Baroness Manzoor

An equalities assessment was carried out on the Coronavirus Act and was published on 28 July. This can be found at - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-act-2020-equality-impact-assessment

Considering equality impacts is part of an ongoing process to support policy development. The responsibility for equalities impact assessments lies with departments, who take this responsibility very seriously. Impact assessments are kept under review and my colleagues are fully aware of their equality duties.

The Government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters.

My department continues to work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office as the government department responsible for tackling fraud, to develop a coherent approach to online advertising that supports competition and protects consumers. We are working with industry, regulators and consumer groups to understand the specific harms that are being linked to advertising, including online fraud and scams.

Following a call for evidence in 2020, the Online Advertising Programme will launch a public consultation later this year to examine how best to strengthen standards around the placement and content of online advertising to minimise these types of financial harm, and to ensure they can be effectively enforced.

More information about the Programme can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-advertising-call-for-evidence/online-advertising-call-for-evidence

The Government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters.

My department continues to work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office as the government department responsible for tackling fraud, to develop a coherent approach to online advertising that supports competition and protects consumers. We are working with industry, regulators and consumer groups to understand the specific harms that are being linked to advertising, including online fraud and scams.

Following a call for evidence in 2020, the Online Advertising Programme will launch a public consultation later this year to examine how best to strengthen standards around the placement and content of online advertising to minimise these types of financial harm, and to ensure they can be effectively enforced.

More information about the Programme can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-advertising-call-for-evidence/online-advertising-call-for-evidence

The government recognises that training and re-skilling of the current automotive workforce will be vital as we end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. According to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), of the 182,000 vehicle technicians in the UK, only 21,000 are electrical vehicle (EV) qualified, and only 5% overall have a level 3 or 4 EV qualification. The government is taking a number of steps to support the sector and its workforce transition to net zero.

As part of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, nearly £500 million of funding for the Automotive Transformation Fund will be made available in the next 4 years to build an internationally competitive EV supply chain. This will help to secure the transformation of the automotive sector at pace, by developing and embedding the next generation of cutting-edge automotive technologies in the UK.

We are also investing £16 million over 3 years to March 2022 in the industry led National Manufacturing Competitiveness Levels (NMCL) skills programme. NMCL is open to automotive suppliers across the UK, and is designed to improve their competitiveness, raise workforce capability, and improve productivity through the completion of a tailored business improvement plan.

On top of this, the government is committed to working with the IMI to ensure the UK’s workforce of mechanics are well trained and have the skills they need to repair EVs safely.

The IMI’s TechSafe scheme provides EV technicians with an easy and voluntary way to certify their competence. EV users will be able to access the register to check the EV competencies of technicians at their garage, supporting consumer confidence in this growing market.

More widely, the Green Jobs Taskforce was launched last November, working in partnership with business, skills providers and unions to help the UK build back greener and deliver the skilled workforce needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Through the taskforce, we are engaging with industry experts, including those from the automotive sector such as Nissan, and the Automotive Council Skills Working Group, to help identify future skills needs. With help from the taskforce, we will ensure that our existing skills programmes (such as those set out in the recent Skills for Jobs White Paper and the Prime Minister’s recent Lifetime Skills Guarantee) can be directed to support the net zero agenda and help to identify where the evidence tells us we might need to go further or faster.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has convened a Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel (GAAP) to guide the continued alignment of apprenticeships with net zero and wider sustainability objectives. The GAAP is employer-led and includes stakeholders with automotive experience, including in electric vehicles. It aims to help identify which apprenticeships directly support the green agenda and which may need to be refocused. The panel will also crucially identify where there are potential opportunities to create new green apprenticeships and identify employers to help take this work forward.

The Standard and Testing Agency is responsible for the timetabling of National Curriculum assessments. The Key Stage 2 assessments are set for the week beginning 10 May 2021 to maximise teaching time in Year 6, whilst ensuring enough time for marking to take place and for results to be returned to schools before the end of the summer term.

In 2021, the Key Stage 2 tests will take place from Monday 10 May to Wednesday 12 May inclusive. The Department is aware that Eid al-Fitr will take place in the same week as these assessments and understands that, given the significance of Eid al-Fitr, Muslim pupils may be absent from school. Schools with pupils unable to sit their assessments on the dates specified in the statutory timetable can make an application for timetable variation (TTV) to enable these pupils, or the class as a whole, to take a test at a different time, or on a different day, from the rest of the cohort: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/key-stage-2-tests-varying-the-test-timetable. Where pupils are unable to sit a test on the statutory date because they are observing Eid, this would be a valid reason to utilise the TTV process.

