Viscount Waverley

Whilst the COVID-19 response continues, there is no immediate intention to review local resilience structures under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) or its associated duties placed on Category 1 and 2 responders. However, given the scale and challenges emergency responders have faced in dealing with COVID-19, we will consider any strengthening of arrangements as part of the legal requirement placed upon Cabinet Office by Regulation 59 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005 to conduct an assessment of regulations at least every five years. The next review must be completed by March 2022.

This information is not held centrally.

Coronavirus is the biggest challenge the UK has faced in decades – and we are not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this disease.

As the Prime Minister said in his recent address to the nation:

“This is a struggle that humanity will win, and we in this country will win… I know that we can succeed because we have succeeded before. When the sickness took hold in this country in March, we pulled together in a spirit of national sacrifice and community. We followed the guidance to the letter. We stayed at home, protected the NHS, and saved thousands of lives… There are unquestionably difficult months to come. And the fight against covid is by no means over. I have no doubt, however, that there are great days ahead. But now is the time for us all to summon the discipline, and the resolve, and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through.”

Details of UK Government support and guidance available to the public are published on https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report.

We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee report.

As the Government has set out previously, the report is the property of the independent committee. It is for the Intelligence and Security Committee to lay their reports before Parliament and the reconstituted Committee did so on 21 July.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is an organisation that is independent of Her Majesty’s Government. The BCC’s membership of any other organisations is a matter for the BCC to consider and decide upon. They did not consult with the Government prior to making this decision and the Government has no power to reverse it.

Chambers of commerce and trade associations play an important role in supporting the UK’s economic growth. In June, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State led a series of roundtables, bringing together businesses, business representative groups and leading academics from the UK to consider the measures needed to support the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19. This was attended by the British Chambers of Commerce, the national representative body of 52 Accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK and Energy UK, the trade association for British energy. There is also regular engagement with the British Chambers of Commerce at a variety of senior levels within the Department.

We do not hold a list of all the Chambers of Commerce, however the majority of Chambers are affiliated to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). A list of those Chambers can be found on the BCC’s website.

A list of all UK trade associations is not available from official sources. There is no compulsory requirement to register a trade association anywhere, unless it is a company limited by guarantee in which case the organisation must register with Companies House in order to comply with statutory company law.

Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has held frequent calls with major business representative organisations. Other engagement includes the Secretary of State’s recent industry roundtables on Economic Recovery. The BEIS ministerial team continues to use these opportunities to assure the effectiveness of Government’s responses to the COVID-19 outbreak and to ensure a safe return to work across the whole UK economy as quickly as possible.

Alcohol used in the production of retail sanitiser gel is not subject to excise duty, providing it is denatured. Producers, suppliers, and users of denatured alcohol must be authorised by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Licensed suppliers of trade-specific denatured alcohol or duty-free spirit that are supplying it for hand sanitiser do not need to restrict the volume supplied. However, they should continue to inspect authorisations and record details of supplies made.

On 23 March 2020, HMRC announced a series of easements designed to increase the amount of denatured alcohol available, as well as the number of businesses authorised to use it in the production of sanitiser gel. These measures will make it easier for manufacturers to meet the sudden increase in demand during the Coronavirus outbreak. Further information on the easements announced to support hand sanitiser production can be found at gov.uk.

The UK is well prepared for this type of outbreak; we are taking all necessary precautions to protect the public, including engaging with industry and the business community to discuss their preparedness planning.

The Government recognises that there has been increased demand on a number of products, including hygiene gel. These shortages are caused by increased consumer demand, rather than supply chain disruption. Retailers are working with suppliers to increase stock and reassure consumers there is no need to buy higher quantities than usual.

We will work with local authorities to extend the hours that deliveries can be made to supermarkets and other food retailers to help the industry respond to COVID-19. The new measures mean retailers can increase the frequency of deliveries to their stores and move stock more quickly from warehouses across the country to replenish their shelves.

The average broadband speed in the UK rose by 18% last year according to Ofcom’s annual report, which is available here, and attached: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0038/194897/uk-home-broadband-performance.pdf. The average home speed is now 64Mbps, up from 54.2Mbps the year before. This was largely due to the growing availability and take-up of superfast and ultrafast full-fibre and cable services.

To improve broadband speeds, the government is committed to providing nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible. Gigabit-capable connectivity can provide speeds of at least 1,000Mbps, and is reliable and future-proof. 26% of the UK (or 7.5 million) premises are able to access these speeds, and 16% of the UK has access to full fibre.

BT Openreach has a target to connect 20 million premises with full fibre by the mid to late-2020s, and Virgin Media has pledged to upgrade its entire network to gigabit-capable by the end of 2021. These initiatives will provide UK citizens with a world class, future-proof digital infrastructure system, as well as helping to drive the UK up the broadband speed table at the same time.

DCMS is responsible for cyber security policy and works closely with other government departments responsible for delivery of the government’s National Cyber Security Strategy as well as the National Cyber Security Centre. The objectives of the National Cyber Security Strategy are divided between 5 departments. DCMS is responsible for cyber security policy, as it relates to securing the economy and society against attacks, building skills, expanding the sector, supporting innovation, science and technology. The Cabinet Office has overall responsibility for delivery of the National Cyber Security Strategy, sits on the National Security Council and is responsible for the security of government systems. The Home Office leads on cyber crime and incident response while the Ministry of Defence has overall responsibility for operational cyber capabilities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has statutory responsibility for GCHQ and, thus, for the National Cyber Security Centre - the UK’s national technical authority for cyber security. Parliamentary questions are allocated to across departments on basis of this shared responsibility.

Internationally it is not unusual for foreign governments to divide responsibility for cyber security between departments responsible for the economy, security, defence and policing. DCMS has regular productive dialogues with many countries to advance UK interests and to share information and best practice. The inclusion of cyber in DCMS’ portfolios has never been raised as an issue for international partners.

While 6G mobile technology is only in the early research phase, the Government is committed to ensuring the UK is at the forefront of technology development and adoption. The Government’s current focus is on the UK becoming a world leader in 5G mobile technology. To support this ambition the Government is investing £200 million in a programme of nationally coordinated testbeds and trials, the first programme of its kind in the UK, which launched in late 2017 and will run until the end of March 2022

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has conducted economic and commercial analysis to ensure the scale of funding is proportionate to that of overall nationwide 5G deployment and provides value-for-money for UK taxpayers.

6G mobile technology is in the early research phase. The Government’s focus is on the UK becoming a world leader in 5G mobile technology, and for the majority of the UK population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027. To support this ambition, the Government is investing £200 million in a 5G Testbeds and Trials programme. The Mobile Network Operators are similarly focussed on rolling out commercial 5G coverage across the UK and, as a result, it is currently available in over 80 UK towns and cities.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides a range of guidance to the public on how to secure their devices and accounts when using online services: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families.

They generally do not produce guidance for members of the public on how to secure specific devices, but encourage that they read the information provided by the manufacturer.

In May 2019, in light of US sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC published advice for Huawei customers detailing the potential impact on customers in the UK. The NCSC updates its advice when necessary.

The Trade Envoy Programme supports British businesses and attracts investment into the UK. The programme works in collaboration with other trade promotion activities and focuses on emerging and high growth markets where additional senior interactions can be valuable, or larger economies where multiple interactions at different levels are effective.

We are regularly reviewing countries and markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to the trade and investment aims of the UK with the Prime Minister ultimately making that decision. Consideration is also given to appointing multiple trade envoys where this could be advantageous to the UK.

