Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Empey, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to amend the Airports Act 1986.
A Bill to amend the Airports Act 1986.
A bill to amend the Airports Act 1986.
A bill to provide for the functions exercised by the Northern Ireland Department of Health to be exercised by the Secretary of State in the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive
Lord Empey has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The freehold title for the QEII Conference Centre is currently held by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (previously the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government). Since 2018 House of Lords officials have been involved in discussions with officials at DLUHC (then MHCLG) regarding potential use of the QEII Conference Centre by the House of Lords as part of the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) programme. This has included exploring the terms of any possible acquisition of the building for the purposes of housing the House of Lords during the R&R programme and seeking to understand the associated costs, risks and liabilities.
This follows the QEII Conference Centre having been identified as the preferred decant location for the House of Lords, in line with the recommendation by the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster in 2016; a recommendation which was agreed by the House of Lords Commission in September 2018, subject to further feasibility work being undertaken.
From the creation of the Sponsor Body in April 2020 and the Delivery Authority in May 2020 to the end of March 2022, £10.9 million was spent on developing the plans for the proposed decant of the House of Lords to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, including design team and project management fees, business case work and surveys.
This figure does not include costs - which cannot be reliably disaggregated - on work outside of the core House of Lords decant project.
The Government Legal Department is presently acting on behalf of His Majesty’s Government in seven claims that have been filed in the courts of England and Wales in the last five years, by individuals involved in or accused of terrorist activities seeking compensation. His Majesty’s Government have reached settlement in relation to cases in the Courts of England and Wales with perpetrators of terrorist activities, and family members of such individuals, within the last five years – but the terms of those settlements are subject to strict confidentiality agreements about both the terms of settlement and the amount of compensation paid, if any. |
There is a proportionate level of resource allocated to ensure that the Windsor Framework is implemented. Many of those whose work concerns the Framework also work on a range of other issues including wider Northern Ireland-related matters, as well as wider UK-EU issues. It is therefore not possible to give a specific number of civil servants employed to implement the Windsor Framework.
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through schemes such as the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme. There is no central provision made for support schemes.
As the Government announced in September last year, the current term of Trader Support Service will run to December 2024. Information about the costs of the Trader Support Service is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrcs-annual-report-and-accounts. The total cost of the Movement Assistance Scheme up to the end of January 2024 was £29.8m. The Government also launched a £50m labelling financial assistance scheme, to assist businesses with the costs of meeting labelling requirements.
We have always been committed to taking steps necessary to support businesses - both through the WF arrangements for internal trade but also for those whose business models may not fall within them. This is entirely excepted funding support and so has no negative implications for the NI block grant, where of course the Government has also provided an unprecedented £3.3bn as part of the recent efforts to restore the Executive.
It is not the case that the money available to support schemes would be diverted to any other project in Northern Ireland - if the support scheme were to be withdrawn then no additional funding of any kind would be available in NI as a result.
It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK from foreign interference. We know that some states seek to interfere in our democratic institutions and processes. This is unacceptable and the government is taking robust action to safeguard our national security.
The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament and in July 2023 the House of Commons approved a new rule that APPGs must not accept the provision of a secretariat by a foreign government, or accept the services of a secretariat funded by a foreign government.
Retained EU law applies in the whole of the UK. Accordingly, any legislation that allows for the amendment of retained EU law will need to make the appropriate provision for Northern Ireland.
Any legislation to address REUL is likely to have a UK extent. This is consistent with other Brexit legislation such as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and European Union (Future Relationship) Bill.
Retained EU law applies in the whole of the UK. Accordingly, any legislation that allows for the amendment of retained EU law will need to make the appropriate provision for Northern Ireland.
Any legislation to address REUL is likely to have a UK extent. This is consistent with other Brexit legislation such as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill and European Union (Future Relationship) Bill.
Article 16 is a safeguard provision for addressing serious economic, societal and environmental difficulties. It is part of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Triggering it does not affect the standing of the Protocol as a whole.
Government continues to monitor the flow of freight vehicles travelling between the UK and EU nations, including those travelling between the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and continental Europe.
DfT’s published road freight statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-goods-vehicles-travelling-to-europe-july-2020-to-june-2021.
Government continues to monitor the flow of freight vehicles travelling between the UK and EU nations, including those travelling between the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and continental Europe. Landbridge traffic is being monitored for the movements between EU Nations and the Island of Ireland.
Published DfT data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-goods-vehicles-travelling-to-europe-july-2020-to-june-2021.
