accommodated within our accommodation can receive advice on asylum support and have access to our Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) provider, Migrant Help. They can contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day on a freephone number if they need assistance or guidance.

We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.

The decision to suspend the cessation of support will be reviewed before the end of June.

A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations and evictions is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders, which included members of the voluntary and community sector.

Generally, upon receipt of a “positive” cessation a person is given 28 days’ notice and is referred to the Department of Work and Pensions to apply for benefits if they require them and to Local Authorities for housing assistance. During the Covid 19 crisis newly granted refugees have been continuing to receive support and accommodation while their applications to mainstream benefits have been considered.

All people currently accommodated within our accommodation can receive advice on asylum support and have access to our Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) provider, Migrant Help. They can contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day on a freephone number if they need assistance or guidance.

We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.

The decision to suspend the cessation of support will be reviewed before the end of June.

A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations and evictions is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders, which included members of the voluntary and community sector.

Generally, upon receipt of a “positive” cessation a person is given 28 days’ notice and is referred to the Department of Work and Pensions to apply for benefits if they require them and to Local Authorities for housing assistance. During the Covid 19 crisis newly granted refugees have been continuing to receive support and accommodation while their applications to mainstream benefits have been considered.

All people currently accommodated within our accommodation can receive advice on asylum support and have access to our Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) provider, Migrant Help. They can contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day on a freephone number if they need assistance or guidance.

We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.

The Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are in touch regularly about these issues and are keeping the situation under review to consider if further measures are needed.

The Government has provided £1.6 billion of additional funding to local authorities to enable them to respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including stepping up support for the adult social care workforce and for services helping the most vulnerable.

Using the General Power of Competence set out in s.1 Localism Act 2011, local authorities may provide support to a person who is ineligible for assistance due to immigration status.

Additionally, the Home Office has confirmed in light of the pandemic, anyone who would normally cease to be eligible for accommodation because their asylum claim and any appeal has been resolved, is being allowed to remain in their current accommodation for at least the next three months. This applies both to those who have been refused asylum and granted asylum.

All people in asylum accommodation have been provided with guidance and advice on Covid-19 in a language they understand to help them self-isolate, including spotting the symptoms and hygiene guidance.

Asylum Operations have put in place the appropriate measures to safeguard our people and those using our services against the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. We are continuing to make decisions on cases where we have already interviewed the claimant, or we have sufficient information to allow us to make a decision.

We remain committed to ensuring that all asylum seekers are given the opportunity to consult a legal representative, so that those who are seeking protection, can access good quality immigration advice from qualified legal representatives, to ensure their asylum claim is presented properly and in a timely manner.

We will continue to review the situation in light of COVID-19 and our approach may change as things develop further. Asylum Operations may have to limit the services provided, but will seek to ensure the most vulnerable are protected and prioritised.

The Home Office is updating guidance and processes in accordance with Public Health England advice in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak to ensure people can continue to access essential systems.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 16 March, and Public Health England (PHE) advice in relation to COVID-19, Home Office Immigration Enforcement are reviewing the frequency with which people need to report. While this goes ahead, we have temporarily deferred reporting.

We will continue to contact all those who report via SMS text message with details of their future reporting dates and will keep this under review in light of the ongoing situation.

The Extended Area Service (EAS) is a critical part of the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). It will ensure that there is ESN coverage in the most rural and remote parts of Great Britain. The EAS programme consists of 292 masts and delivery is well under way. The EAS network is already being built, where possible, to support commercial operators, and we agree that this proposal is a valuable opportunity to enhance the benefit of Government programmes to deliver improved connectivity across the country.

In respect of the EAS sites in question I can give the following updates:

a. The site in Kentmere is currently in the preliminary build stage. There are existing high voltage overhead power lines in close proximity to the site so we are currently working to divert those prior to start of construction.

The current forecast date for completion of build is August 2020.

b. The site Longsleddale is currently in build and we are forecasting completion by end the of March 2020 with power on site forecasted to be June 2020.

c. The site in Langdale is at a National Trust campsite in Great Langdale and is currently at the acquisition stage. The current build completion forecast is March 2021, providing negotiations around the acquisition of the site remain are completed in good time.

The Home Office is focusing efforts on getting the infrastructure builds completed as quickly as possible. The sites are expected to be activated for ESN purposes closer to the time at which they are required, given that significant operational costs are incurred once the sites are live.