The Prime Minister has not appointed a Trade Envoy to India.

The UK remains committed to strengthening its long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with India which was worth £24.3 billion in 2021 by continued ministerial engagement and dialogue including the desire to secure a Free Trade Agreement.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) analyses suitable countries, regions, and markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to the trade and investment aims of the UK, with the Prime Minister ultimately making the decision to appoint.

DIT following a review will make recommendations of the future size and scope of the Trade Envoy programme, including for India, to the next Prime Minister in due course.

HM Government will soon conclude round 5 of negotiations, which is taking place from 18^th-29^th July. Both countries have committed to concluding the majority of talks on a comprehensive trade deal by Diwali in October 2022. We are in detailed discussions on text and are confident in our progress as we work towards a comprehensive deal for the whole of the United Kingdom.

We are negotiating with the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, responsible for negotiating trade deals on behalf of the Government of India.

The United Kingdom already has trade deals with 33 Commonwealth nations. In addition, we are negotiating free trade agreements with India, as well as Brunei and Malaysia through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

A further fifteen Commonwealth nations, who qualify as developing nations, will benefit from reduced tariffs under the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme.

The United Kingdom is ready to progress negotiations on a trade deal with the United States when they are ready to do so. In the meantime, both sides have agreed to develop a roadmap to further strengthen Anglo-American trade.

Given the number of invitations received for Ministers, this information is not readily available or held centrally.

Meetings between Ministerial departments and their international counterparts are a regular part of Government business. For security and diplomatic reasons we do not routinely publish details of these meetings.

The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy Programme supports British businesses overseas and attracts investment into the UK. The programme works in collaboration with other trade promotion activities, and it focuses on emerging and high growth markets where additional senior interactions can be valuable, or larger economies where multiple interactions at different levels are effective. Trade Envoys are appointed to markets where there are opportunities to increase bilateral trade.

We are constantly reviewing suitable countries, regions, and markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to the trade and investment aims of the UK with the Prime Minister ultimately making that decision.

The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections and has made clear it will not sign trade deals that compromise these. We will continue to ensure a high level of protection of the environment in new trade agreements. The UK has long supported the promotion of our environmental values globally and this will continue if we join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The Government will ensure that accession negotiations with CPTPP are consistent with the UK’s environmental interests and the Government’s policies and priorities. We will be outlining our specific position on environmental standards in our Outline Approach and will publish a scoping assessment, including an assessment of the potential impacts on the environment, at the outset of negotiations.

Individual Regional Trade Plans are not published.

The Department for International Trade’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-20 (link) were laid in Parliament on 16 July 2020. Budgets for Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioners (HMTCs) are published at a group level and are included in Global Trade and Investment Group Budget (p63, Resource DEL expenditure).

HMTC budgets for 2019-20 were published at a regional level in the National Audit Office report ‘Department for International Trade and UK Export Finance: Support for Exports’ (link). The table is replicated attached.

The Government is clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of the environment. We are actively working to promote environmental objectives through our independent bilateral and multilateral trade policy as well as through our export and investment promotion support.

For example, under the UK’s new Global Tariff, we have liberalised tariffs on over 100 environmentally friendly goods. The Government has also underscored the environment as one of the three priorities for UK leadership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

We will use our presidency of COP26 and the G7 this year to continue to push for ambitious international action to tackle climate change and nature loss, including through trade.

Climate change and trade are top priorities for the Government, and cooperation across government departments will be vital for delivering our ambitious environmental commitments. Therefore, the Prime Minister established the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change which brings together ministers responsible for domestic and international climate change policy. This includes representation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for International Trade (DIT).

We will continue to work together at all levels to factor climate change and environmental impacts into the Government’s trade strategy, in order to drive the transition to a more sustainable global economy, whilst delivering economic benefits for the UK.

In under two years, HM Government has signed or agreed in principle trade agreements with 58 countries. Total United Kingdom trade with these countries was worth £198 billion in 2019.

Beyond the end of the transition period, the United Kingdom continues to have an ambitious Free Trade Agreement programme. We will continue to progress our negotiations with the USA, Australia and New Zealand, as well as prepare for our accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We will also look to refresh a number of previously signed or agreed in principle trade agreements, where we are legally obliged to do so. This will help ensure we have deals that are specific to United Kingdom trading interests.

We will need to consider the timing of these agreements alongside a suite of other policy initiatives.

At the United Kingdom-Africa Investment Summit we committed to be Africa’s trade and investment partner of choice. Nearly one year on, and despite the challenging backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, we have sustained this effort. All the deals and investor commitments made around the event have progressed, with further investments added since.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has directly supported exports to Africa returning over £1bn to the UK economy already this year, and we have now signed 7 trade agreements covering 14 African nations total trade (exports and imports) in goods and services, worth £20.4bn in 2019. Total trade between the United Kingdom and these 14 African nations has grown by 21% since 2009. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will start trading on 1 January 2021, offers great promise. We are a leading supporter of AfCFTA negotiations as recently recognised by AfCFTA champion, President Issoufou of Niger. We will support the new Secretariat in Accra, national level implementation, as well as the on-going negotiations.

These efforts will keep the UK at the forefront of African trade policy development, supporting delivery of our economic development and poverty reduction objectives, and drive the establishment of a new market for UK investors and businesses.

With our Trade Agreement Continuity programme, we have sought to replicate the effects of existing EU free trade agreements with trading partners to ensure continuity for businesses following the transition period.

Whilst we have transitioned our existing EU agreements for the most part, in some cases we have applied bespoke solutions in individual agreements for technical reasons. Exact changes are specified in each Agreement and in its accompanying Parliamentary Report.

HM Government is committed to ensuring that all British businesses can take advantage of the significant economic benefits of exporting. Our ambitious free trade agreement programme and market access work is already helping to unlock new opportunities for exporters worldwide.

We provide direct support to both new and existing exporters, to make sure firms have the confidence and expertise they need to export around the world. Access to finance is also important to business, and the export finance available from UK Export Finance, our export credit agency, helps companies win export contracts, fulfil contracts, and get paid.

As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it is in the British national interest to champion greater services liberalisation globally, now we have left the EU.

We will use our independent trade policy to tackle barriers to trade in services and ensure open, fair market access overseas for British businesses. We will negotiate best-in-class rules for all services sectors, as well as sector specific rules for key export sectors such as financial services, professional and business services, telecommunications and transport services. We aim to secure certainty and predictability for British services exporters overseas, along with transparency on services regulation internationally. We want to secure opportunities for British services suppliers and investors to operate overseas through provisions for temporary business travel and supporting the recognition of professional qualifications.

At the same time, we will make sure that decisions about how public services, including the NHS, are delivered are made by HM Government (or the devolved administrations, as appropriate). We will do this through multilateral or plurilateral engagement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), such as the Joint Initiatives on e-commerce and domestic regulation, and by negotiating ambitious services chapters into new free trade agreements that benefit both British businesses and the British people.

As of 15^th December, we have reached agreements with 58 countries, covering trade worth £198 billion, which includes the agreement with Mexico, which was signed on the 15^th December.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has published clear, accurate, and up-to-date information and guidance for business on GOV.UK and we will continue to provide guidance to business, including the latest information on agreements with partners such as Turkey, and will further supplement the detailed guidance already available online, as we approach the end of the transition period.