The UK Government has no current means to identify UK veterans who are resident in Northern Ireland. Due to the sensitivities of the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, many who served and now reside there do not feel safe disclosing their veteran status, and the question was not included in the 2021 Census in Northern Ireland as it was in England and Wales.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is working with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency on alternative solutions.
The Protocol is explicit that it rests on the democratic consent of the people and elected representatives across Northern Ireland. All sides need to be sensitive to the social and political realities, including the reality that any arrangements involving Northern Ireland depend on cross-community confidence if they are to work successfully. We are listening carefully to the concerns of the people of Northern Ireland. Our actions are aimed at restoring that confidence and we have urged the EU to do the same.
Goods are moving effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and there are no significant queues at Northern Ireland’s ports. Overall freight flow between Great Britain and Northern Ireland appears to have returned to normal levels. We are continuing to monitor and assess the situation, including any potential change in trade patterns.
Every part of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, is an integral part of the Kingdom. As a result of the devolution settlements, there are legal and regulatory differences between the constituent nations. The Northern Ireland Protocol and the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill ensure unfettered access for goods from Northern Ireland to the rest of the Kingdom. The Protocol does make specific provisions in relation to the movement of goods, but it does not constitute a "border". The UK government has made extensive investment and arrangements to facilitate free movement of goods to Northern Ireland, and, working with the devolved administration, will keep under review all necessary actions to ensure that is delivered.
As is detailed in the Command Paper published on Gov.uk on 10 October, the arrangements we have reached in principle with the European Commission, are clear that there will be no EU Belfast embassy or mission. Instead, the arrangements we have agreed will enable the EU to exercise their rights under Article 12, including with appropriate access to the information needed to do so, while fully respecting the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.
The rules that apply to businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland derive from UK law, including rules given effect by the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The rules on how to interpret rules given effect by retained EU law, which the courts must follow, are set out in section 6 of the EU Withdrawal Act. Section 6 of the 2018 Act also sets out the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The rules applied by the Protocol are outlined in its text and Annexes. Parliament was provided with the assessments made regarding its implications during the passage of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2020 which ratified the Withdrawal Agreement.
The consent arrangements are outlined in Article 18 of the Protocol and the Declaration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the operation of the ‘Democratic consent in Northern Ireland’ provision of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. These arrangements are being provided in domestic law through The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (Democratic Consent Process) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, which is presently making its way through both Houses.
Further to my answer to PQ HL9634, all rules applied in Northern Ireland will be administered by the UK authorities.
As the Government set out in its Command Paper in May, the Northern Ireland Protocol applies a small subset of EU rules concerning goods and electricity markets for so long as the people of Northern Ireland vote to keep such arrangements in place.
Furthermore, in the case of any breach related to the Protocol the UK Government would always activate the appropriate formal dispute settlement mechanisms established under the Protocol in order to seek an appropriate solution.
Otherwise, the rules that apply to businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland derive from UK law, including rules given effect by EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The rules on how to interpret rules given effect by retained EU law, which the courts must follow, are set out in section 6 of the EU Withdrawal Act. The 2018 Act also provides for the dedicated mechanism, which also protects citizens in NI from any diminution of their human rights as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Further to my answer to PQ HL9634, all rules applied in Northern Ireland will be administered by the UK authorities.
As the Government set out in its Command Paper in May, the Northern Ireland Protocol applies a small subset of EU rules concerning goods and electricity markets for so long as the people of Northern Ireland vote to keep such arrangements in place.
Furthermore, in the case of any breach related to the Protocol the UK Government would always activate the appropriate formal dispute settlement mechanisms established under the Protocol in order to seek an appropriate solution.
Otherwise, the rules that apply to businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland derive from UK law, including rules given effect by EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The rules on how to interpret rules given effect by retained EU law, which the courts must follow, are set out in section 6 of the EU Withdrawal Act. The 2018 Act also provides for the dedicated mechanism, which also protects citizens in NI from any diminution of their human rights as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Further to Article 12(1) of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the authorities of the United Kingdom are responsible for implementing and applying the provisions of Union law made applicable by the Protocol. This includes the administering of checks on agri-food moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, from 1 January 2021.
Viscount Younger of Leckie speaks for the Northern Ireland Office and the Scotland Office, and Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist speaks for the Wales Office.
A full list of Government Ministers and Lords Spokespersons can be found here - https://www.lordswhips.org.uk/government-spokespersons
The Northern Ireland Protocol sets out that EU state aid rules will apply in certain cases where relevant to trade between Northern Ireland and the EU. This does not mean that state aid rules will apply to Northern Ireland as they do today. State aid provisions apply only to trade ‘subject to the Protocol’. The Protocol is limited in scope to the movement of goods and wholesale electricity markets. Where trade is subject to the Protocol, the supervision and enforcement procedures it sets out will apply, as will the safety net provided by the UK Internal Market Bill.
