Adrian Bailey

The Government estimates that relief from the costs of the Renewables Obligation and Small Scale Feed in Tariffs scheme will be £1.2bn between 2016/17 and 2019/2020. However the exact cost will depend on the number of companies that apply for the relief; their electricity usage and levels of production.

While the Government has sector electricity data we have limited business level data from a small number of sectors. We do not therefore have an assessment of the number of sectors that pass the sector level test but fail the business level test.

The Government estimates that relief from the costs of the Renewables Obligation and Small Scale Feed in Tariffs scheme will be £1.2bn between 2016/17 and 2019/2020. However the exact cost will depend on the number of companies that apply for the relief; their electricity usage and levels of production.

While the Government has sector electricity data we have limited business level data from a small number of sectors. We do not therefore have an assessment of the number of sectors that pass the sector level test but fail the business level test.

The Government does not forecast skill shortage vacancies. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills published employment and skill projections on 6^th March 2014:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-futures-2012-to-2022

The report presents employment projections for the period from 2012 to 2022, based on an assumption that past patterns of behaviour and performance are continued. The projected demand for skills is shown by occupation and qualification rather than by sector, but they do show employment projections for sectors.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publish information annually on the participation in Higher Education by under-represented students groups in their UK Performance Indicators tables. The available figures on participation by National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC) can be located in Table 1a at the following link:

https://www.hesa.ac.uk/pis/09/10/urg

HESA figures show that 73,240 (or 32.6%) of young UK domiciled First degree entrants in UK universities came from socio-economic classifications that comprise small employers/account workers, lower supervisory and technical workers and semi routine or routine occupations.

Information on the social grade of further education learners is not centrally collected.

Table 2 of a Statistical First Release (SFR) presents data on the characteristics of government funded adult (19+) further education learners:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

The proportion of postgraduate final year trainee teachers awarded qualified teacher status, who were in a teaching post within 6 months of qualifying, is published in the Department’s annual initial teacher training (ITT) Performance Profiles statistical release. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2015-to-2016.

A time series of data for England are published in table 5a of the ‘Main Tables’ of the latest publication, which relates to trainees in the 2015/16 academic year.

Statistics by region are available for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 academic years in the ‘Main Text’ of the relevant publications. The Department does not publish this data by local authority district, but figures are available by ITT provider in the Provider-level tables.

The latest data shows that 95% of postgraduate trainee teachers who were awarded Qualified Teacher Status were employed in a teaching post within six months of qualifying[1].

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers are required to demonstrate that their trainees go on to secure employment in schools; employment rates are one of the outcome measures that Ofsted uses to grade ITT providers.

The Department is developing a free national digital service for schools to publish teacher vacancies and for teachers to search for them. This new service will assist newly registered teachers to find posts.

The Department is also testing early-career payments for new maths teachers; they will receive a generous upfront payment of £20,000 and two early retention payments of at least £5,000 in their third and fifth year of teaching, wherever they teach in England, or £7,500 in 39 local authorities. In addition, teachers will benefit from the student loan repayment threshold rise, and a pilot student loan reimbursement programme for science and Modern Foreign Language teachers in 25 local authorities, in the early years of their career.

[1]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/632451/SFR38_2017_Text.pdf

We want to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality education and training, which is why we are spending around £7billion on education and training for 16 to 19-year-olds this year. All of this funding helps to reduce the number of young people who are classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET) by ensuring there are attractive options available.

The Department’s NEET reduction strategy is working and numbers are the lowest since consistent records began - the proportion of 16- to 18-year-olds who are NEET has reduced from 9.8% in 2011 to 6.5% in 2015[1]. Funding allocations within this budget which especially help support young people at risk of being NEET reflect these year on year successes, including:

• extra funding for providers to attract, support and retain disadvantaged students[2];

o academic years 2013/14 - £594million; 2014/15 - £573million; 2015/16 - £569million; 2016/17 - £544million;

• financial support for young people who need help with their costs such as transport to enable them to participate;

o financial years 2011-12 - £365million; 2012-13 - £240million; 2013-14 – £212million; 2014-15 - £239million; 2015-16 – £239million;[3]

• Traineeship[4] funding[5]; and

o we estimate expenditure in academic years 2013/14 - £20million; 2014/15 - £35million; 2015/16 - £45million

• the Youth Contract, which commenced in 2012 and ceased in March 2016, to encourage the most difficult to reach young people to participate;

financial years 2012-13 - £6.9million; 2013-14 - £11.3million; 2014-15 - £23million; 2015-16[6].