The site in Kentmere will be a lattice structure and will be capable of housing Mobile Network Operators equipment to offer a commercial service once built, however, it is a matter for EE whether they elect to offer a commercial service from the site. The Sites in Longsleddale and Langdale will be monopole structures, due to planning restrictions, and will only offer a commercial service to Mobile Network Operator EE should they wish to activate it.

The primary purpose of the ESN infrastructure planned for Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale is that it will ensure that Britain’s Emergency Services have reliable communications coverage in these areas. However, once the infrastructure has been delivered, we will seek wherever possible to make it available to the mobile operators to offer a commercial service. As a result, the areas of Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale may benefit from improved commercial mobile coverage.

The Extended Area Service (EAS) is a critical part of the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). It will ensure that there is ESN coverage in the most rural and remote parts of Great Britain. The EAS programme consists of 292 masts and delivery is well under way. The EAS network is already being built, where possible, to support commercial operators, and we agree that this proposal is a valuable opportunity to enhance the benefit of Government programmes to deliver improved connectivity across the country.

In respect of the EAS sites in question I can give the following updates:

a. The site in Kentmere is currently in the preliminary build stage. There are existing high voltage overhead power lines in close proximity to the site so we are currently working to divert those prior to start of construction.

The current forecast date for completion of build is August 2020.

b. The site Longsleddale is currently in build and we are forecasting completion by end the of March 2020 with power on site forecasted to be June 2020.

c. The site in Langdale is at a National Trust campsite in Great Langdale and is currently at the acquisition stage. The current build completion forecast is March 2021, providing negotiations around the acquisition of the site remain are completed in good time.

The Home Office is focusing efforts on getting the infrastructure builds completed as quickly as possible. The sites are expected to be activated for ESN purposes closer to the time at which they are required, given that significant operational costs are incurred once the sites are live.

The site in Kentmere will be a lattice structure and will be capable of housing Mobile Network Operators equipment to offer a commercial service once built, however, it is a matter for EE whether they elect to offer a commercial service from the site. The Sites in Longsleddale and Langdale will be monopole structures, due to planning restrictions, and will only offer a commercial service to Mobile Network Operator EE should they wish to activate it.

The primary purpose of the ESN infrastructure planned for Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale is that it will ensure that Britain’s Emergency Services have reliable communications coverage in these areas. However, once the infrastructure has been delivered, we will seek wherever possible to make it available to the mobile operators to offer a commercial service. As a result, the areas of Kentmere, Longsleddale and Langdale may benefit from improved commercial mobile coverage.

We held a public consultation on the draft statutory guidance on measures in the Offensive Weapons Act, which included the sale and delivery of bladed articles, bladed products and corrosives from the 15^th August 2019 to the 9^th October 2019. The responses to that consultation have been considered and we will shortly be publishing the Government response alongside final statutory guidance ahead of commencement of the measures in the Act.

We have a comprehensive and ongoing programme of engagement with businesses of all sizes, across the UK, to ensure they fully understand their obligations as employers of EU nationals.

We have made it clear there is no requirement for employers to differentiate between those with settled and pre-settled status. EU citizens continue to be able to use their passport or national identity card to evidence their right to work and this will not change until 30 June 2021.

Employers must not discriminate between those who have been granted a status under the EU Settlement Scheme and those who have not.

Further guidance on right to work checks after 30 June 2021 will be issued in due course.

On 17 June 2019, the former Home Secretary reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to refugee resettlement by announcing a new, global scheme, which will begin in 2020 and aims to resettle in the region of 5,000 refugees in its first year of operation. It is right that we continue to offer safe and legal routes to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees, for whom resettlement is the only durable solution. Detailed plans for resettlement in future years have not yet been confirmed.

The Home Office are unable to provide the number of substantive asylum interviews that were conducted in total and by video conference in 2019, as this information is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

In order to ensure that resident EEA nationals and their family members understand how and by when to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office has put in place a comprehensive communications and engagement plan, using all available channels to reach our audiences – such as marketing, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars.

The Home Office has delivered a £4 million marketing campaign to encourage resident EEA nationals to apply and further campaign activity is planned. Alongside this campaign activity, we have also undertaken extensive engagement and outreach with stake-holder groups, including employers, local authorities and community organisations. No-one will be left behind, which is why we are working in partnership with representatives of vulnerable groups and other experts to make sure everyone knows what they need to do and has the right level of support.

