Tracey Crouch

No one should be refused access to businesses or services because they legitimately have an assistance dog.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require, including auxiliary aids.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the public body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act. In 2017, the Commission published two pieces of guidance – a guide to help businesses understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners, and a guide to help tourism businesses welcome people with access requirements. The EHRC supports disabled individuals who have experienced discrimination to take their cases to court.

In recent years, case law has strengthened the equalities law for people with assistance dogs. There have been a number of significant cases brought under the Equality Act involving assistance dogs, which have been successfully litigated, for example, Bloch v Kassim (assistance dogs in taxis); Clutton and Williams v Pen-y-Bryn Group (assistance dogs in restaurants); and McCafferty v Miah (assistance dogs in shops). The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the equalities and human rights helpline, receives about 35,000 customer contacts a year, more than 60% of which concern disability issues. The EASS can intervene directly with or assist the complainant to take the case up with the relevant service provider in many cases, including those involving assistance dogs.

The House of Bishops meets regularly to review its own guidance to clergy in light of Government and public health advice.

On 5th May the House of Bishops issued new guidance, which can be seen at: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/house-bishops-backs-phased-approach-revising-access-church-buildings

While church buildings remain closed for public worship in line with Government advice, the Bishops agreed in principle to a phased approach to lifting restrictions, in time and in parallel with the Government's approach, with three broad stages. The first, effective immediately, allows clergy limited access to church buildings for activities such as streaming of services or private prayer, so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken; the decision being made by individual clergy after discussion with their diocesan bishop. The second and third will see access for some rites and ceremonies, and for worship services with limited congregations meeting, when Government restrictions are eased to allow it.

Senior staff of the National Church Institutions have joined two of the Government’s ‘unlocking’ work streams, within the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

While a list of key workers was used previously in the Covid-19 response, the Cabinet Office does not keep a current list of key workers.

When responding to any future emergency, the Government will continue to consider, on a case by case basis, the merits of renewing key worker designation, and its scope.

The UK has met all its carbon budgets to date. The Government is committed to its carbon budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution, which keep the UK on track to meet net zero in 2050.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector, including the provision of the universal service obligation.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the postal sector, has a duty to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service. Ofcom publishes an annual report summarising its monitoring programme on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/monitoring_reports).

The Government currently has no plans to change the minimum requirements of the universal postal service which are set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.

The Government recognises that people want to enjoy fireworks, while reducing the risks and disturbances to individuals, animals and property. The Government has no current plans to legislate further but continues to monitor the situation.

The Government does not set electricity prices, because setting tariffs is a commercial decision for suppliers, within the constraints of the price cap.

The Government has recently published a consultation setting out options as part of its Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA). REMA is considering how the role of gas as a price setter for electricity could be reduced. This will include examining reforms for helping bring forward investment in low carbon generation, leading to less frequent use of gas so that it sets the price of electricity for shorter periods, as well as wholesale market reform options that could help to reduce the link.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Strangford on 17 June to Question 14492.

Many people experience loneliness and social isolation, and the Government is committed to reducing the stigma associated with loneliness, and building a more connected society. Government, local councils, health systems and voluntary and community sector organisations all have an important role to play in achieving this.

Since publishing the first ever government Strategy for Tackling Loneliness and appointing the world’s first Minister for Loneliness in 2018, we have invested almost £80 million in tackling loneliness. These interventions include a national communications campaign that aims to reduce the stigma of loneliness, which has reached at least 25 million people across the country. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also delivering the ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Fund’ to boost volunteering and reduce loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. We have also brought together over 750 people from across the public, private and charity sectors through our Tackling Loneliness Hub, where members can learn from events and workshops, share the latest research and collaborate on new initiatives.

Last March, we published the fourth annual report of our Tackling Loneliness Strategy. It contains over 60 new and ongoing commitments from 11 government departments. So far, we have made progress against at least 46 of these commitments and at least 7 have been completed. Due to the nature of the commitments many have now been incorporated into business as usual. The fifth annual report will provide a full update on commitments, and is due to be published in March.

We welcome the additional sports that have been approved for the LA28 Olympic Programme.

UK Sport’s investment process for Los Angeles is underway with currently funded sports, in line with their strategic plan. UK Sport will consider new sports that have been added to the programme. Should they make a case for investment, it would be considered alongside the currently funded sports in UK Sport’s evaluation process.