The Department is in regular contact with business and has also created free-to-use online tools (Trade with the UK and Check How to Export Goods) so that businesses can check product-specific and country-specific information on tariffs and regulations that currently apply to trade in goods. These tools are regularly updated to reflect any changes.

The fourth Commonwealth Digital Connectivity Cluster meeting took place on the 8^th of December. The overall theme for the Connectivity Clusters as they have been meeting is digital resilience and economic recovery. This follows the Commonwealth Statement on the Covid-19 Pandemic where Heads of Government sought to reduce barriers and promote the adoption of digital technologies as a positive enabler in order to increase resilient, inclusive and diverse trade and investment. The United Kingdom co-leads the Digital Connectivity Cluster with South Africa, where we have worked to ensure digitising trade documents is among the topics for discussion.

Digital trade facilitation and the digitisation of trade documentation specifically delivers benefits for businesses of all sizes and has acquired an even greater importance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

HM Government is committed to seeking modern Rules of Origin that are clear, simple and facilitate trade. In the United Kingdom-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), for instance, we negotiated a system of self-certification and, in line with our commitments at the World Trade Organisation, HM Government has committed to maintain a self-certification proof of origin on a commercial invoice for Least Developed Countries. Additionally, transitioned agreements will continue to allow the option of a declaration made out on a commercial invoice where this was allowed under the EU agreement. HM Revenue and Customs continues to consider other methods to streamline customs procedures.

When trade agreements are signed, the Department for International Trade publishes clear, accurate and up-to-date information about it. GOV.UK contains links to guidance on continuity agreements signed to date; these agreements aim to secure the existing trading arrangements that British businesses had through EU trade deals.

The United Kingdom has a robust intellectual property regime and will remain fully compliant with the World Trade Organisation’s framework for intellectual property, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. We remain a full member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and a party to international agreements on intellectual property too.

As stated in our published negotiating objectives for the negotiations with the US, Australia and New Zealand, we are committed to ensuring that any provisions agreed in future trade agreements are consistent with our existing international obligations, including the European Patent Convention (EPC), to which the United Kingdom is party.

The United Kingdom’s intellectual property (IP) regime is consistently rated as one of the best in the world. HM Government sees future trade agreements as opportunities to build on our global leadership in this area to develop a world-class IP chapter, reflecting the strengths of our domestic regime and supporting growth and innovation.

Getting the right outcome for British inventors, creators and consumers will be key as we develop our trading relationships with other countries. One of our priorities will be making sure that future trade agreement negotiations do not negatively impact on the standards and balance of the United Kingdom‘s regime or the ability to promote trade in intellectual property.

Rules of Origin are an important aspect of the United Kingdom’s free trade agreements, as they ensure that only the parties to a free trade agreement can utilise the preferential tariff rates offered and protect against circumvention. However, HM Government recognises that Rules of Origin create costs for traders (and therefore consumers).

This is why HM Government is seeking Rules of Origin that reflect the requirements of British industry, supported by predictable and low-cost administrative arrangements, which are inclusive and accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). HM Government is committed to providing support and guidance to SMEs so that they can comply with Rules of Origin and understand the costs of compliance.

HM Government is currently running the ‘Check, Change, Go’ campaign advising business how to prepare for 1 January 2021. We have met with businesses on this issue and we are listening to their concerns. To help businesses plan for next year we have provided further advice on gov.uk pages on what new customs processes will be in place, including informing businesses that commodity codes will be staying largely the same from 1 January 2021. We will continue to make any routine updates to commodity codes and will provide more information as these updates become available.

As of 1 January 2021, businesses will be able to access this information on the Trade Tariff Tool.

HM Government have been clear in our objectives for future trade deals that we will seek to lower costs, by removing and preventing unnecessary and unintended trade barriers in markets around the world, while upholding the safety and quality of products at home.

This includes making it easier for British manufacturers to have their products tested against trade partners’ rules prior to export, and seeking Rules of Origin that reflect the requirements of British industry, supported by predictable and low-cost administrative arrangements.

DIT continues to work closely with business stakeholders and business representative organisations through regular engagement channels. Through this engagement we have the opportunity to gain insights from businesses on the trade policy issues that matter to them, including any matters they may raise concerning legal protections to operate globally. These processes help inform the policy making process and if such matters were raised we would assess whether they could be addressed in multilateral fora, such as the WTO, or in our bilateral engagement, for example through Free Trade Agreements.

We continue to engage with Ghana to secure their duty-free quota-free access to Britain, through a continuity trade agreement that would replicate the effect of the existing EU trade agreement and provide lasting certainty for businesses in our trading arrangements.

If a continuity agreement cannot be agreed with Ghana then, as a lower-middle income country, they will be able to get some trade preferences through our Generalised Scheme of Preferences from 31^st December 2020.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 2018, countries reaffirmed their commitment to free trade and adopted the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment with the ambition of enhancing cooperation across the Commonwealth – boosting intra-Commonwealth trade to beyond $2 trillion by 2030. Six members came forward to lead the five ‘clusters’ (working groups): physical, digital, regulatory, supply-side and business to business connectivity. Following the launch of the Connectivity Agenda, the United Kingdom volunteered to co-lead the digital cluster with South Africa.

The Connectivity Agenda clusters have met three times so far. Members from 18 Commonwealth countries have exchanged views and experiences on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation, digital inclusion, barriers to e-commerce and the readiness of countries to engage in digital trade. Members have also discussed developing a set of high-level principles to underpin digital connectivity. The Commonwealth Secretariat is developing a Commonwealth FinTech Toolkit and a Commonwealth Repository of Digital Policies.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all UK businesses can take advantage of the significant economic benefits of exporting. According to UNCTAD global export rankings (released in September 2020) the UK overtook France to become the world’s fifth largest exporter in 2019 and was the only one of the world’s top ten exporters to increase exports in that year.

Our ambitious free trade agreement programme and market access work helps unlock new opportunities for exporters worldwide.

We also provide direct support to both new and existing exporters, to ensure firms have the confidence and expertise they need to export around the world.

Access to finance is also central to our support for business. The export finance offer from UK Export Finance, the UK’s export credit agency, helps UK companies win export contracts, fulfil contracts, and get paid.

The availability of trade finance support by UK Export Finance (UKEF) is not dependent on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

UKEF, as the government’s export credit agency, offers a range of trade finance products to help Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) fulfil export contracts, complementing but not competing with the private sector.

UKEF’s trade finance solutions include the provision of export insurance, contract bond insurance, contract bond and export working capital guarantees. Details about these products can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/our-products.

In 2019/20 UKEF provided £4.4 billion in support for UK exports, while 77% of UK companies directly supported by UKEF were SMEs.

The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) is tailored to the UK economy as a whole and balances the interests of UK consumers and producers. In designing the UKGT, the UK Government has carefully considered the evidence available, including feedback provided through the public consultation where we received over 1,300 responses from a wide range of stakeholders across the business and consumer landscape.

The UK Government will publish more analysis in the Taxation Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the legislation, as standard practice.

Tariffs on UK exports will depend on the third country’s own tariff schedule and whether the UK has a trade agreement in place with them, not on the UK Global Tariff.

The Department for International Trade (DIT)’s Trade Policy Group (TPG) has a strong core of trade policy officials, with a headcount as of end September 2020 of 676 civil servants. Within TPG there are dedicated teams in charge of bilateral trade relations with Commonwealth members, including Australia, New Zealand, and India, as well as multilateral and regional teams, such as the World Trade Organisation and Africa teams.