The Northern Ireland Protocol sets out that EU state aid rules will apply in certain cases where relevant to trade between Northern Ireland and the EU. This does not mean that state aid rules will apply to Northern Ireland as they do today. State aid provisions apply only to trade ‘subject to the Protocol’. The Protocol is limited in scope to the movement of goods and wholesale electricity markets. Where trade is subject to the Protocol, the supervision and enforcement procedures it sets out will apply, as will the safety net provided by the UK Internal Market Bill.
As set out in the Command Paper ‘The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’, we will ensure unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, and enshrine this in legislation by the end of the year. The document set out our approach, including that we will not require exit summary declarations on those movements.
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an arrangement between the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and Ireland. It is underpinned by domestic law in each jurisdiction.
Both the UK and Irish Governments have committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that the Common Travel Area and its associated rights and privileges are protected and maintained, including entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 May 2019. We are not aware of any significant disputes that have arisen between the UK Government and Ireland over the operation of the Common Travel Area, nor of cases when a UK citizen has taken legal action against the UK Government over the operation of the Common Travel Area.
The New Decade, New Approach agreement recognised the need to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that works for the restored Executive and Northern Ireland’s businesses. The Protocol text itself is explicit that its implementation “should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities”.
We are committed to implementing the Protocol in a manner that best serves the needs of the people and businesses in Northern Ireland. This includes continuing to tackle serious and organised crime, including in respect of breaches of applicable customs rules, from January 2021 as we are today.
We also note, as underlined in ‘The UK’s Approach to implementing the NI Protocol’, that we are committed to using the latest technology, risk and compliance techniques as part of our efforts. The Government will work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and businesses on this.
The Northern Ireland Protocol guarantees the place of Northern Ireland within the UK customs territory and internal market, upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The Protocol will prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, while explicitly recognising Northern Ireland’s integral place in the UK. Further details on the Government’s approach to the Protocol are outlined in our Command Paper, The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Any such disputes would be a matter for UK authorities and UK courts.
On 20 May 2020 the UK Government set out our approach in the Command Paper ‘The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’ confirming there will be no new physical customs infrastructure in Northern Ireland (or in Great Britain ports facing Northern Ireland). The limited additional processes required by the Protocol should be implemented in a way that takes account of all available flexibilities, and respects Northern Ireland’s place in the UK’s customs territory.
As ministers set out, we will expand some existing entry points for agrifood goods to provide for proportionate additional controls, in locations where these already take place such as Larne and Belfast. We will continue to work closely with the NI Executive to take that work forward.
The Protocol makes clear that Northern Ireland is and remains part of the UK’s customs territory and allows the UK to ensure unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
The Government has set out its approach clearly to implementing unfettered access in the Northern Ireland Protocol, first in the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ power-sharing deal, and last week in the Command Paper, ‘ The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’. Our publication makes clear that we will not require exit declarations or any other regulatory processes or checks as these goods enter the rest of the UK from NI. We committed to legislate to guarantee unfettered access for NI businesses to the whole of the UK internal market, and ensure that this legislation is in force for 1 January 2021.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Dear Lord Empey,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many COVID-19 related deaths in the UK resulted from a secondary bacterial infection leading to sepsis (HL3127).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing weekly numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent figures published are for deaths registered in 2018[1], however, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations which are currently published for deaths registered up to 10 April 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). Deaths involving COVID-19 are identified by the ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2 and deaths involving sepsis are identified by the ICD-10 codes A40 and A41. Sepsis is likely to be caused by a bacterial infection, therefore we have assumed that all deaths involving sepsis would involve a bacterial infection and have therefore not searched for this separately.
Table 1 below shows the number of deaths occurring in March 2020 and registered by 10 April 2020 where the death involved both COVID-19 and sepsis, where COVID-19 caused the sepsis. The data covers deaths registered in Great Britain, as data for Northern Ireland is not yet fully coded.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number of deaths occurring in March 2020 involving COVID-19 and sepsis, where COVID-19 caused the sepsis, Great Britain[3][4]
Geography | Number of deaths |
Great Britain | 26 |
Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records Scotland
[3]Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes U07.1, U07.2, A40 and A41.