The Government takes the issue of disinformation seriously. The DCMS Counter Disinformation Unit leads the domestic operational and policy response for countering disinformation across HMG, working closely with major social media platforms to encourage them to swiftly remove disinformation and coordinated inauthentic or manipulated behaviour, as per their Terms of Service. We also engage with platforms to understand policy changes and other countermeasures related to Russian information activities, and the effectiveness of these actions. This work aids HMG assessment bodies and the UK Government Information Cell, which brings together the government’s counter-disinformation expertise and capabilities to identify and counter Russian information aggression and disinformation.

It remains of significant concern that the network of Russian diplomatic accounts continues to disseminate pro-Russian content with the aim of sowing distrust and questioning the veracity of reports of Russian atrocities committed in Ukraine. Although the government welcomes steps that platforms have taken in response, including demonetising, deamplifying and labelling content from Russian state affiliated accounts, the government is clear that there is more that needs to be done and that the recent tweets from the Russian Embassy in the UK are unacceptable. In our view Twitter should apply its policies consistently, removing content that it has acknowledged breaches its Terms of Service.

Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of the first period of enhanced national restrictions and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.

However, as the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December. This will allow both rugby union and rugby league to resume in accordance with their return to play guidance. Higher risk activity such as scrums have been removed from both codes of the game to ensure the risk of transmission is reduced.

Government recognises the unprecedented impact which Covid-19 has had on young people, particularly on their mental health.

We recognise the impact Uniformed Youth groups like the Scouts have on the wellbeing of young people, helping them to develop life skills and be a part of their communities.

Youth centres and Uniformed Youth groups are able to re-open from 4th July, and DCMS has supported the National Youth Agency to produce guidance for youth organisations on operating safely during Covid-19.

The government does not prescribe the curriculum of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. The ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) sets out a minimum entitlement to training that accredited ITT providers must incorporate into their primary and/or secondary ITT courses. The ITT Core Content Framework does not set out the full ITT curriculum for trainee teachers. It remains for individual providers to design curricula appropriate for the subject, phase and age range that the trainees will be teaching. Providers should ensure their curricula encompass the full entitlement described in the ITT Core Content Framework, as well as integrating additional analysis and critique of theory, research and expert practice as they deem appropriate. The ITT CCF is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework.

The department is continually exploring opportunities to further improve teacher training and professional development, including reviewing the content of the CCF alongside the Early Career Framework. The review is due to be published in early 2024.

Primary schools can use the PE and sport premium to provide staff with professional development, mentoring, training and resources to help them improve the quality of their PE, sport and physical activity provision to all pupils, and to embed physical activity across the school day.

The government is committed to supporting all boys and girls to access sports and physical activities at school. Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.

On 8 March 2023, the department announced over £600 million in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years for the primary PE and sport premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase their sport provision, raise overall quality of PE, and improve the opportunities for all boys and girls to access team sports.

In July 2023, the department published the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which set out the expectation for schools to provide girls and boys with the same access and opportunity to play sports in PE and wider school sport. To encourage this, the government has overseen a change to the School Games Mark, which is delivered by the Youth Sport Trust. From September 2023, schools must demonstrate how they are overcoming gender barriers faced by girls and boys in PE and wider school sport as part of their planning and delivery.

To tackle the specific barriers faced by girls in accessing PE and sport, the department has invested almost £980,000 in the 'Your Time' programme. The programme has provided girls with opportunities to access competitive team sports during PE and extracurricular time.

Additionally, the department plans to publish non-statutory guidance to exemplify how schools already offer equal access to PE and wider school sport. Departmental officials are currently working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, such as subject associations and other sporting bodies like the Football Association (FA) and Women in Sport, to finalise this non-statutory guidance for publication in early 2024.

The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which was £1.34 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.

This includes qualifications in, or focusing on, British Sign Language (BSL) up to and including level 2. These qualifications include, for example, the Level 1 Award in BSL which allows learners to communicate in BSL on a range of topics that involve simple, everyday language use, thereby giving them the basic skills and confidence in production and reception of BSL.

About 60% of the AEB has been devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, who determine which provision to fund for learners who live in their areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides the remaining funding for learners who live in non-devolved areas. Where community learning providers offer BSL courses, those providers are responsible for determining the course fees, including levels of fee remission.