In addition, DIT’s overseas network of posts (Global Trade and Investment Overseas) is responsible for supporting UK exports and investment across the world. It is formed of nine regions, each reporting to a trade commissioner, known as Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC), seven of whom cover Commonwealth countries as part of their trade responsibilities. As of September 2020, there are 151 UK-based civil servants – supported by 1,320 locally engaged staff – working in all HMTC regions.

Workstreams aimed at increasing intra-Commonwealth trade are progressed by teams of varying sizes, depending on their complexity, and DIT officials also work in close co-operation with civil servants across government, including the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), as well as in diplomatic and consular posts across the Commonwealth.

The workforce data only includes civil servants employed by DIT working in the UK and on DIT payroll, and UK based civil servants and locally employed staff working overseas paid via FCDO payroll who are currently engaged in delivering DIT objectives. It does not include staff on loan to DIT from other government departments who remain on their home departments payroll, contractors, military staff, people on secondment from other organisations, those who are on loan or secondment out of DIT, those on unpaid special leave or a career break, and people working in UK Export Finance (UKEF).

The United Kingdom and the Andean countries, including Colombia, signed the UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement on 15 May 2019. The agreement includes specific clauses on labour in the Trade and Sustainable Development chapter, which maintain high labour standards and protections for both the United Kingdom and our partners. The United Kingdom will use the Trade and Sustainable Development Free Trade Agreement committee to monitor these issues with the Andean partners.

My Department has an ambitious agenda to strengthen bilateral trade relations between the United Kingdom and the Indian subcontinent. With India herself, we are developing an Enhanced Trade Partnership with the objective of deeper trade policy cooperation and the removal of barriers to doing business. We are also facilitating trade with other countries across the subcontinent, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, through a generous trade preferences scheme and the potential for closer working in the future.

The Commonwealth includes some of our closest friends and greatest allies. We share strong bonds and I hope the Noble Lord will welcome our commitment to work closely with Commonwealth countries to remove barriers and liberalise the global trading environment.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2018, chaired by the United Kingdom, we committed to boosting intra-Commonwealth trade beyond $2 trillion (approximately £1.5 trillion) by 2030. Commonwealth leaders also adopted the ‘Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment’ to enhance co-operation amongst ourselves.

In October 2019, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade chaired the sixth Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting, which reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s support for free trade and the rules based multilateral trading system.

HM Government is also funding several projects including the Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme, the Commonwealth Standards Network and the SheTrades Commonwealth Programme, and continues to support increasing trade and investment between Commonwealth partner countries, taking advantage of the average cost of trade between us being 19% lower than the cost of trade outside the Commonwealth.

The Department for International Trade works extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen the United Kingdom’s trade and investment relationships, with staff based in?19 countries?across the region.

The United Kingdom has concluded trade continuity agreements with Chile, CARIFORUM, six Central American countries and the Andean Community (Colombia, Peru and Ecuador), which will allow United Kingdom business to continue trading on preferential terms.

Additionally, HM Government is working with Peru, Mexico and Chile as part of the United Kingdom’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Ministers also regularly discuss trade with their counterparts, including through dialogues such as the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee.

We remain committed to our high food safety, environmental, product and labour standards, and will use the full range of measures available to us to uphold Britain’s high regulatory standards.

HM Government passed the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, to convert EU law – as it was applied as of exit – into the law of the land. Furthermore, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade established the Trade and Agriculture Commission to independently advise HM Government on how to ensure that British food safety and production standards are protected throughout trade negotiations.

The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.

The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.

We have published reports alongside all signed agreements, outlining our approach to delivering continuity with all partners, and we will continue to do so for all continuity agreements yet to be signed.

We will publish further business guidance on trade agreements on GOV.UK this autumn.

Businesses and consumers are already able to find more information about continuity agreements, including product-specific and country-specific information on tariffs and regulations, using tools including Check How to Export Goods (CHEG). Additionally, the ‘Trade with the UK’ (TWUK) tool will provide businesses exporting goods into the British market with detailed and up-to-date information on topics such as tariffs, taxes and rules.

HM Government is committed to an inclusive and transparent trade policy. We have published Scoping Assessments for agreements with the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

These Scoping Assessments set out the potential economic impacts, and we will publish impact assessments following the outcome of negotiations that will include an assessment of the impacts on every part of the United Kingdom.

The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) do not include trade union representation. TAGs have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.

The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade though. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.

The following “Expert Trade Advisory Groups” continue to exist at the present time: Continuity; Customs; Financial Services; Intellectual Property; Procurement; Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs); Sustainability; and Trade for Development.

The review of how these groups will continue to operate within the Department for International Trade’s broader engagement is ongoing.

The two groups serve different purposes.

The Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG) provides a forum for high-level strategic discussions between HM Government, and a cross-section of interests from all parts of the UK on trade policy matters.

The Trade Advisory Groups’ principal purpose is to provide the blend of strategic and technical expertise required to ensure the United Kingdom’s trade negotiations are able to progress at pace.

The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) do not include trade union representation. TAGs have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.

The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade though. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.

HM Government welcomes the efforts made by the participants of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific paperless trade initiative.

Paperless trading enables businesses to confidently conduct transactions online and administrative processes are made more efficient and transparent. The COVID-19 pandemic has further illustrated the growing importance of digitising trade processes.

The United Kingdom is keen to learn from this initiative and maximise opportunities for digital trade across all sectors of the economy.

HM Government undertake a wide range of impact analysis to inform the negotiations of our trade agreements. We are committed to publishing scoping assessments prior to the launch of negotiations and to publishing our impact assessments following the outcome of negotiations.

The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) negotiating objectives for a Free Trade Agreement with the US was informed by one of the largest consultations in HM Government history, with 158,720 respondents. This included responses from unions, civil society groups, other non-governmental associations, and individual respondents.

The details on how this consultation contributed to our negotiating objectives were published on 2 March, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-approach-to-trade-negotiations-with-the-us.

Throughout negotiations, the UK Negotiating team has consulted, and will continue to consult, a broad range of experts via advisory groups set up by DIT. This is in addition to a range of other engagement mechanisms, including roundtables and bilateral conversations.

The Government supports trade finance through UK Export Finance (UKEF), whose mission is to ensure that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance. UKEF keeps its trade finance products under regular review and is making several improvements this year. In January 2020, UKEF and its bank partners agreed updated legal documentation for trade finance products to streamline processes and make it easier for the banks to access UKEF’s guarantee and support greater volumes of lending. More operational improvements will be rolled out in the Autumn to improve efficiency for banks accessing UKEF’s existing working capital and bond support products and ensuring more deals are approved in shorter timescales.

Following an announcement made by my Rt Hon. Friend the Chancellor, UKEF will shortly launch its General Export Facility to support exporters seeking general working capital from their banks. We expect this product to make UKEF’s support accessible to a much wider pool of exporting companies, as eligibility is widened beyond support for specific export contracts.

UKEF works closely with other parts of government, including the British Business Bank, on access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and is actively engaging with non-bank providers of trade finance to ensure that there are alternatives available to SME exporters with a viable proposition who are not able to access the finance they require from the high street banks. UKEF is exploring how partnerships with non-bank financial institutions might help improve access to trade finance for smaller exporters.

Capital requirements are a matter for the Prudential Regulation Authority and HM Treasury.

Across HM Government – through our development budget – departments work together to help partner countries increase their trade and export driven economic growth, and secure benefits for those currently living in poverty.

