Tonia Antoniazzi

We will publish the new cross-government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy this year. We are currently analysing over 180,000 responses to the first-ever Violence Against Women and Girls Call for Evidence we ran, which will help inform the Strategy.

This was a significant response and we are working closely with all government departments to ensure the development of the Strategy takes into account those views.

Our schools and teachers are committed to supporting all pupils to thrive and reach their potential in a safe and respectful environment.

The Department for Education is also rolling out new inclusive statutory Relationships Education in all primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education in all secondary schools, so that children leave school prepared for life in modern, diverse, Britain.

As the Equality and Human Rights Commission is a non-departmental public body, it is for them to comment on any guidance they plan to publish. We are not able to provide further information on this.

Covid-19 is particularly challenging for those in vulnerable groups, including pregnant women.

Pregnant women can be furloughed if the employer and employee agree to this. Where this happens, the Government has amended the law to ensure they do not lose out on maternity and parental pay.

Employers should review their risk assessments for pregnant women, considering also the risk of severe illness for the shielding group. In some circumstances, medically suspending the woman may be appropriate.

The next Quinquennial Review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, due to commence in 2022, will review the process in place for Veterans UK Advisors.

Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver all addressed mail, including mail addressed ‘To the Occupier’ or ‘The Homeowner’. Royal Mail’s ‘door-to-door’ service should stop unaddressed mailings delivered by Royal Mail, around a quarter of all such mail.

The UK’s data protection legislation sets out obligations on organisations processing personal data and provides individuals with certain rights in respect of their data, including the right to object to their personal data being processed for direct marketing purposes.

The Government has also ensured the provision of consumer advice by providing funding for Citizens Advice, the independent consumer body, which provides free, independent and impartial advice on consumer issues and provides details of all the opt-out schemes available in relation to direct marketing on its website.

DBT Ministers and officials engage regularly with Post Office Ltd on a range of strategically important issues, including the company’s IT platform.

The Government is supportive of Post Office’s plans to replace Horizon with a modern, fit for purpose New Branch IT system. In December 2023, I announced the award of an additional £103m to support Post Office Limited to meet its IT costs in the 2023/34 and 2024/25 financial years.

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) was put in place by the Competition Commission (CC) following a market investigation in 2008. The investigation found some unfair practices in the supply of groceries to large retailers had adversely affected competition in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for keeping under review the effectiveness of the Code in addressing the issues identified in the CC market investigation.

Last winter, the Government delivered the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding and the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Fund which many park homes were eligible for, delivering over £20 million in support to park home households. The Government is continuing to support those who need it the most, with millions of vulnerable and low-income households receiving £900 in further cost of living payments, including £150 to those on eligible disability benefits. This in addition to established support for vulnerable households such as the Winter Fuel Payment worth between £250 - £600.

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) will continue to provide support to eligible non-domestic energy users from April 2023 until March 2024.

Contract negotiations are ultimately a matter for suppliers and their customers who should make informed decisions based on their individual circumstances. We continue to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure they are doing all they can to address price pressures and support their customers.

Gas prices for industrial users in the UK are typically among the cheapest in Europe. However, the UK’s industrial electricity prices are higher than those of other comparable countries, in part reflecting how the UK has spread electricity infrastructure costs more evenly between industry and households compared to other European countries. Recognising potential implications on industrial competitiveness, the Government announced in February that approximately 300 businesses across the UK will benefit from the British Industry Supercharger: targeted measures to ensure energy costs for key UK industries are in line with other major economies.

Prices data are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/international-energy-price-comparisons.

The review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme assessed a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence from businesses and stakeholders on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The results were used alongside results from a BEIS business survey, inputs from Government departments, wider economic and public policy considerations. The outcome of the review informed the criteria used to determine eligibility for the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS).

The EBDS reflects the scale of change in the energy market since last September and strikes the right balance by supporting businesses over the next year, ensuring fiscal responsibility and limiting the taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.

This rule was adopted as the named bill payer is responsible for any payment issued on the electricity account. It also ensures that the Government can verify customers’ eligibility and reduces the risk of fraudulent claims. There are exceptions when an eligible customer’s partner is named on the electricity bill and linked on their DWP benefit record, or when an eligible customer has a DWP Appointee or other legally appointed representative who is named on the bill.

