Lord Lipsey

We want all LGBT people to be free to be themselves and remain committed to banning conversion therapy. The ban on conversion therapy will protect everyone and will apply to attempts to change a person to or from being transgender.

Under our proposals, people who are transgender or are exploring their transgender status, including under 18s, will remain able to access the support they need from qualified health professionals without change. Parents and teachers will, of course, continue to be able to have conversations with young people or others about whether they are transgender or not. It is important that people are able to have open and explorative conversations that allow them to come to the right decision for themselves.

We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure that our legislative interventions operate effectively.

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

Dear Lord Lipsey,

As Head of the Office for Statistics Regulation and Director General for Regulation at the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what requests for assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics have been made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 in respect of statistics relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (HL8482).

?To date, no requests for assessment have been made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 relating to COVID-19 statistics[1]. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) established a short series of rapid reviews to provide timely, independent reassurance and challenge on some key statistics that were developed in response to the pandemic. The outcomes of those 12 reviews are available on the OSR website[2].

Yours sincerely

Ed Humpherson

[1]A formal request for assessment made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 is just one way for the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) to exercise its statutory powers. Re-assessments of existing National Statistics are carried out proactively by OSR under section 14(1) of the Act. In addition, for example, OSR carries out larger-scale reviews of systemic issues, shorter compliance checks and responds to correspondence about official statistics. OSR received three section 12(1) requests for assessment in 2019, and has received two requests to date in 2020, none of which related to COVID-19 statistics.

[2]https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/covid-19-changes-to-statistics/#osr-endorsements-of-new-statistical-outputs-during-covid-19-outbreak

Ahead of the Bill’s introduction, the Government engaged with parliamentary parties, and electoral administrator representatives, and there was general acceptance of an 8-year cycle.

This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) scheme is run by the Welsh Government and provides grants to fund (or part-fund) the installation costs of new broadband connections for homes and businesses in Wales. New connections through this scheme must deliver a step change in speed, with at least double current download speeds. However, it does not require all connections to be gigabit-capable.

The UK Government’s focus is on the delivery of Project Gigabit across the whole of the UK. Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Over 75% of UK premises now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, which is a significant increase from 6% in January 2019.

We are delivering a series of procurements to provide subsidies to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans alone. We have already awarded eight Project Gigabit contracts and launched a further 18 procurements across the country, making over £1.2 billion of funding available to cover up to 850,000 premises. The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme also provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband via local community broadband projects.

The Official Receiver is a statutory office holder whose role is set out in legislation, primarily the Insolvency Act 1986. The operational practice of the Official Receiver, with regard to all matters in which an Official Receiver is appointed, is kept under review to reflect developments in legislation and case law.

The current guidance on Legislative Reform Orders (LRO) was published in 2016 and includes comprehensive information on the rules and processes governing the use of LROs. The guidance makes clear that it is the responsibility of the owning Department to scrutinise their proposal against the criteria set out in the Legislation and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 and this scrutiny should be completed with Departmental lawyers. The Government has no plans to issue revised guidance.

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require firms in regulated sectors, including those regulated by the Gambling Commission, to obtain and verify certain information about their customers. Firms must have in place appropriate risk management systems and procedures to determine whether a customer is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), or a family member or known close associate of a PEP. This is in line with the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force.

Original measures on PEPs were put into UK law via the transposition of the European Union’s fourth money laundering directive in June 2017, as was the legal requirement at the time. There was therefore no risk assessment undertaken specifically by the UK but the impact assessment from this process can be found here. The Financial Action Task Force is the international standard-setter in anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing, and its guidance on PEPs can be found here.

HM Treasury is currently undertaking a review of the 2017 Regulations. As part of this review, the proportionality of current requirements regarding domestic PEPs is being considered and balanced alongside the risks posed to the UK’s financial system, and our international obligations to mitigate these risks. The Review will be published this summer.

In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in an extra £45m in statutory Levy income for 2017/18 to support the racing industry and we expect a similar uplift for 2018/19.

The uplift in income from the reformed Levy has contributed to record prize money of £142.5m in 2017/18 and has also provided increased funding for equine welfare, industry recruitment and training, and measures related to veterinary science and education.

We note the Parliamentary Scrutiny committees’ reports regarding proposed changes to the administration of the reformed Levy and will consider them carefully.

According to S4C's Annual Report & Statement of Accounts 2014/15, the cost per user hour is £1.54

As a result of our analysis of the responses to the two consultations it is clear that more detail is required as to how a replacement for the Levy would work. In order to enable a fair comparison between reform and replacement we will work up the “racing right” proposal and engage constructively with stakeholders so that a fully informed decision can be made. We will consult early in the New Year.

The Horserace Betting Levy is a State Aid pursuant to Article 107 TFEU. As a permissible pre-accession measure, it does not need to be notified to the European Commission for as long as it remains unaltered. There has been no major change to the Levy since 1963 so it retains its pre-accession status. It is for this reason that we believe the Levy is compatible with the United Kingdom's obligations under European Union (EU) law and state aid rules. Any major change to the Levy, such as extending it to offshore remote betting operators, would constitute a substantive alteration to the existing scheme meaning that Government would have to notify the European Commission (EC). The Commission would then take a view as to the changed Levy's compatibility with Article 107 TFEU.

On 29 December, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that primary schools in 50 local authorities across London and the South East would remain closed to all but children of critical workers and vulnerable children for the first two weeks of term. 23 of London’s 33 boroughs were included in this initial decision. On 1 January, in light of the rapidly changing situation, we extended these restrictions to cover all 33 London Boroughs.