There were 60 adult (19+) education and training learning aim enrolments in the 2021/22 academic year by learners living in Kent or Medway with ‘British Sign Language’ or ‘BSL’ in their aim title. In 2020/21, there were 35 enrolments and in 2019/20, there were 87. The department does not hold information as to whether the learners taking these aims have deaf children.

These figures do not correspond to learners, as learners may enrol on multiple aims. Additionally, these are funded adult (19+) education and training aim enrolments. This will include AEB-funded learning, as well as other funding provision, such as advanced learner loans.

On 20 January 2023, the Department announced that the first deliveries of defibrillators had taken place. More information on the announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defibrillator-deliveries-begin-for-all-schools-that-need-one.

Since this announcement, as part of the ongoing rollout, the Department has delivered over 3,500 defibrillators to state funded schools.

As of 12 April 2023, 98 defibrillators have been delivered to state funded schools in Kent and 31 to schools in Medway Local Authorities. All eligible schools in Kent and Medway are expected to receive a defibrillator by the end of the 2022/23 academic year. Schools will be contacted by the supplier, Lyreco, once their defibrillator has been dispatched.

The Department would again like to express thanks to Mark King and the Oliver King Foundation.

The department thanks those who work in the early years sector and those who have dedicated their time, effort, and skills to providing high-quality early years education and childcare during these challenging circumstances. The Competition and Markets Authority issued an open letter on 28 July 2020 to the early years sector, following complaints from parents about allegedly unfair charging practices early during the COVID-19 outbreak. The letter supports the government’s position that providers must be balanced and fair in their dealings with parents, and that they must avoid unfair charging practices. This letter is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904194/Open_letter_to_Nursery_and_Early_Years__settings.pdf.

The department is not aware of any significant rise in consumer complaints since the open letter was published. Since then, the circumstances providers are operating in have changed, but the principles set out in this letter are still relevant. While contracts are a private arrangement between consumers and providers, the provisions of the letter are still broadly applicable. If parents or their children test positive for COVID-19, or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, the principle that parents should not be charged for a service that cannot be provided without breaching government legal requirements would apply.

An industry-owned code of practice for the use of snares to control foxes in England sets out clear principles for the legal use of snares, using evidence from snare-use research to improve snare deployment and design.

Anyone using snares has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ensure their activities do not harm protected species or cause any unnecessary suffering. Anyone committing an offence can face prosecution, an unlimited fine or even a custodial sentence.

We are looking at how snares are regulated as part of our continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and working to ensure the regulated use of the most appropriate trap and cull method which causes the least suffering whilst providing the greatest protection to crops, game birds or endangered species.

The decision to authorise the short-term emergency use of a pesticide is never taken lightly and is based on robust assessment of the risks and benefits. The emergency authorisation we have issued this year for the use of a neonicotinoid on sugar beet is subject to strict conditions to mitigate risks to the wider environment.

We remain absolutely committed to the targets agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. UK diplomatic leadership was critical to agreeing the framework and we will continue to champion the framework’s implementation.

We welcome the text in target 7, as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) lies at the heart of the UK's approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides.

In addition, the Government recently held a roundtable with members of the British sugar industry and environmental organisations to discuss the industry’s progress on implementing alternative pest control measures to neonicotinoids. I urge British Sugar and others in the sector to drive forward these plans, so that their outputs can be implemented in the field at pace.

Our 13 Environment Act 2021 targets were set in law by January 2023 and are included in our revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23). Interim targets were also set at this point and will help tackle some of the biggest environmental pressures and make tangible progress over the next five years of EIP23.

We have been making progress in delivery of our new environmental targets and are due to report on them, and other EIP commitments, in our EIP Annual Progress Report in the summer.

We will continue to monitor and adjust our delivery to reach the long-term environmental goals outlined in the EIP23, including on our wider statutory targets.

Defra ran a Call for Evidence in 2021 to gather data on the impacts of different types of animal welfare labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling.

We are disappointed that the Hunting Trophies Bill failed to progress in the House of Lords in the previous session, despite overwhelming support from hon. Members for our proposals. We are committed to delivering on our manifesto pledge to ban the import of hunting trophies and will continue to explore ways to bring this forward.