Almost 98% of premises in the Gower constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), in line with the national average of 97%. Over 69% of premises have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, which is below the national average of 80%, but has increased significantly since January 2021, when coverage was under 25%.

To improve coverage further, the Government is rolling out Project Gigabit, and we have launched procurements across the UK inviting suppliers to bid for contracts to bring gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are unlikely to be reached by broadband suppliers' commercial rollout plans alone. The Gower constituency is included in a cross regional procurement which launched last year, and we expect to award a contract this summer.

The assessment of applications will be completed by local authorities. Cases will vary in complexity and the length of time it takes to assess them will vary accordingly.

The Government is finalising several elements of the scheme that are critical to delivery. There are significant complexities in delivering a novel scheme with a wide variety of eligible groups with different energy arrangements. The Government must ensure consumers are protected; public money is well spent with robust verification and anti-fraud checks; and that local authorities are prepared to deliver support to eligible households.

In 2022, BEIS commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the UK’s first criticality assessment. 18 minerals – assessed as having the highest supply risk and highest economic importance – were defined as “critical”. Many other minerals, such as gold and silver, have important uses but, by necessity of focus, only some are defined as “critical”. Supply chain risks can be caused by – for example – rapid demand growth, concentrated supply chains in particular countries or highly volatile prices. Criticality changes over time. The assessment will be reviewed regularly through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. The next review is expected later this year.

In 2022, BEIS commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the UK’s first criticality assessment. 18 minerals – assessed as having the highest supply risk and highest economic importance – were defined as “critical”. Many other minerals, such as gold and silver, have important uses but, by necessity of focus, only some are defined as “critical”. Supply chain risks can be caused by – for example – rapid demand growth, concentrated supply chains in particular countries or highly volatile prices. Criticality changes over time. The assessment will be reviewed regularly through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. The next review is expected later this year.

In 2022, BEIS commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the UK’s first criticality assessment. 18 minerals – assessed as having the highest supply risk and highest economic importance – were defined as “critical”. Many other minerals, such as copper, have important uses but, by necessity of focus, only some are defined as “critical”. Supply chain risks can be caused by – for example – rapid demand growth, concentrated supply chains in particular countries or highly volatile prices. Criticality changes over time. The assessment will be reviewed regularly through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. The next review is expected later this year.

The maximum prize for a society lottery draw was increased in July 2020 from £400,000 to £500,000 as part of a wider package of changes to society lottery limits. We are carefully considering the Committee's recommendations and will respond in due course.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations, and I am very appreciative of the role they play in supporting such a wide range of sectors. Large society lotteries raised a record £367 million for good causes between April 2019 and March 2020. Society lotteries are regulated under a different framework to the National Lottery and are exempt from paying Lottery Duty.

Reforms to society lotteries came into effect in July 2020, including significant increases in the sales limits, raising the limit for a single draw from £4 million to £5 million and the annual sales limit from £10 million to £50 million. I am pleased that since these changes we have started to see more lottery proceeds going to good causes, as the aim of these reforms was to enable both society lotteries and the National Lottery - often seen as complementary sources of income - to thrive.

There are currently eight England/UK sports governing bodies that are part of the pilot sports programme. Because sports are incredibly diverse, there can be no ‘one-size fits all’ approach and the Sports Councils Equality Group are focusing on providing space, time and support to help sports define the best options and determine whether it may be possible to offer more than one version of their sport to achieve their particular aims.

Due to the fluid nature of the process as the organisations go through their thinking and the potential for this work to come to fruition at different stages, the Sports Councils Equality Group are respecting and protecting this space and not disclosing the detail of these sports at this time.

The Sports Councils Equality Group approached the training requirements around the Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport Guidance via three different approaches: briefings, workshops, and pilot sports.

Soon after the Guidance was launched in September 2021 the Sports Councils Equality Group delivered two high-level 60 minute briefings attended by 22 National Governing Bodies (NGBs). These were a precursor to more in-depth, 3 hour, training sessions which have been running, and continue to do so, at regular intervals. These, to date, have been attended by 24 NGBs and are continuing to attract new NGBs to each online delivered session.

Ministers have had no direct discussions with UK Athletics since October 2021. This relationship is managed by UK Sport who keep the government closely sighted on issues through Board meetings and regular engagement with Ministers and officials.

The Department is confident that fair and proper processes are in place to ensure the best candidates possible are appointed to leadership roles in National Governing Bodies which are funded by UK Sport.