[1] Participation in education, training and employment: 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-2015

2 Equivalent information for earlier years is unavailable because the disadvantage block funding system changed in 2013

[3] Financial year 2015-16 figures are extracts from the management accounts, final figures will be available once the statutory accounts are published

[4] Traineeships were introduced in 2013. Providers target Traineeship programmes at particular groups, most commonly young people who are NEET and/or on benefits: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-young-people-to-develop-the-skills-for-apprenticeships-and-sustainable-employment-framework-for-delivery

[5] These are approximations based on 16-18-year-old enrolments as funding for Traineeships is included in general provider allocations

[6] The process of collecting 2015-16 delivery data for financial claims has not been completed so a reliable figure for 2015-16 is not available at this time

Local authorities collect information to identify young people who are not participating in education and training, or who are at risk of not doing so, to allow them to target their resources on those who need them most. The information collected is submitted to the Department for Education monthly, including the numbers and proportions of young people in each local authority area that are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or whose activity is unknown. The Department publishes data for each local authority including:

• participation information for those aged 16 and17: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-in-education-and-training-by-local-authority;
• the number and proportion of 16, 17 and 18 year old NEETs:
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-data-by-local-authority-2012-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training; and
• local authority scorecards bringing together a range of data to give a holistic view of local authority performance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-people-neet-comparative-data-scorecard.

Numbers of public or private sector employers offering apprenticeships is not counted by the Department. We do publish information on workplaces offering apprenticeships, which counts the number of individual workplaces at site level. However one employer may have multiple sites. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/570133/apprenticeships-workplaces-by-region.xlsx

Latest data on apprenticeship starts by constituency and region can be found in the supplementary tables accompanying the Statistical First Release SFA/SFR36, published on 17 November 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/570129/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-data-tables-November16.xls

DFID discusses regularly the impact of Exit with development organisations. Leaving the EU will not change the UK’s commitment to support the world’s poorest, and our world-class development sector will continue to be a crucial part of delivering that commitment.

I have not undertaken an assessment of the potential use by passenger services of freight routes in Birmingham and the Black Country. Network Rail is currently reviewing the West Midlands and Chilterns Route Utilisation Strategy, published on 27 May 2011, to assess any changes in the level of passenger and freight demand.

Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving, and reversing the decline in workplace pension participation in the decade prior to these reforms. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.

The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates¹.

I am providing the following information about the impact of automatic enrolment in your constituency, as at end of September 2019²:

In the West Bromwich West constituency since 2012, approximately 16,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1480 employers have met their duties.

¹Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf.

²The Pensions Regulator’s data on Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance by constituency, available via the following weblink:

https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

This Government is committed to legislating to facilitate the delivery of collective defined contribution schemes when parliamentary time allows.

Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be reviewed. Reviews of PIP are a key part of the benefit to ensure that awards remain correct where needs may change (including where needs increase and the award may need to increase) and that we maintain contact with the claimant, both features that are missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review after ten years.

We introduced updated guidance for case managers and an updated PIP Assessment Guide in 2018 which will ensure that those people who receive the highest level of support under PIP, and where their needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will now receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten-year point. In line with PIP’s aim to be needs-based rather than condition-based, the change to the guidance is not condition specific. However, we believe the changes will ensure that those with severe and/or progressive conditions receive the most appropriate award duration that reflects their condition and the needs arising.

Special considerations also apply to claimants who are terminally ill, and our arrangements recognise the particular difficulties faced by people who only have a short time to live. Claims by people with a terminal illness are fast tracked, are not subject to a face-to-face assessment and they are guaranteed the enhanced rate of the Daily Living Component; nearly all also receive the enhanced rate of mobility.

Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be reviewed. Reviews of PIP are a key part of the benefit to ensure that awards remain correct where needs may change (including where needs increase and the award may need to increase) and that we maintain contact with the claimant, both features that are missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review after ten years.

We introduced updated guidance for case managers and an updated PIP Assessment Guide in 2018 which will ensure that those people who receive the highest level of support under PIP, and where their needs are unlikely to change or may get worse, will now receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at the ten-year point. In line with PIP’s aim to be needs-based rather than condition-based, the change to the guidance is not condition specific. However, we believe the changes will ensure that those with severe and/or progressive conditions receive the most appropriate award duration that reflects their condition and the needs arising.

Special considerations also apply to claimants who are terminally ill, and our arrangements recognise the particular difficulties faced by people who only have a short time to live. Claims by people with a terminal illness are fast tracked, are not subject to a face-to-face assessment and they are guaranteed the enhanced rate of the Daily Living Component; nearly all also receive the enhanced rate of mobility.

In September 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced its plans for a full update to the existing clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) to ensure that treatment reflects the latest available evidence. The revised guideline will be published in 2020.