For example, through our Trade and Investment Advocacy Fund, Manufacturing Africa programme and our funding to the World Bank, we are supporting countries to better understand the impacts of COVID-19, design their policy response accordingly, engage in the WTO and ease the passage of goods across borders.

All aid spending can be found at: bit.ly/3iCFRME.

The UK has long supported the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and this will continue as an independent trading nation.

For example, we are committed to upholding the UK’s high environmental standards and HM Government has made clear that we will not compromise on these.

As set out in the Manifesto, our trade deals will also be fair for developing countries. This is why we are seeking to ensure Free Trade Agreements with our partners consider impacts on developing countries.

The Department engages with other British businesses directly and others, including Trade Associations and the British Chambers of Commerce. This will support utilisation of trade preferences and other opportunities offered by the trade agreements we are working to secure.

In addition, Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) have recently been launched, which include representation from Trade Associations and provide a blend of strategic and expert advice on trade matters.

Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioners work as an integral part of the Department for International Trade, which produces its annual report and accounts every June or July.

The travel declaration form is designed for the passenger to state who they are and why they are departing England to travel overseas. The details on the form including the address are not captured or recorded centrally. If a police officer has a reasonable belief that a passenger is travelling without a reasonable excuse, a separate process of issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice is commenced which includes recording the residential address of the passenger for enforcement purposes.

We will amend the way the address is requested on the form to make it easier to complete for passengers with non-UK addresses.

As the Prime Minister said in his statement on 27 January, under the stay at home regulations it is illegal to leave home to travel abroad for leisure purposes.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 set out the legally permitted reasons to leave home, and therefore travel internationally. These reasons include compassionate visits, where one is visiting someone who is dying, or for essential work purposes.

I am aware the international rail sector, as with other sectors, continues to face significant challenges in terms of passenger demand.

Ministers and officials, working with other Government Departments, have engaged very regularly with Eurostar since March 2020 in relation to their financial situation. This has included supporting the company to access support schemes, where eligible and appropriate, as part of the unprecedented package of financial support for businesses that has been made available by the Chancellor.

As is the case with businesses in other sectors, officials continue to engage very closely with Eurostar as we support the safe restart and recovery of international travel.

The Government has introduced mandatory pre-departure testing for international travellers to England from outside the Common Travel Area. Persons arriving in England from 04:00 on Monday 18 January must comply with the new requirement.

Travellers must take a test no more than 3 days prior to departure to England, and will only be permitted to travel if they have proof of a negative result. This action helps to protect fellow travellers from the risk of transmission of Coronavirus during travel itself.

All other border measures, such as completing the passenger locator form and the requirement to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival (or 5 days with test to release), remain in place, and must be adhered to regardless of the pre-departure test result.

Responsibility for managing the highway network in England, including maintenance decisions, rests with the relevant highway authority. For the Strategic Road Network, motorways and major A roads, that is Highways England. The rest of the network is managed by local highway authorities. It is for local highway authorities to decide whether to carry out additional maintenance, based on local needs and priorities.

In April 2020 I wrote to the local highways maintenance sector, with advice on continuing with their highways maintenance works and thanking them for their efforts. The Government’s current policy is that construction activity should continue where it can be undertaken safely, in accordance with the Public Health England and industry guidance.

The Government recognises the importance of shipping to global trade and to trade between the UK and EU. The Government continues to engage closely with the shipping sector on the range of changes brought by the end of the transition period. Some of these changes will depend not only on our future trading relations with the European Union but also with the rest of the world. Due to this and the fact that shipping often has complex ownership arrangements, we do not have a unified assessment of the additional costs to all shipping companies. We will continue working closely with the sector to assess and advise on these changes.

The Government is in regular contact with our international partners, bilaterally and through international forums, to discuss a range of approaches to support safe international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government is keen to learn from our international partners, and to explore systems and testing measures that other countries put in place. We will also look closely at emerging technology and evidence that supports reducing restrictions on travel.

To reduce the period of self-isolation, the ‘Test to Release for International Travel’ scheme has been announced and will come into force on 15 December. These arrangements allow for anyone arriving in England to pay for a private test on the fifth day of self-isolation and exit self-isolation if the result is negative.

The purpose of the Kent Access Permit (KAP) is to minimise the number of HGVs travelling to the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel without the correct export documentation and thus, mitigate against any disruption those ‘unready’ HGVs would cause. The KAP is obtained from the Check an HGV is Ready to Cross the Border service, where a driver or haulier must check they have the right documentation before proceeding to the ports. The Check an HGV service has not been designed to integrate with the ports operations to allocate tickets and does not link into other Government databases to inform which cargoes need inspection.

In Kent, the Check an HGV service database will be used by DVSA enforcement officials and Kent Police in conjunction with Automatic Number Plate Recognition to check whether EU bound HGVs have a valid KAP. Should it be required, a similar process will take place at the HGV holding sites in Kent using the Check an HGV Operator Application to scan vehicles number plates to check for the presence of a KAP.

The UK has an allocation of up to 1668 annual and 5040 short-term ECMT permits available for 2021.

It is not the Government’s intention to rely solely on ECMT permits for market access.

ECMT permits would only ever be used to supplement wider market access arrangements, either under an EU-wide agreement or a series of bilateral agreements with EU Member States.

An application window for ECMT permits was open from 2 November 2020 until 20 November 2020. Permits have not yet been allocated; we will take account of the latest negotiations before doing so.

As an island nation 95% of the UK’s imports and exports arrive via our ports and by sea. The UK’s economy, plus its dependency on imports, mean that the UK will remain a destination for shipping irrespective of cost, and consisting of either direct traffic, or transhipped.

The highly competitive, private sector UK ports market offers cost effective, attractive and reliable services, undertaking significant commercial investment to do so. A number of UK ports have made large investments to cater for the biggest container vessels, and to improve services to handle growing vessel sizes across a variety of markets.

Larger vessels mean fewer direct port calls, but a broadly similar level of freight being handled. Managing this remains a commercial matter for ports and shipping companies.

Following the European Commission's decision earlier this year, the application of the Regulation has been renewed in respect of the European Union until April 2024. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the Competition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 preserve the Regulation in the UK as a retained exemption. This means that, after the end of the Transition Period, the retained Regulation will operate as an exemption from the prohibition against anti-competitive behaviour in UK law until it expires in April 2024. The Secretary of State will have the power, after the Transition Period, to vary or revoke the retained exemption, acting in consultation with the Competition and Markets Authority.

The Government’s view is that the wreck is in a relatively stable condition. It is however considered prudent to take sensible steps to mitigate the risk. As part of our ongoing assessment of the wreck and long-term management of the risk, a decision has been taken to explore the potential to reduce the height of the masts. The Ministry of Defence is managing that project on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have seriously deteriorated over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. These surveys can be found on Gov.uk.

Coronavirus regulations mean that you must self-isolate for 14 days if you arrive in the UK from a country outside the common travel area.

Though the Government is satisfied that it is now safe to ease these measures in England and has introduced travel corridor exemptions for some countries and territories, Portugal is not presently part of the travel corridor exemptions. Therefore, people must self-isolate for 14 days when arriving into the UK from Portugal. However, if they wish to leave the UK within the 14-day period then they are able to do so.

Decisions on the list of countries that are exempt from self-isolation requirements have been guided by the science.

The Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, has developed an approach to assessing the public health risk associated with inbound travel from specific countries and territories. This categorisation has informed the government’s decisions about relaxation of border measures.