[4]Figures are based on deaths occurring in March 2020, registered up until 10 April 2020
Hostile activity can take many forms, including disinformation, cyber attacks and other hybrid methods. We know that certain states routinely use these as foreign policy tools.
It is absolutely unacceptable for any foreign government to seek to undermine the UK’s national security, the integrity of our democracy, public safety, reputation or economic prosperity. The government remains committed to securing the UK against all forms of hostile activity orchestrated by foreign states.
HM Government has acted to protect the UK and respond to the threat, including taking steps as part of the Defending Democracy programme, and through the creation of the National Cyber Security Centre and Joint State Threats Assessment Team. This approach allows us to identify, assess and, where necessary, respond to hostile activity; as can be seen from HM Government's response to the Salisbury novichok poisoning and the public attribution of the WannaCry, NotPetya and Cloudhopper cyber incidents.
The Government’s Smarter Regulation programme aims to reform existing regulations to minimise regulatory burden, ensure regulations are contemporary and forward looking, and make use of alternatives to regulation wherever beneficial, whilst ensuring a well-functioning regulatory landscape. Alongside this, the Government’s retail energy reform programme aims to ensure consumers receive good service, fair prices, that energy companies invest in innovative products and services, and consumer choice contributes towards a lowest-cost flexible energy system. In addition, the ongoing Review of Electricity Market Arrangements is conducting a widescale assessment of the current regulatory arrangements for the wholesale electricity market.
Gas prices for UK industrial users are among the cheapest in Europe. However, the UK’s industrial electricity prices are higher than those of comparable countries because the UK has spread electricity infrastructure costs more evenly between industry and households compared to other European countries.
Some energy and trade intensive industries that are particularly exposed receive energy price support.
For household customers, the price cap ensures that default tariffs in GB reflect the reasonable costs of supply.
Government also provided unprecedented levels of support to households and businesses across the UK last winter in response to global energy price spikes.
The number of voucher project applications awaiting approval is dynamic and changes regularly. As of 30 November 2023, there are eight outstanding voucher project applications for Northern Ireland pending a decision.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was paused in Northern Ireland on 6 July 2023. The voucher scheme is paused ahead of planned procurements across an area, to enable the intervention area to be defined and to avoid the doubling up of public subsidy for eligible premises.
Procurements in Northern Ireland are currently due to launch in the first half of 2024, with the aim to award a contract to the successful supplier by Autumn 2024.
Where the scope of voucher projects will not impact on procurement planning, these may be approved and can continue to be delivered throughout the voucher pause period.
As part of Project Gigabit, we are planning to launch procurements in Northern Ireland, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.
Work is under way to identify the premises requiring support, and a temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for projects in Northern Ireland was initiated to enable the intervention area to be defined.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working closely with all active suppliers registered on the voucher scheme to identify areas where a voucher-funded project has a good likelihood of delivering gigabit coverage faster than the procurement route and represents good value for money. These areas are designated as voucher priority areas, meaning that suppliers are able to continue to build voucher-funded projects in these areas throughout procurement.
Over 120,000 vouchers have been issued so far under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and its previous iterations. To date, over 100,000 of these vouchers have been used to connect premises to gigabit-capable broadband.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working closely with all active suppliers registered on the scheme to identify areas and approve projects in parts of the UK where a voucher-funded project has a good likelihood of delivering gigabit coverage faster than the procurement approach and represents good value for money. There are currently only 97 voucher project applications pending a decision. This data is not currently broken down at a constituency level.
The Government has launched the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA), following a commitment in the British Energy Security Strategy. The consultation closed on 10th October. REMA is a major review into Britain’s electricity market design, and is considering a broad range of reforms, from changes to existing arrangements that can be delivered from the mid-2020s, to enduring transformational reforms.
Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS) this winter.
This offers the same level of support as households in Great Britain are receiving under the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS). The Government is working at pace to deliver a solution which accounts for the Northern Ireland market and to provide the support as soon as possible this winter.
The Government supports large-scale renewable generation through the Contracts for Difference Scheme.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the Government scheme that ensures businesses, industry and agriculture can have a route to market for exported generation from small scale and eligible technologies such as solar or wind.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides upfront grants of £5,000 towards the installation of biomass boilers with an installation capacity up to 45kWth.
There are no Covid-19 vaccines for under 5s currently approved for use in the UK, and as such we have not specifically procured vaccines for this cohort. The Government will continue monitoring developments and seek the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation going forward.
The Government wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the recent actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.
The Insolvency Service confirmed on 01 April that following its enquiries it has initiated both formal and civil investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries.
You will appreciate that while these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment but the Insolvency Service will provide an update in due course.