Bailiffs have been asked not to enforce evictions across England whilst the new, toughened national restrictions apply from 5th November. The only exceptions to this will be the most egregious cases, including cases of illegal occupation, fraud, where tenants have demonstrated anti-social behaviour or are the perpetrator of domestic abuse in social housing and where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant. We also intend to introduce an exemption for extreme pre-Covid rent arrears and will provide more detail in due course.

Together with the pause on evictions starting in December, this means that evictions will not be enforced in England until the 11 January at the earliest, except in the most serious circumstances. We believe this strikes the right balance between prioritising public health and supporting the most vulnerable renters, whilst ensuring landlords can access and exercise their right to justice for the most serious cases.

To further protect renters over winter, we legislated in August to increase notice periods to 6 months in all but the most serious circumstances. This means that most tenants served notice now would not be asked to leave until at least May 2021.

We have worked closely with the judiciary on new court arrangements to ensure appropriate support to all parties as the courts restart possession proceedings. These arrangements include new court rules which require landlords to set out any information they are aware of in relation to how their tenant, or any dependent of their tenant, has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic when bringing a possession claim to court. Landlords are also required to notify the court and their tenant where they wish to continue pursuing a possession claim that was already in the system before 3 August. These new arrangements apply in all courts across all tiers.

The listing of the cases is a matter for the judiciary, but they will be prioritising the most serious cases, including anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, and extreme rent arrears. Again, this will apply across all tiers of local COVID alert areas.

Prior to the introduction of national restrictions, the Government had announced additional surge funding to support areas moving into the second alert level as well as the third. Areas moving into the Tier 2 (alert level ‘high’) will receive £3 per person, with a further £5 per person (totalling £8 per person) provided for areas moving into Tier 3 (alert level ‘very high’).

In addition to this, on Thursday 22 October the Government announced details of the further £1 billion of financial support for local authorities to support their communities through this pandemic. This further support reaffirms the Government’s continued support to councils during this unprecedented time. Over £900 million will be provided in an un-ringfenced grant in line with previous tranches of funding, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their local area – including supporting renters.

This brings the total funding given directly to councils during the pandemic, so far, to £6.4 billion. This includes £4.6 billion in un-ringfenced funding, £1.1 billion from the Infection Control Fund, and £300 million to support Test and Trace, as well as funding allocated to councils from the new Local Alert Level system and a number of grants to support communities and vulnerable people.

These measures build on the Government’s major economic package of support to help renters continue to meet their housing costs. This includes the Chancellor’s recent announcement to extend the Job Retention Scheme to March 2021 and over £9 billion boost to the welfare system, including an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents.

There are no plans to require landlords to record eviction notices at the point of delivery; this information is not collected centrally by the government and we have made no assessment of the merits of increasing data collection in this way.

To further protect renters, the measures in the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean that landlords must now give 6 months’ notice except in the most serious cases.

To gather data, we work closely with the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Service to monitor possession proceedings. The Ministry of Justice publishes national statistics on possession actions in county courts by private and social landlords. This includes statistics on claims, orders, warrants and possessions.

The Department also conducts regular surveys such as the annual English Housing Survey and the English Private Landlord Survey to gather data. These include questions regarding ending a tenancy and the reasons for it, and both the English Housing Survey and English Private Landlord survey will be published next year.

Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. It is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the department does not hold data on its use.

The External Wall System (EWS1) and process is designed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) with mortgage lenders to assist with valuation of high-rise residential buildings. Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. It is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement. The Government does not support the blanket use of EWS1, especially for lower rise blocks. We are encouraging lenders to accept a broader range of evidence to assure themselves of a building’s safety. This could include a fire risk assessment that includes external walls, a recent building control certificate, or other assurances of the building’s safety the building owner can provide.

Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. It is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the department does not hold data on its use.

Ministers and officials had recent meetings with leaseholder groups and Housing Associations to explore these challenges.

The EWS1 process is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 use for lower risk properties. Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. We are encouraging lenders to accept a broader range of evidence to assure themselves of a building’s safety. This could include a fire risk assessment that includes external walls, a recent building control certificate, or other assurances of the building’s safety the building owner can provide.

The EWS1 process is not a Government policy or regulatory requirement and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 use for lower risk properties. Some lenders do not require an EWS1 form, and others seek them for a greater range of buildings than the process was designed for. EWS1 assessments are commissioned by individual building owners, the department does not hold data on their use.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the number of Section 21 notices served by landlords. The service of a Section 21 notice precedes the court process for possession and does not necessarily lead to any action in court.