The categorisation has been informed by an estimate of the proportion of the population that is currently infectious in each country, virus incidence rates, trends in incidence and deaths, transmission status and international epidemic intelligence as well as information on a country’s testing capacity and an assessment of the quality of the data available.

The government will keep the requirements and exemptions set out in the regulations under review.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is working with UK airlines to understand their plans for the storage of aircraft due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines have provided to the CAA their plans to maintain aircraft whilst in storage to ensure compliance with the regulations on continuing airworthiness. The CAA will check UK airlines continue to comply with these regulations as the aircraft return to service. The CAA will also continue to audit aircraft registered in other states to check that they are in compliance with the international standards contained in the Chicago Convention through the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) programme.

The Government is not requiring local authorities to maintain stockpiles of personal protective equipment (PPE). Nevertheless, on 14 August the Department wrote to local resilience forums (LRFs) to advise on the management of COVID-19 stockpiles of PPE. The majority of LRFs have now been provided with stockpile deliveries of PPE. This will help create local reserves that can be used to manage any temporary increases in demand associated with any potential COVID-19 spike, winter pressures or any other temporary issues with distribution mechanisms. In the case where an LRF uses over 30% of its stock of any PPE item from their stockpile, the Department will arrange further deliveries from centrally managed supplies.

The Government has been working to build a resilient, diversified supply chain of personal protective equipment (PPE). We have therefore massively expanded both our supply of PPE from overseas and our domestic manufacturing capability. This has helped to build resilience for our supply of PPE into the future.

The proportion of United Kingdom-based PPE manufacturing is rising all the time and we are increasingly confident of achieving more than 50% for most lines this year.

The Government is hugely grateful to all the UK-based manufacturers that came forward during a time of unprecedented global supply chain demand. This has ensured we build and maintain a domestic base for the future.

The Government does not publish data in the format requested.

COVID-19 is the biggest challenge that the United Kingdom, together with nations around the world, has faced in decades. The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of the response to COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time.

To prepare the National Health Service for winter, the Government is providing an additional £3 billion of funding. This includes funding to allow the NHS to maintain the Nightingale surge capacity and continue to use the extra hospital capacity available within the independent sector.

Effective local management of any outbreaks is the first line of protection against a second wave that might overwhelm the NHS. To support local authorities, we made £300 million available and they already have robust plans in place to respond to outbreaks.

NHS winter preparations include delivering a very significantly expanded seasonal flu vaccination programme for priority groups.

This is a matter for the Government of India. According to information on the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs website (https://mea.gov.in/response-to-queries.htm?dtl/33544/Official_Spokespersons_response_to_media_queries_on_the_Visit_of_Foreign_Heads_of_Missions_to_Jammu_amp_Kashmir), Heads of Mission attended from Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cote d'Ivore, Cuba, Estonia, Finland, European Union, Eritrea, France, Ghana, Italy, Ireland, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Malawi, Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Sweden and Tajikistan.

The British High Commissioner was invited to attend the diplomatic visit to India-administered Kashmir organised by the Government of India in the week commencing 15 February. We regularly discuss the prospect of British High Commission officials visiting India-administered Kashmir and are working closely with the Government of India to identify a suitable opportunity to visit.

According to a statement on the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs website, the itinerary for the two-day trip covered Srinagar, Budgam and Jammu. Participants met some local representatives, civil society groups and residents of India-administered Kashmir, and received a briefing on the local security situation. The UK did not participate in this visit. We continue to work closely with the Indian authorities to identify the best opportunity for British High Commission representatives to visit Kashmir.

Meetings between Ministerial departments and their international counterparts are a regular part of Government business.

For security and diplomatic reasons we do not routinely publish details of these meetings.

We are aware of the diplomatic visit to India-administered Kashmir that was organised by the Government of India in the week commencing 15 February 2021. The UK did not participate in this visit. We continue to work closely with the Indian authorities to identify the best opportunity for British High Commission representatives to visit Kashmir.

The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has been instrumental in supporting the establishment of the COVAX Facility, which is the international initiative managed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance that provides equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for 190 economies. High and upper-middle-income countries can access the self-financing window of the COVAX Facility. Low- and middle-income countries are eligible for support from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), to which we have committed £548 million as one of its largest bilateral donors. Our network of health advisers in relevant AMC countries are working to support host governments to apply to the COVAX AMC, and prepare for vaccine delivery.

UK based and international staff and their families undergo robust health clearance before they are posted to our embassies and missions overseas, or before travelling on official business. This ensures that any individual health risk can be mitigated by taking into account medical history, intended country of posting and occupation. Staff health overseas is overseen by our One HMG Healthline and advice from NHS trained doctors and nurses is available 24/7. The majority of government departments who deploy staff to the FCDO's overseas missions share this approach, although a small number opt for alternative medical cover. Staff and families are also supported by the FCDO Overseas Health and Welfare Team or HR teams in their own departments. The FCDO Chief Medical Officer and her team of health advisers advise our missions and their staff on the public health and hygiene measures they need to take individually and collectively to stay COVID safe. We keep healthcare overseas and medical evacuation under regular review. Our Estates professionals provide advice to ensure our offices and residential accommodation are maintained as COVID-secure environments for all staff and their families.

We are mindful of the need to protect our consular staff who provide help and support to British Nationals around the world 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Staff are able to provide support remotely and where face to face contact is necessary this is by appointment only. We have made adaptations to public counters and waiting rooms to make them COVID-secure and staff and visitors must adhere to stringent preventive measures including social distancing, face covering and hand hygiene. Where local COVID restrictions allow visits to British nationals in hospital or detention, we consider these on a case by case basis following a risk assessment. Consular staff handle challenging and distressing cases and are encouraged to attend regular wellbeing supervision sessions which are continuing remotely.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have a key role to play in framing and shaping recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a valuable framework for ensuring a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery. We are proud to have led the UN Financing for Development workstream on recovering better for sustainability. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 29 September speech during the UN General Assembly, our recovery from COVID-19 must accelerate, not slow down our delivery of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs

The UK Government is investing in multiple programmes that aim to increase digital inclusion and digital transformation in developing countries and emerging markets with a focus on underserved and marginalised communities. The programmes aim to address the fundamental constraints to digital inclusion, build cybersecurity capacity, support local digital economies and advise partner countries about digital transformation of the government and the economy through tools such as digital identification.

Countries need to take action to anticipate the impact of climate change to avoid more people falling into poverty and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a major focus of the UK's international climate finance, which helps both to avoid carbon emissions and build climate resilience. These include the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Least Developed Countries' Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience. We will use the UK's Presidency of the COP26 climate conference, in Glasgow in November 2021, to secure greater international support for adaptation and resilience measures.

Digital trade can support economic recovery by enabling more trade to continue during global lockdowns and by opening new trading opportunities which the UK also stands to benefit from. During the COVID-19 pandemic we have been supporting businesses to adapt to the challenges of operating online. For example, our 'SheTrades Commonwealth' programme is helping women-owned businesses in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Bangladesh to use digital platforms to market their products and maintain relationships with clients remotely.