In considering which areas may be suitable for primary restrictions under our contingency framework, the department worked closely with Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, NHS Test & Trace and the Department for Health and Social Care using the most recent data available. We used a balanced approach rather than simple threshold cut-offs and took all factors into account, but with particular focus on: very high rates of infection; particularly high increases in seven-day case rates; and intelligence about pressure on the NHS.

These were not easy decisions to make, but they were made according to the best clinical advice and the criteria set out in the COVID-19 Winter Plan, which are:

- Case detection rates in all age groups;

- Case detection rates in all the over 60s;

- The rate at which cases are rising or falling;

- Positivity rate; and

- Pressure on the NHS.

The national lockdown announced on 4 January replaced the restrictions that had been active in some primary schools under the contingency framework. We will be continually reviewing the restrictions on schools, colleges and universities to ensure that children can return to school when the pressures are easing on the NHS.

These decisions do not suggest that schools and colleges are no longer safe places. Instead, limiting attendance is about reducing the number of contacts that all of us have with people in other households.

The River Wye is one of our most important, iconic rivers. The level of pollution in the River Wye is unacceptable. That’s why this Government is introducing its first steps to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

Defra and its arm's length bodies, the Environment Agency and Natural England, continue to work with the Welsh Government, farmers and local partners on how we collectively can improve the river.

In his statement to Parliament on 7 September the Prime Minister stated that, in full accordance with internationally agreed rules, the UK will ensure that the full cost of supporting thousands of Syrian refugees in the UK will be met through our aid spending for the first year.

The Government currently has no plans to introduce number plates for cyclists. The absence of a number plate does not prevent a cyclist from being liable for their actions. For those who do not adopt a responsible attitude, or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, there are laws in place that can make them liable for prosecution. Enforcement of cycling offences is a matter for the police.

It is a long-standing requirement to return the previous driving licence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when a new licence has been issued. This helps to reduce the number of previous driving licences in circulation and to ensure that drivers only have one licence at any time. This requirement is currently under consideration.

No specific estimate has been made of the annual cost to customers to return their previous driving licence.

Highways England has not assessed the specific savings of using a 60mph speed limit in the roadworks on the M4 between junctions 3 and 12. However, Highways England and its supply chain are currently assessing whether there are opportunities for this higher speed limit to be introduced on the M4. In all cases, careful consideration has to be given to the safety implications of increasing speed limits in roadworks, and not all roadworks will be suitable for a higher speed limit.

The benefits of the scheme were calculated over a 60-year period. The discount rate applied to the forecasted benefits was 3.5% each year for the first 30 years and 3% each year for the next 30 years, as stipulated in the HM Treasury’s “The Green Book: Central Government Guidance on Appraisal and Evaluation

The impact of delays during construction of the current M6 Junctions 2 to 4 and Junctions 13 to 15 smart motorway schemes was assessed as part of the economic appraisal undertaken prior to the start of construction. This took into account various factors including the impact of the construction programme in full, lane availability and also the effect of limiting traffic speed to 50mph. This assessment gave an estimated value of £80 million for motorist’s journey time lost during construction.

The economic appraisal also forecast that the completed schemes would give a journey time gain of £802 million to motorists.

In July 2018, Highways England announced its intention to test whether 60mph speed limits in roadworks could be used more often. That work is ongoing, and it is anticipated that the benefits will include improved journey times for motorists.

Entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment is based on the circumstances of the household which the claimant has reported as their permanent address. Claimants of benefits, pensions and Winter Fuel Payments have an obligation to report relevant changes to the Department, including changes of address and (where material to entitlement) changes to their household make-up.

As announced at the Summer Budget 2015, the funding of the free TV licence for those aged 75 and over will transfer to the BBC from 2020.

Currently the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for reimbursing the BBC for free TV licences for those aged 75 and over. At the time of the Summer Budget 2015, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated the exchequer impact to be:

There will also be an additional saving of £1m from 2020/21 onwards relating an administration fee payable by DWP to the BBC.

Wait times are recorded from the point of entering a queue to successful connection to an agent.

All figures quoted relate to calls handled within DWP only, excluding calls routed to outsourcing partners.

Figures are presented by business year, spanning 1^st April – 31^st March. Figures for 2014/15 are complete to 30^th June only.

No data is available prior to April 2012 as this metric was not included within data reported during previous periods and is no longer available in source data systems.

Data source: OPMIS

The information requested is not held centrally.

We have listened to the concerns of local government and have taken the difficult decision to delay the planned adult social care charging reforms from October 2023 to October 2025. The funding intended for implementation will be retained in local authority budgets to meet current pressures.

Lowering the cap from £86,000 to £35,000, while all other parameters remain unchanged, would double the estimated additional state spend for reform on older adults in 2027/28, when modelled in 2021/22 prices.

This information is not collected in the format requested. NHS Digital collects data on recipients of long-term care aged 65 years old and over who are supported by local authorities. However, its data collection does not differentiate between those who are funded in whole and those who are funded in part by their local authority.

The data is not available in the format requested. From 2015 NHS Digital collected data the number of new Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs) agreed during the year and the total number of outstanding DPAs at the end of the year on a voluntary basis. In 2016-17 the collection became part mandatory and later fully mandatory in 2017-18. However, this data does not include the total number of DPAs concluded, therefore does not confirm how many people used a DPA on an annual basis.