The Ministry of Justice publishes national statistics on possession actions in county courts by private and social landlords at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2020. This includes statistics on claims, orders, warrants and possessions.

We have changed the requirements on notice periods in response to the Coronavirus pandemic so that Section 21 notices issued on or after the 29th August must provide tenants with six months’ notice before a landlord can lodge a claim for possession in court.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the number of Section 21 notices served by landlords. The service of a Section 21 notice precedes the court process for possession and does not necessarily lead to any action in court.

The Ministry of Justice publishes national statistics on possession actions in county courts by private and social landlords at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2020. This includes statistics on claims, orders, warrants and possessions.

We have changed the requirements on notice periods in response to the Coronavirus pandemic so that Section 21 notices issued on or after the 29th August must provide tenants with six months’ notice before a landlord can lodge a claim for possession in court.

The current advice remains that night shelters should remain closed for now – and providers should continue to explore alternative options for self-contained accommodation.

However, we recognise that the sector needs clarity on provision as winter approaches. We are working with the sector and health experts to consider operating principles shelters would need to follow so that they can be reopened as safely as possible, when self-contained accommodation cannot be made available. We will be setting out further advice on this as soon as possible.

On 17 September we announced local authority allocations for the short-term funding aspect of Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP). £91.5 million was allocated to 274 councils in England to help vulnerable people housed during the pandemic. The remaining £13.5 million of funding will be used to support local authorities to tackle new and emerging challenges over the winter.

We are also funding significant longer-term accommodation for rough sleepers via the NSAP – 3,300 homes this year alone – and tailored support so as few people as possible housed in emergency accommodation return to life on the streets.

We welcome all initiatives in this area but my Department does not collect this information.

We intend to reform the current approach to developer contributions by creating a new, single system, the Infrastructure Levy. This new Levy would be a flat rate, value based charge, set nationally, at either a single rate, or at area specific rates, and charged on the final value of a development. The new Levy would be able to fund both affordable housing and supporting infrastructure. We will aim for the new Levy to raise more revenue than under the current system of developer contributions, and deliver at least as much – if not more – on-site affordable housing as at present. Our proposals are set out in our White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ which was published on 6 August and is out to consultation until 29th October. The consultation responses will support the assessment of the proposals, and detailed design.

We intend to reform the current approach to developer contributions by creating a new, single system, the Infrastructure Levy. This new Levy would be a flat rate, value based charge, set nationally, at either a single rate, or at area specific rates, and charged on the final value of a development. The new Levy would be able to fund both affordable housing and supporting infrastructure. We will aim for the new Levy to raise more revenue than under the current system of developer contributions, and deliver at least as much – if not more – on-site affordable housing as at present. Our proposals are set out in our White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ which was published on 6 August and is out to consultation until 29th October. The consultation responses will support the assessment of the proposals, and detailed design.

We intend to reform the current approach to developer contributions by creating a new, single system, the Infrastructure Levy. This new Levy would be a flat rate, value based charge, set nationally, at either a single rate, or at area specific rates, and charged on the final value of a development. The new Levy would be able to fund both affordable housing and supporting infrastructure. We will aim for the new Levy to raise more revenue than under the current system of developer contributions, and deliver at least as much – if not more – on-site affordable housing as at present. Our proposals are set out in our White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ which was published on 6 August and is out to consultation until 29th October. The consultation responses will support the assessment of the proposals, and detailed design.

My Department is currently consulting on options for increasing the transparency of contractual controls, including options agreements, used to exercise control over land. The consultation can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907213/Call_for_evidence_on_Contractual_Controls.pdf. It closes on 30 October 2020.

The Government is currently consulting on this matter. Details of the impact are set out in the consultation document: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system.

The Government has made clear through Covid-19 guidance, which is updated regularly, that public toilets, portable toilets and toilets inside premises should be kept open and carefully managed to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19. This includes, for example, guidance on Safer Public Places - Urban Centres and Green Spaces and Working safely during Coronavirus.

To help everyone maintain good hygiene, consideration should be given to configuration of toilets facilities to ensure they are kept clean, with social distancing achieved as far as possible and with best practice handwashing followed.

MHCLG does not collect this data.

We have allocated £4.3 billion to local authorities so they can address the pressures they are facing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including £3.7 billion in unringfenced grant and the £600m Infection Control Fund. This unringfenced funding can be used to address local priorities, including reopening public toilets in compliance with covid-secure guidelines.