There is a deep global digital divide. For example, only 19% of individuals in the least developed countries are estimated to have internet access, while 91% of all UK adults have recently used the internet. The UK Government is investing in programmes that increase digital inclusion in developing countries and emerging markets. This includes the Digital Access Programme which is working in five countries to address the fundamental constraints to digital inclusion, build cybersecurity capacity and support local digital economies, with a focus on underserved communities. Future spending plans on communication and digitisation capacity building, and in all other areas, will depend on the outcome of the ongoing Spending Review.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is working through a number of programmes to promote inclusive digital access for the most vulnerable populations, to ensure we leave no one behind in a digital world. One example is the cross-government Digital Access Programme, which works at multiple levels to catalyse affordable, inclusive, safe and secure digital access for marginalised and underserved communities in the Commonwealth countries of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, as well as Brazil and Indonesia.

Further information on the UK Government's wider work in partnership with other Commonwealth countries and intergovernmental and affiliated organisations can be found in the recently published report, UK Commonwealth Chair-in-Office report 2018 to 2020: delivery of Commonwealth Summit commitments.

The UK is a key trading partner for African nations and the Government has made arrangements to provide duty-free quota-free access to our market for 39 Sub-Saharan African countries, and tariff reductions to a further five countries.

The UK is supporting the African Union's ongoing negotiations on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with targeted technical assistance and training for African trade negotiators. We continue to consider options to increase this support from the next financial year. The Minister for Africa discussed UK support for the AfCFTA with the Secretary General of the AfCFTA in June and with African Union Commissioners in Addis Ababa in July. We are also implementing programmes to help countries in the region break down barriers to trade, including the UK Trade Partnerships Programme and SheTrades Commonwealth.

For each of the top four leadership positions at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), deputies are acting as Officers in Charge and are ensuring their institutions continue to deliver on their mandates. Our mission in Vienna is in regular contact with them and continues to work with like-minded States to provide support when required. The process to appoint new Heads is already underway, led by OSCE Chair-in-Office, Albania. We are engaging with participating States and Albania to support this process and help identify those nominees best qualified for the roles and who share our core values on democracy, rule of law and freedom of media. Appointments are confirmed by consensus of all 57 states, ideally in early December ahead of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

At the 29 September meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, the UK urged de-escalation of the current hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan and a resumption of dialogue. UK Ministers and officials are engaging actively with partners in support of the OSCE Minsk Group efforts to ensure a negotiated, peaceful settlement to the conflict. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and Americas raised UK concerns over civilian casualties and fatalities with both the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers on 28 September, urging both to return to the negotiating table. The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdogan on 28 September.

We have no plans to undertake such a process. Our strong relationships with our 53 fellow and equal Commonwealth members are grounded in mutual respect and common values, and in recognition of our shared history. We continue to work together in close partnerships bilaterally, within the Commonwealth, and in other international fora across a wide range of issues, including rule of law, human rights and shared global challenges. Commonwealth collaboration helps all its members build a better future.

We are using UK aid to ensure that our assistance reaches the most marginalised and vulnerable people who will be the worst affected by COVID-19. The UK has so far pledged up to £774 million of aid to counter the health, humanitarian and economic risks.

This includes £306 million for supporting health systems and resilience in vulnerable countries, including: £55 million for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement appeals to provide medical supplies, equipment and facilities; £50 million in partnership with Unilever to promote hand and surface hygiene, reaching up to 1 billion vulnerable people; and £20 million to UNICEF to support governments, including provision of water and sanitation for vulnerable children.

We are also working to ensure access to new vaccines, treatments and diagnostics (VTDs) as quickly as possible, including in the world's poorest countries. The Prime Minister was clear that world leaders have a 'moral duty' to ensure that VTDs are truly available to all. We are doing this through our work with international partners including up to £250 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and our initial contribution of £48 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance's, COVAX Advanced Market Commitment.

Malicious actors, both State and non-State, are conducting activity that is detrimental to UK interests and those of our allies, whether directly targeted at us or not. Cyber attacks have grown in intensity, complexity and severity in recent years as these actors are becoming bolder and take more risks for economic, strategic, regional or financial gains. The UK Government has demonstrated that it will defend against, counter and identify those who seek to do us harm. The UK works with its international partners and in multilateral fora to call out those who are responsible for malicious and disruptive cyberattacks. Working closely with foreign agency and industry partners, Government agencies identify and mitigate vulnerabilities and manage and resolve incidents if they occur. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Centre for the Protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CPNI) routinely assess the threat from a range of actors to our most critical sectors.

Since the adoption of the UN Charter international law is not framed in terms of "act of war", but rather in terms of "use of force". Article 2(4) of the Charter prohibits the threat or use of force that threatens the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. However the Charter also recognises that a state has a right to use force to defend itself against an armed attack or imminent armed attack. Actions that fall short of an armed attack could still constitute an unlawful intervention in the domestic affairs of the UK, prohibited by both Article 2(7) of the UN Charter and customary international law. Any assessment would need to be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all of the facts.

Malicious cyber activity is increasing in sophistication across international boundaries. Both state-sponsored and criminal cyber actors are carrying out hostile operations against governments, critical and national services, financial institutions, businesses and individuals around the world. Government departments work closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Centre for the Protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CPNI) to help industries, organisations and individuals protect themselves, their businesses and our critical national infrastructure. Campaigns like 'industry100', Cyber Essentials and Cyber Aware produce guidance and support that sets out protective measures that can be taken against a range of threats and actors, including espionage and cyber attacks.

We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Libya and the risks to wider regional stability. The UK is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. We continue to call on all parties to de-escalate, commit to a lasting ceasefire and return to UN-led political talks. Most recently, at the 8 July UN Security Council meeting, the Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa reiterated that external backers must stop sending arms to Libya, adhere to the Berlin Conference commitments made in January, and support the parties to achieve a ceasefire and reach an inclusive political solution. We welcome the engagement of the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army in the UN led 5+5 military talks. It is essential that both sides engage fully with this process.

The UK calls on all parties to the conflict to engage with the UN and the humanitarian community. This is essential to allow for civilians, including refugees and migrants and the wounded, to be evacuated to safety and for aid to reach those in need. As part of our current £75 million migration programme along the Central Mediterranean Route, we have allocated over £7 million to humanitarian assistance and protection for migrants and refugees in Libya, including targeted healthcare provision. The ongoing confrontation continues to exacerbate human migration and the UK is clear that the situation can be best improved under the stability of a united and representative government, facilitated by the UN-led process. That is why we continue to actively support the UN-led political process and an inclusive political settlement for Libya.

The Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU who are lawfully resident by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It ensures they can continue to live, work, study and access benefits and services, such as healthcare, broadly as they do now. As is the case with other parts of EU law, the Withdrawal Agreement has direct effect in the EU and is binding on all Member States. These protections have supremacy over any national legislation in Member States that could be inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement now or in the future. We do not assess, at this time, that any Member States are not adequately protecting citizens' rights but we are closely monitoring the situation across the EU and we are providing the latest advice to UK nationals resident there via our Living in Guides on GOV.UK.

Furthermore, the Government wrote to the European Commission on 14 May to set out our view on where progress on implementation could improve. The European Commission responded on 28 May, agreeing to work to address them in advance of the Part Two provisions coming into effect at the end of the transition period. The Government is working closely with all Member States on correct and timely implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, via our network of Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. The Specialised Committee on Citizens' Rights has also started its work to oversee the implementation and application of Part Two. Any breaches that we become aware of, leading to a loss of rights for UK nationals, during the transition period or in the future, will be raised at this Committee and escalated to the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee if required.

The Government and the European Union have ratified the Withdrawal Agreement, which provides citizens with the certainty they need about their rights going forwards.