The government will provide devices for the most disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for exams (in Year 10), receive support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Local authorities, trusts and other relevant organisations overseeing schools will be given guidance on how to place online orders for government-funded and allocated devices. We recognise that local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices.

Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school or children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we will also provide the capability for them to access the internet. 16 to 19-year-olds without a suitable device will be eligible for support via the 16-19 Bursary Fund.

Additionally, the country’s major telecommunication providers will make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.

For those in rural areas or without a connection, schools will be able to draw on support from the BBC which is broadcasting lessons on television; and may choose to draw on the many resources offers which have been made by publishers across the country.

The UK remains committed to preventing and treating malnutrition as part of our commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children. We will continue to invest in programmes to address malnutrition beyond 2020 and we will continue to work with the Government of Japan to ensure the future Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit is a success.

We are still assessing options for any new commitment to nutrition now that both the Olympic pledging event and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit have been postponed. We await further details of the new format for the Summit. We will continue to invest in programmes to address malnutrition beyond 2020 and we will continue to work with the Government of Japan to ensure the future Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit is a success.

Global commitments to nutrition made at the 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit come to an end this year. Continued investment to prevent and treat malnutrition is important, particularly as countries face worsening levels of malnutrition in the face of COVID-19.

DFID is assessing options for the UK commitment now that both the Olympic pledging event and the main Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit have been postponed. The UK remains committed to preventing and treating malnutrition as part of our commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children. We will provide an update on our plans in due course.

Services to address food insecurity and malnutrition are part of DFID’s immediate response to COVID-19 in many of the countries where we work.

We are supporting UNICEF to make sure life-saving supplies to treat acute malnutrition continue to reach children at most risk across the Sahel as well as in Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. We are also using programmes in agriculture, social protection and humanitarian assistance to tackle the factors driving COVID-19 induced food insecurity. We are a major funder of existing multilateral programmes in these areas. We have also committed £15 million to the World Food Programme’s recent urgent appeals.

In all cases we continue to put the poorest and most marginalised at the heart of our programmes to address the immediate and underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition, including in the face of COVID-19.

Health and care organisations are required to submit data breach reports within 72 hours of an incident. Data breach incidents are reported to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), who then investigate and decide what action to take. Notifiable breaches are those that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of the individual, referred to as the data subject. NHS England publishes the number of incidents reported through the Data Security and Protection Toolkit on its website. In 2023, 996 incidents were reported to the ICO, but not all of these would have involved patient details being accessed without due cause. The ICO publishes details on its website of incidents where it takes enforcement action.

National IT systems must ensure that users can be identified correctly, and are given appropriate access. This is achieved using identity verification capabilities, including creating a national digital identity for each authorised user.

Each local National Health Service organisation which requires access to the national IT systems is required to set up its own local Registration Authority (RA) which consists of people and processes who are trained to create identities and grant access for their staff to the national IT systems. NHS England has published the RA Policy requirements with which every local NHS organisation that has an RA must comply. This reflects current best practice for identity and access management as informed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) guidance.

The RA Policy also allows non-NHS health and care organisations providing direct care to run their own RA service. RA hosting is subject to meeting requirements and assessment criteria, which are soon to be published.

The RA process includes the use of RA codes, assigned to professional users’ smartcards to give them access to the correct information within national IT systems.

The RA codes which are assigned for a specific user will allow that user to create and process referrals appropriately depending on their job role.

Local organisations which have an RA function are required to have an RA audit policy and conduct annual audits on NHS Smartcard usage as part of their RA governance. RA Managers (those responsible for administering the RA function within an organisation) must implement a process to run the RA reports on a regular basis.

The National Health Service is one of the most diverse organisations in this country. As of September 2023, 27.3% of hospital and community health service staff reported an ethnic minority background. However, data shows that disabled staff, staff from ethnic minority background, and staff with other protected characteristics face a worse experience of working in the NHS when it comes to abuse, bullying and harassment, and career progression.