Government has made clear through Covid-19 guidance, which is updated regularly, that public toilets, portable toilets and toilets inside premises should be kept open and carefully managed to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19.

To help everyone maintain good hygiene, consideration should be given to configuration of toilets facilities to ensure they are kept clean, with social distancing achieved as far as possible and with best practice handwashing followed.

The impacts of measures on the disabled and other groups needs to be kept under consideration. Local authorities are subject to the Equality Act and the Public Sector Equality duty will apply to decisions relating to these measures.

The Secretary of State has not had any meetings with representatives, employees or associates of West Cumbria Mining or Banks Group.

Correspondence received on behalf of West Cumbria Mining and Banks Group relate to live planning decisions. As such it would not be appropriate to publish it before the decisions are issued in these cases.

We have said that we would review the quality standard of homes delivered through permitted development rights for the change of use. The report will be published in due course.

The letter sent from the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing to local authorities on 28 May 2020 can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-letter-sent-on-28-may-2020-to-councils-about-accommodating-rough-sleepers

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government will continue to work collaboratively across government, and with councils, health providers and charities, to ensure rough sleepers can move into safe accommodation once the immediate crisis is over.

MHCLG and our team of Expert Advisers are working closely with local authorities to inform and co-produce their ‘next steps’ plans, identifying local solutions for those individuals currently in hotels and other emergency accommodation. We have recently announced new funding, set out below, to help to resource these ‘next steps’ efforts and we will shortly be publishing detailed guidance to support local authorities to develop and bring forward proposals to the fund.

On 24 June, we announced that we are providing local authorities with a further £105 million to enable them to best support the c15,000 people placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This commitment will help to ensure that as few of these people as possible return to the streets, by helping to secure tenancies, as well as provide short-term housing while plans for long-term homes continue at pace for those accommodated throughout the pandemic. The funding will cover a range of interventions, from moves into the private rented sector, to?extending?or procuring interim accommodation, such as hotels or student accommodation, and supporting individuals to reconnect with friends or family.

This funding is on top of the £433m that we announced on 24 May to provide thousands of additional long-term homes for vulnerable rough sleepers. Homes England, in partnership with MHCLG, have pledged to work hand in hand with leading Housing Associations and local authorities to deliver this. Further detailed information on the process to allocate this funding is being co-produced with partners and will be published in due course.

There are no current plans to change the statutory homelessness duties, beyond the extension of automatic priority need to domestic abuse victims, which the Secretary of State announced on 2 May. Local authorities’ duties include those under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 to seek to prevent and relieve homelessness for all eligible households, as well as responsibilities under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 to provide suitable accommodation for homeless households that are eligible, have a priority need for accommodation and are not homeless intentionally.

On 24 May we announced radical plans to provide thousands of long-term, safe homes for vulnerable rough sleepers taken off the streets during this pandemic. This commitment will be backed by £160 million this year through accelerating plans for the £381 million announced for rough sleeping services at Budget, bringing the total to £433 million over the lifetime of this parliament. The Government is increasing the revenue support of the total programme by 37 per cent to make sure that the rough sleepers have the support they need to stay off the streets for good. This funding will support up to 6,000 rough sleepers into longer term accommodation, with 3,300 units of this accommodation becoming available in the next 12 months. Homes England, in partnership with MHCLG, have pledged to work hand-in-hand with leading housing associations and local authorities to deliver this.

On 24 June an additional £105 million was announced for local authorities to enable them to best support the c15,000 people placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is on top of the £433 million announced on the 24 May. Together, these funding streams will enable us to deliver a comprehensive Next Steps and Recover Strategy which will support thousands of individuals to stay safe during the pandemic and ultimately to turn their lives around. Further detailed information on the process to allocate funding is being co-produced with partners and will be published in due course.

Both before and during the pandemic the Government has also put in place significant funding to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2020/21, including:

• £112 million was allocated this year for the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI), an increase of £26 million on 2019/20 funding. We will work with areas to consider how the RSI work will change to reflect the different levels of need and response needed as a result of COVID-19.
• £3.2 billion has been provided to support councils to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, which includes providing support for vulnerable rough sleepers.
• This is in addition to £3.2 million in targeted funding for councils to support vulnerable rough sleepers.

For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments are available.?There is already £180 million in Discretionary Housing Payments available for local authorities to distribute for supporting renters with housing costs in 2020/21 including an additional £40 million to tackle affordability pressures in the private rented sector. We have increased the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that they are set at the 30th percentile of market rents. This is an important policy that will benefit 1.6 million people.