During the time-limited transition period, until 31 December 2020, UK nationals are able to live, work and travel in the EU broadly as they do now - and vice versa for EU citizens coming to the UK. After the transition period, UK nationals who are lawfully residing in a Member State will be able to stay - and vice versa for EU citizens lawfully residing in the UK. Member States can choose whether to require UK nationals who are lawfully resident by the end of the transition period to apply for a residence status to confer their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Member States may allow applications for residence to be made voluntarily during the transition period. However, any decisions made during this time has no effect until after the end of the transition period. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, any new residency systems that are put in place must be open until at least 30 June 2021, subject to extension in certain circumstances.

The Government is working closely with Member States on their implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement during the transition period via our network of Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. We are also providing the latest advice to UK nationals in the EU via our Living in Guides on gov.uk. The Specialised Committee on Citizens' Rights oversees the implementation and application of Part Two of the Withdrawal Agreement. Any breaches that we are aware of leading to a loss of rights for UK nationals, during the transition period or in the future, will be raised through this forum and escalated to the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee if required.

The information is not readily available/held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost

We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.

We were disappointed this matter was referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), contrary to the principle that the Court should not consider bilateral disputes without the consent of both States concerned. The United Kingdom respects the ICJ and participated fully in the advisory proceedings in good faith. However, we do not share the ICJ's approach and have made known our views on the content of the opinion, including its insufficient regard to significant material facts and legal issues. The ICJ's opinion is advisory and not legally binding. Resolution 73/295 does not and cannot create any legal obligations for UN Member States.

The decision to adopt rules changes that saw the return of the Russian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) in June 2019 was a matter for the Assembly. Russia's membership of the Council of Europe provides access, valued by Russian citizens and human rights Non Governmental Organisations, to the European Court of Human Rights and is one of the few ways available to the international community to hold Russia to account for its human rights violations.

The British Government did not support Russia's unconditional return to PACE. We consistently called on Russia to fulfil all its obligations as a member state, and to adhere to Council of Europe standards on human rights, democracy and rule of law. We will continue our efforts in the Council of Europe to ensure Russia is answerable for its actions. We will also continue to make clear that we do not and will never recognise Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

​The United Kingdom-Uzbekistan relationship has improved considerably since President Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016. We are actively engaged in supporting his ambitious reform programme and are alive to the opportunities which this presents. There is not currently a date for President Mirziyoyev to visit the United Kingdom, but the signing of a bilateral Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in October last year provides the foundation for future cooperation in foreign, political and security matters.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been unprecedented demand for banking services, this accompanied with working restrictions due to social distancing has meant banks have faced significant capacity pressures which has limited their ability to meet demand for their services. Banks are doing all they can to meet this demand in these difficult circumstances.

Decisions about what products are offered to individual businesses remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies. It would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions. But the Government has always been clear that lenders should open to new customers where it is operationally possible for them to do so.

At the Spending Review, the government set out key infrastructure commitments that will bolster local communities and businesses. Amongst others, this included £5 billion to support UK-wide gigabit broadband roll-out and £4.2 billion intra-city transport settlements, both of which will have a significant impact on local economic growth.

The new Levelling Up Fund worth £4 billion for England, will attract up to £0.8 billion for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the usual way. This will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery. It will be open to all local areas in England and prioritise bids to drive growth and regeneration in places in need, those facing particular challenges, and areas that have received less government investment in recent years.

Furthermore, the government announced a new infrastructure bank that will support private projects alongside lending to mayors and local authorities in order to support their infrastructure ambitions. The government will set out further details on the scale, mandate and operations of the Bank at the Budget.

Through the Financial Services Bill, the Government is delegating responsibility for the implementation of the latest Basel standards to the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).

As part of that, the PRA will be required to consider and report on the likely effect of its rules on the sustainable provision of finance to businesses and consumers in the UK.

The Government maintains a regular dialogue with the PRA to ensure our future prudential regulation is appropriate and proportionate for the UK.

The Trader Support Service (TSS) will provide guidance to traders to help them understand changes to the way goods move under the Northern Ireland Protocol from 1 January. Traders will be supported to understand the information they will need to collect about their goods in order for the TSS to complete declarations on their behalf.

The service will be in place for at least two years and during this period will provide guidance and training to help grow the existing intermediary market. The Government is committed to providing appropriate support and has developed the TSS to meet this commitment. The service and its future will be reviewed after two years.

The Government has provided extensive guidance to traders to support them in their preparations for the end of the transition period, including publishing the detailed Border Operating Model to help traders take the necessary steps.

Recognising the impact of coronavirus on businesses’ ability to prepare, the UK Government has taken the decision to introduce the new border controls in three stages up until 1 July 2021. From 1 January to 30 June, UK-established traders/agents when importing non-controlled EU goods to GB free circulation will have the option to make a declaration in their own records at the time of import followed by a supplementary declaration up to 175 days later, which provides traders and intermediaries with more time to prepare.

HMRC continue to work closely with industry to ensure it is engaging with the new requirements and can take the necessary steps to prepare, including through the latest public information campaign, cross-Government industry steering groups, webinars and events.

Further, over £80 million of support has been made available to help the customs intermediary sector in scaling up. This includes grant funding for customs IT, training, and recruitment of new staff.

HMRC will continue to engage with industry beyond the end of transition period to understand any concerns and identify any further support HMRC can provide.

Decisions on future projects will be made as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and National Infrastructure Strategy due later in the Autumn. In the announcement^[1] of the CSR the Chancellor committed to levelling up economic opportunity across all nations and regions of the country by investing in infrastructure, innovation and people.

^[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-launches-comprehensive-spending-review

Staff employed by our suppliers who collect biometric data from applicants for UKVI are not involved in the visa decision making. Staff in the SSCs are directly UKVI employed and some are trained decision makers involved in the decision making process.

Throughout the pandemic, the Department has prioritised the delivery of critical Defence outputs, including standing commitments. The Department assesses that there has been no significant impact caused by its support to COVID-19 activity.

The Ministry of Defence monitors the development of all new Russian vessels commissioned and makes assessments based on their operational capability. We continue to assess the impact of Russian naval investments to regional security, including the Baltic and North Seas. Russia continues to be a significant state-based threat to the UK; monitoring and responding to this threat is a core priority for the Ministry of Defence.

No decision has yet been made. Cross Government consultation is in progress and we expect to finalise the details of the deployment soon. The UK has enduring interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and the Royal Navy has maintained a near persistent presence there for a number of years, conducting numerous activities promoting security and defence relationships with our partners and upholding the Rules Based International System. Building on this, the Royal Navy intends to continue to operate across the region, including in the South China Sea.

The Ministry of Defence monitors the deployments of Russian submarines and makes assessments based on their operational capability. A nuclear-powered submarine transited from its Northern Fleet base to St Petersburg where it will take part in Russia's Navy Day on 26th July, as part of a predicted annual commitment. A further Russian submarine transited from its Black Sea base port to Tartus, Syria, as part of their routine presence operations in the eastern Mediterranean. Russia continues to be a significant state-based threat to the UK; monitoring and responding to this threat is a core priority for the Ministry of Defence.

Defence has a number of existing contingency plans in place to provide support to civil authorities, including to the NHS. Our personnel are already providing assistance in a number of capacities and this includes those with specialist medical training. Considering the likely additional call on military assistance to mitigate COVID-19 related staff absences in civil authorities, and the increasing volume of patients requiring treatment by the NHS, Defence is consistently monitoring and enhancing its plans, training and readiness in order to support additional requests.