Since 2016, NHS England has published an annual Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report. Implementation of the WRES is a requirement for NHS commissioners and NHS healthcare providers, including independent organisations through the NHS standard contract. The WRES enables NHS organisations to better understand how they are performing against nine indicators covering issues such as board representation, career progression, and bullying and harassment. They are required to develop action plans to progress and improve against the indicators.

In June 2023, NHS England published the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan that sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the NHS workforce. NHS England has also provided guidance to assist trusts and integrated care boards in adopting an improvement approach to the implementation of this plan. It is supported by a repository of good practice and a dashboard, to enable organisations to measure progress.

The overall budget for NHS England in 2023/24 is £172.1 billion. NHS England publishes quarterly data on the number of staff working in National Health Service Support Organisations and Central Bodies. The latest data for June 2023 shows there are 16,328 full time equivalent staff employed by NHS England.

In May 2023, NHS England published a delivery plan for primary care. Integrated care boards (ICBs) will lead the change for their local health systems as commissioners of primary care. The plan sets out how ICBs are expected to report progress, including though their public board reporting, with national and regional support being offered to any ICBs that are falling behind. A copy of the plan is attached.

On elective care, the NHS published a delivery plan in January 2022 setting out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over three years. This includes targets to reduce maximum waiting times, so that waits of longer than a year for elective care are eliminated by March 2025, prioritising diagnosis and treatment so that 95% of patients needing a diagnostic test will receive it within six weeks by March 2025 and transforming the way the NHS provides elective care. A copy of the plan is attached.

On urgent and emergency care, performance measures include meeting the ambitions set out in our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, published in January 2023, including improving accident and emergency and ambulance performance to 76% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours by March 2024, and improved ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average over 2023 to 2024, with further improvement against both of these measures towards pre-pandemic levels in 2024 to 2025. A copy of the plan is attached.

To protect the delivery of public services before the self-isolation rules change on 16 August, a very limited number of named critical workers will be informed that they are considered to have a reasonable excuse to leave self-isolation to attend work if they are contacts. This will only apply to workers who are fully vaccinated (defined as someone who is 14 days post-second dose) and is solely for the purpose of going to work. To mitigate the risk of increased transmission, certain conditions must be followed. This is a short-term and highly focused measure intended to apply only in exceptional circumstances with the core purpose of preventing significant harm to public welfare as a result of disruption to critical services.

The list of sectors that are currently eligible for consideration are as follows: Border Control; Clinical Consumable Supplies; Digital Infrastructure; Emergency Services; Energy (including Civil and Nuclear); Essential Chemicals; Essential Defence; Essential Transport; Food Production and Supply; Health and Social Care; Local Government; Medicine; Medical Devices; Waste; Water & Veterinary Medicine.

Increasing ambition and action on adaptation and loss and damage is a priority for the UK. From April 2011 to March 2023, it is estimated that UK International Climate Finance programmes have directly supported over 100 million people to adapt to the effects of climate change. At COP26, the UK COP Presidency secured a commitment from developed countries to at least double adaptation finance for developing countries by 2025. As the UK, we will triple our funding for adaptation from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025. In September, the Prime Minister announced a pledge of $2billion (£1.62 billion) to the Green Climate Fund.

The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan as it faces the consequences of the recent devastating flooding. The UK was one of the first countries to announce funding (£1.5 million) to respond to the humanitarian need. We have now increased this to £16.5 million to support flood relief efforts. UK aid will be targeted towards the hardest hit areas of Sindh and other provinces. The UK contribution is also now over 10 per cent of the joint UN and Government of Pakistan emergency appeal ($160 million). This flooding demonstrates how climate change is making extreme weather events both more intense and more frequent.

The events of February 1992 were a tragic episode in Azerbaijan's history, and were strongly condemned by the UK Government at the time. Such hostilities should never take place again. The UK Government has not yet made plans to mark this anniversary of the date.

The UK Government remains deeply committed to stability and security across the South Caucasus region and continues to work through bilateral channels and multilateral fora in pursuit of those goals. This includes our continuing support for the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group Co-Chairs to facilitate discussions to secure a sustainable, peaceful resolution to ongoing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Financial Conduct Authority has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.

Consumers should check the terms of their individual policies and contact their provider if they wish to make changes to their policy.

The Government encourages customers who are concerned about the current financial situation to get in touch with their lender or insurer at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss their options.