Since 2011, we have also invested £6 million into research into CFS/ME via the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, including types 2 and 3.

NHS England and NICE have been in discussions with the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission for NICE’s independent Appraisal Committee to consider and a meeting has been arranged for 6 March 2019 to consider the recommendations. In the absence of final guidance from NICE, clinicians can apply to NHS England for funding in exceptional cases through the individual funding request process.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, including types 2 and 3.

NHS England and NICE have been in discussions with the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission for NICE’s independent Appraisal Committee to consider and a meeting has been arranged for 6 March 2019 to consider the recommendations. In the absence of final guidance from NICE, clinicians can apply to NHS England for funding in exceptional cases through the individual funding request process.

​We continue to call on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and urge them to follow the due process of law for all those arrested in connection to January's protests. The British Embassy in Harare regularly raise the rights of protestors in their meetings with the Government of Zimbabwe.

I summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to urge the security forces to stop using disproportionate force and reinforce the right of the people of Zimbabwe to protest. On 30 January, I spoke to Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo, repeating our calls for an end to human rights abuses and a full investigation into all alleged abuse, including arbitrary arrests.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

It is not a regulated activity for firms to issue their own securities, including mini-bonds, due to an exemption within the Regulated Activities Order 2001. This exemption exists to ensure that companies in the real economy can raise finance to fund their business without having to become authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

However, to protect consumers, the marketing and promotion of such securities, including mini-bonds, are subject to the financial promotion restrictions set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act. This requires that the content of any financial promotion be approved by an FCA authorised firm unless an exemption applies. It is the responsibility of the FCA authorised firm to ensure the financial promotion is clear, fair and not misleading. Authorised firms that fail to meet these requirements may be subject to enforcement action by the FCA.

HM Treasury keeps the regulatory framework for financial services under review, and updates it as necessary. We are committed to maintaining a strong and safe financial system, with high standards of consumer protection. On 1 April, I announced that I will direct the FCA to launch an investigation into the events at London Capital & Finance, a firm which issued mini-bonds in order to fund loans that it made to other parties. This followed a request from the FCA Chair, Charles Randell, to launch such an investigation.

The UK may make an extradition request to a country with which it does not have an extradition treaty for a person who is accused or convicted of an offence in the UK.

The UK does not recognise the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." There are no arrangements in place for police forces in England and Wales to investigate criminal suspects in the northern part of Cyprus.

It would be inappropriate to comment on any matter relating to this case as this is the subject of ongoing UK-based court appeals.

Decisions to deploy police officers abroad to investigate criminal offences are operational matters for chief officers and the relevant authorities involved.

The UK does not recognise the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." There are no arrangements in place for police forces in England and Wales to investigate criminal suspects in the northern part of Cyprus.

It would be inappropriate to comment on any matter relating to this case as this is the subject of ongoing UK-based court appeals.

Decisions to deploy police officers abroad to investigate criminal offences are operational matters for chief officers and the relevant authorities involved.

The UK does not recognise the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." There are no arrangements in place for police forces in England and Wales to investigate criminal suspects in the northern part of Cyprus.

It would be inappropriate to comment on any matter relating to this case as this is the subject of ongoing UK-based court appeals.

Decisions to deploy police officers abroad to investigate criminal offences are operational matters for chief officers and the relevant authorities involved.

The UK does not recognise the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." There are no arrangements in place for police forces in England and Wales to investigate criminal suspects in the northern part of Cyprus.

It would be inappropriate to comment on any matter relating to this case as this is the subject of ongoing UK-based court appeals.

Decisions to deploy police officers abroad to investigate criminal offences are operational matters for chief officers and the relevant authorities involved.

The Government is aware of the change in the Valuation Office Agency’s approach to assessing units within buildings of multiple occupation, which follows the Supreme Court judgement in the Mazars v Woolway case. The Government is considering the implications of this judgement. Following Budget 2016, the Government announced a wide-ranging package of measures to support rate payers, that will be worth £9 billion over the next five years.

The Government is aware of the change in the Valuation Office Agency’s approach to assessing units within buildings of multiple occupation, which follows the Supreme Court judgement in the Mazars v Woolway case. The Government is considering the implications of this judgement. Following Budget 2016, the Government announced a wide-ranging package of measures to support rate payers, that will be worth £9 billion over the next five years.

Ministers from the Minsitry of Justice have not met directly with Ministers from Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss the proposed reform of the apprenticeship scheme.

We currently only offer apprenticeships to existing members of staff, and so any proposed reforms to apprenticeship schemes will not have any impact on our current policies and processes.