The ONS publishes survey data on a fortnightly basis on the proportion of the construction workforce that has been furloughed, off sick owing to coronavirus, or made redundant. Data for the housing construction subsector is not available.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/datasets/businessimpactofcovid19surveybicsresults

The Government has put in place a number of measures to support the construction industry during the response to COVID-19. Many construction firms have made use of the Job Retention Scheme for their employees and apprentices, alongside Government-backed loans and tax holidays.

It remains as important as ever to invest in the skilled workforce to build the homes this country needs. My department is working with the Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy, the Department for Education, and the Construction Industry Training Board to support the industry to continue to recruit and train during this time.

The delivery of new social housing will contribute to economic recovery, in particular by supporting construction activity. The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing in view of the social and economic benefits this will generate. We have made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes in a wide range of tenures, including Social Rent, Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy. We announced at Budget that we will invest £12 billion to build affordable homes between 2021/22 and 2025/26 – the biggest cash investment in affordable housing for a decade.

The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes in a wide range of tenures, including Social Rent, Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy.

Building on this, we announced at Budget 2020 that we are investing £12 billion to build affordable homes between 2021/22 and 2025/26. This will be the biggest cash investment in affordable housing for a decade.

This new 5-year investment will deliver additional affordable housing, help people to own their own home, and build social rent homes to help families and those most at risk of homelessness in areas of the country where affordability pressure is acute. A mix of different tenures is vital to meet the needs of a wide range of people, and to allow the sector to build the right homes in the right places.

We are working closely with the DHSC and are committed to the safety of homelessness accommodation. Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 can access testing and symptomatic frontline homelessness staff can be tested as a priority, so they can continue their important work.

The Government recognises the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on local authorities’ finances and capacity. On 28 April the Secretary of State announced allocations to individual local authorities of the additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils in delivering essential front line services that was announced on 18 April. The grant will be paid in May as an un-ringfenced amount, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the additional Covid-19 service pressures in their area. This funding is in addition to the £1.6 billion announced on 19 March.

The Government has asked local authorities to monitor changes in their income and expenditure as a result of Covid-19, including car parking income, through a data collection exercise. We are at the beginning of analysing what those returns tell us, and will continue to work with councils over the coming weeks to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses.

The Government recognises the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on local authorities’ finances and capacity. On 28 April the Secretary of State announced allocations to individual local authorities of the additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils in delivering essential front line services that was announced on 18 April. The grant will be paid in May as an un-ringfenced amount, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the additional Covid-19 service pressures in their area. This funding is in addition to the £1.6 billion announced on 19 March.

The Government has asked local authorities to monitor changes in their income and expenditure as a result of Covid-19, including car parking income, through a data collection exercise. We are at the beginning of analysing what those returns tell us, and will continue to work with councils over the coming weeks to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses.

The Government has pledged over £3.2 billion to support local authorities to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. This support demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making sure local authorities have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time. We continue to work closely with the sector to understand the financial impact of Covid-19.

The Government, along with the courts service, has delivered unprecedented support to reduce the risk of rent arrears and has taken legislative and procedural steps to protect tenants.

We have also been clear in guidance that there is a need for landlords to offer support and understanding to tenants – and any guarantor – who may see their income fluctuate. This could include reaching a temporary agreement not to seek possession action for a period of time and instead, pause payments or accept a lower level of rent, or agree a plan to pay off arrears at a later date.

To support this, the Secretary of State for Housing has committed work with the Master of the Rolls to explore how the existing Pre-Action Protocol for possession claims by social landlords can be strengthened and widened to include Private Landlords.

On 18 April the Government announced a further £1.6 billion to support councils in delivering essential front line services. This funding recognises the additional costs and pressures which councils are facing as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

This package of support takes the total given to councils to help their communities through this crisis to over £3.2 billion, an unprecedented level of additional financial?support in recent times.

Earlier this week the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government wrote to council leaders in England with a full summary of the significant funding and cashflow measures that the Government have announced to support local authorities in their vital work with businesses, communities and vulnerable individuals in the fight against coronavirus.

A full record of the financial support made available to local authorities can be found at gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-government.

The Department does not hold this information.

The Government has removed the requirement to offer a council tax discount on second homes and 95 percent are charged the full rate.

We are considering consultation responses on the criteria under which a property is treated as a holiday let and becomes liable for business rates rather than council tax.