On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet. In addition, the FCA issued guidance confirming that this captures borrowers whose mortgage is in a closed book or owned by a firm that is not regulated for mortgage lending.

Furthermore, lenders have agreed a 3-month moratorium on possession action to start immediately to provide customers with reassurance that they will not have their homes repossessed at this difficult time, meaning firms cannot commence or continue repossession proceedings against customers at this time.

The Financial Conduct Authority has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.

Consumers should check the terms of their individual policies and contact their provider if they wish to make changes to their policy.

The Government encourages customers who are concerned about the current financial situation to get in touch with their lender or insurer at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss their options.

On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet. In addition, the FCA issued guidance confirming that this captures borrowers whose mortgage is in a closed book or owned by a firm that is not regulated for mortgage lending.

Furthermore, lenders have agreed a 3-month moratorium on possession action to start immediately to provide customers with reassurance that they will not have their homes repossessed at this difficult time, meaning firms cannot commence or continue repossession proceedings against customers at this time.

The Financial Conduct Authority has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.

Consumers should check the terms of their individual policies and contact their provider if they wish to make changes to their policy.

The Government encourages customers who are concerned about the current financial situation to get in touch with their lender or insurer at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss their options.

On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet. In addition, the FCA issued guidance confirming that this captures borrowers whose mortgage is in a closed book or owned by a firm that is not regulated for mortgage lending.

Furthermore, lenders have agreed a 3-month moratorium on possession action to start immediately to provide customers with reassurance that they will not have their homes repossessed at this difficult time, meaning firms cannot commence or continue repossession proceedings against customers at this time.

On 30 September, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published its latest report on the police use of Covid-19 enforcement notices issued under all emergency health protections. The data showed that between 27 March and 21 September, 18,912 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) were issued by police forces in England and Wales between 27 March and 21 September.

The data in the report provides an analysis of the rationale for issuing a FPN and a breakdown of issuance by police force. Data related to those individuals or businesses in receipt of more than one fixed penalty notice, for any reason, is not provided by the NPCC in its report and is not held by the Home Office.

Each force is operationally independent and will respond accordingly to local needs as part of a multi-agency approach with partners including PHE and local authorities. Any region-specific enforcement activity is a matter for individual police forces.

On 30 September, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published its latest report on the police use of Covid-19 enforcement notices issued under all emergency health protections. The data showed that between 27 March and 21 September, 18,912 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) were issued by police forces in England and Wales between 27 March and 21 September.

The data in the report provides an analysis of the rationale for issuing a FPN and a breakdown of issuance by police force. Data related to those individuals or businesses in receipt of more than one fixed penalty notice, for any reason, is not provided by the NPCC in its report and is not held by the Home Office.

Each force is operationally independent and will respond accordingly to local needs as part of a multi-agency approach with partners including PHE and local authorities. Any region-specific enforcement activity is a matter for individual police forces.

On 30 September, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published its latest report on the police use of Covid-19 enforcement notices issued under all emergency health protections. The data showed that between 27 March and 21 September, 18,912 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) were issued by police forces in England and Wales between 27 March and 21 September.

The data in the report provides an analysis of the rationale for issuing a FPN and a breakdown of issuance by police force. Data related to those individuals or businesses in receipt of more than one fixed penalty notice, for any reason, is not provided by the NPCC in its report and is not held by the Home Office.

Each force is operationally independent and will respond accordingly to local needs as part of a multi-agency approach with partners including PHE and local authorities. Any region-specific enforcement activity is a matter for individual police forces.

Further to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, details of the sponsorship scheme for Ukraine will be set out in due course.

A key Government priority is to ensure victims of domestic abuse can get the right support when they need it during the pandemic.

The?Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has allocated £10 million in emergency funding for safe accommodation services.??This fund is supporting 166 organisations to provide bed spaces for those affected by domestic abuse, ensuring that refuges remain open and more victims can access life-saving support during the pandemic. The Department also enabled local authorities to book additional rooms in temporary accommodation through a centralised service, helping more victims access safe accommodation. We have also provided £4.8 billion in additional funding to help local authorities respond to COVID-19 spending pressures, including support for domestic abuse services.

In addition, Home Office are providing £2 million for community-based domestic abuse services impacted by the outbreak and the?Ministry of Justice are providing £25?million?to help victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence in the community access support services during the coronavirus outbreak.