Carla Denyer

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. It is for the EHRC to ensure that the consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with a variety of stakeholders.

The Government expects them to do this widely and broadly, listening to diverse voices, and has engaged EHRC on this. We will then consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it.

The Government has set out our expectation that employers and other duty bearers follow the clarity the Supreme Court ruling provides. Where necessary, they should take appropriate specialist legal advice.

The EHRC have opened their consultation on the draft updated statutory Code of Practice, seeking views from affected stakeholders. We encourage people to ensure their views are heard by submitting a response to the consultation by Monday 30th June. We will consider the final draft Code once it has been submitted and engage EHRC to ensure it provides the further certainty and clarity service providers need, in line with the ruling.

The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. This includes actively considering the needs of older women and ensuring that they are not discriminated against. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requires organisations in scope to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.

The scope of the PSED is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It extends to all public authorities listed in Schedule 19 of the Act and all parties carrying out public functions. This includes private sector and voluntary organisations when carrying out public functions. The Government expects regulating public authorities to ensure organisations comply with their legal requirements.

The Government recognises the challenges some older women can face and is committed to ensuring that support systems are in place. These include improving older people’s participation online through the new Digital Inclusion Action plan, employment support through Jobcentres, and addressing healthcare inequality in the 10 Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.

This Government remains determined to restore order to the asylum system and clear the backlog of claims as quickly as possible.

Asylum seekers can apply for permission to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those granted permission, can seek employment in roles on the Immigration Salary List.

We are also committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive – building on the Government’s wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

The Department has paid a total of £26,773 in legal fees relating to the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields since 4 July 2024.

The Government has committed that it will not revoke existing licences and will partner with business and workers to manage our existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan.

We have already consulted on revised environmental guidance for development consents to take into account emissions from burning extracted oil and gas to provide stability for industry.

This consultation closed in January, and we are working to have guidance in place as soon as possible.

The UK is committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels and meeting global climate targets.

The Government supports action on decarbonising oil and gas production and is consulting on new guidance to ensure the impact of burning oil and gas is considered in the Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects. The Government will consult on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields, in due course.

There are no current plans to make such assessment.

We routinely update our guidance to British businesses on the Overseas Business Risk website.

We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region.

The Government will consult on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields in due course.

Independent schools are regulated against The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, which set out the standards for the education, welfare and safety for pupils attending an independent school. These standards can be accessed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3283. The standards related to ‘quality of education provided’ (curriculum and teaching) require independent schools to ensure their written policy, plans and schemes of work take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all their pupils, including those with special educational needs.

Section 85 of the Equality Act 2010 prohibits schools, including independent schools, from discriminating against pupils with certain protected characteristics. This includes a requirement that schools must not discriminate in the way they provide education for pupils; the way they afford pupils access to benefits, facilities or services; or by not providing education for pupils.

Defra, alongside the Food Standards Agency in Wales and Food Standards Scotland, are working together to assess and address issues arising from the EU’s recent amendments relating to the Honey Directive 2001/110/EC. Any decision on future policy will focus on maintaining our existing high food standards, protecting consumers, and supporting businesses and consumer choice.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government remains committed to meeting legal targets for air quality and continues to review the policy measures needed to achieve them. The NO₂ programme is working closely with local authorities to deliver air quality measures, including Clean Air Zones, to meet legal limits for NO₂ and improve the health of their residents.

The Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010) set a limit of 40µg/m³ for the annual average concentration of NO₂ (a component of NOx). This threshold, determined with consideration of pertinent health guidelines, aims to safeguard human health.

NOx is extensively monitored across the UK, and monitoring data is made available to the public in near real-time on Defra’s UK-AIR website. Defra annually publishes Air Quality Accredited Official Statistics, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/air-quality-and-emissions-statistics.

Through the NO₂ programme, Defra is working closely with local authorities to deliver air quality measures to meet legal limits for NO₂ and improve the health of their residents.

Further to this, in 2022, Defra updated the statutory policy and technical guidance for local authorities on their responsibilities for Local Air Quality Management, including achievement of legal air quality limits for local communities.

The Government recognises that investment in transport infrastructure is of critical importance to unlocking national growth and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) programme has a key role to play in continuing to transform local transport across the country. DfT is working closely with Local Authorities and other Government departments on understanding and mitigating any potential barriers to delivery, including supply chain or capacity constraints, as part of our ongoing Spending Review discussions.

Discussions are underway between the department and MCAs, including West of England, on how the transition between CRSTS 1 and CRSTS 2 can be delivered. Some MCAs are also moving towards Integrated Settlements which will enable greater flexibility for planning and decision making at a local level.

Funding in future years is being considered as part of the current Spending Review, the outcome of which will be confirmed in due course.

There are no current plans for the Department for Transport to publish an assessment of the differences in cost of public and home vehicle charging. A number of assessments are already publicly available such as this analysis by the RAC: Electric car public charging costs | RAC Charge Watch | RAC Drive

As set out in the Manifesto, the Government is committed to delivering an equitable transition to zero emission vehicles which works for all drivers. The Government regularly monitors the cost of public and home electric vehicle charging.

Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.

Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

Bereavement Support Payment is intended to help people through the immediate period following a bereavement. It is not a cost-of-living benefit like Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process, but there is no legal requirement to uprate it.

Whilst we have no plans to uprate BSP from April, the Government keeps all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

102 pensioner households were targeted in the Bristol Central constituency as part of the Invitation to Claim initiative. The letters sent to these households encourage them to claim Pension Credit by 21 December which is the latest date for making a successful backdated claim and still receive a Winter Fuel payment.

Data on the number of claims received from the households targeted as part of the initiative, and the number of awards made will be established once the Department has completed processing all those applications and the necessary analysis is completed.

Neither the Department or NHS England intend to centrally collect data on the number of staff working in the National Health Service for non-NHS providers, or information on the differences in terms and conditions between NHS and non-NHS providers, due to the additional resources involved in such an exercise. Independent, non-NHS organisations are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment. This includes the pay scales that they use, the extent to which pay awards are made, and when those awards are paid. We expect such employers, providing NHS services, to offer a total reward package that supports recruitment and retention and reflects the skills and experience of their staff.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data on the number of staff working in the National Health Service for non-NHS providers.

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 allow for terms and conditions of service to be protected or frozen as they stand on the date of transfer to a non-National Health Service employer. This may also cover any pre-agreed contractual future entitlements if a deal is negotiated and agreed prior to the date of transfer.

However, this does not cover any future changes to NHS terms and conditions of service which may be negotiated under the collective bargaining process after the date of transfer, and where the employer receiving transferred staff is not a participant to the collective bargaining process. This includes annual pay increases under Agenda for Change. We would encourage employees to raise any issues relating to their terms and conditions directly with their employing organisation and/or trade union representative.

The Department and NHS England would expect any proposal to outsource work contracts such as the provision of facilities management services to be supported by a business case which, pursuant to the Government’s public interest test, should clearly demonstrate that the service is delivered in a way that improves quality, ensures greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce; and delivers better value for money as part of the broader commitments on procurement, as set out in the ‘Make Work Pay’ programme. More information on the program is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/next-steps-to-make-work-pay/next-steps-to-make-work-pay-web-accessible-version

We know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including for children and young people.

That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services, and introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school

We are not considering counsellors trained to Level 4 Diploma of Higher Education in counselling for these roles, however children and young people can be referred to higher qualified professionals if needs identified.

Following on from my answer to the question raised at health oral topical questions by the Hon. Member of Parliament for Gravesham, Dr Lauren Sullivan about the shortages of medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I would like to confirm that the Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some ADHD medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We expect the supply to improve in the UK throughout the rest of 2024. However, we anticipate supply to be limited for some strengths and we continue to work with all suppliers to ensure the remaining issues are resolved as soon as possible. To improve supply chain resiliency, we are also working with prospective new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to expand the UK supplier base.

We are supporting an ADHD taskforce that NHS England is establishing to examine ADHD service provision. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.

To minimise the impact of the shortages on patients, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the NHS, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinion for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.

To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications, and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

The Government's objective remans a negotiated two-state solution, with a sovereign Palestinian state, which includes the West Bank and Gaza, alongside a safe and secure Israel. In order to deliver this, it is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities in Gaza and rebuild and that there can be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. The new US administration played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement, alongside Qatar and Egypt. The UK will continue to work closely with the US to sustain the fragile ceasefire, ensure that all the hostages are released, increase the supply of aid, and break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a permanent, sustainable peace.

We will continue to engage with the US Administration on all our priorities, including the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We look forward to working with the incoming US Ambassador to London, once confirmed by the Senate. We have no plans to summon the Chargé d'Affaires.

We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to, and rebuild, their homes and their lives. That is a right guaranteed under international law.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war in Ukraine. This includes Russian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). UK persons are prohibited from importing Russian LNG and acquiring Russian LNG with the intention of entering the UK. This prohibition also covers the provision of certain services relating to the import or acquisition of LNG with the intention of entering the UK. In September 2024 we used new powers to specify carriers transporting Russian LNG, followed by a second set of vessels in October. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war. UK persons are prohibited from importing Russian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and acquiring Russian LNG with the intention of entering the UK. This prohibition also covers the provision of certain services relating to the import or acquisition of goods with the intention of entering the UK. The categories of services include financial services and funds which includes insurance-related services, brokering services and technical assistance.

The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's war. The UK prohibited the import of Russian LNG in January 2023 and banned the export of energy related goods, including those that support LNG production. We continue to consider all lawful and practical options to limit Russian energy revenues.

The UK is committed to strengthening international tax cooperation, and works closely with our international partners from all regions, both bilaterally and multilaterally through international organisations.

The UK believes that a UN Framework Convention has the potential to advance international tax cooperation, but it will only be successful if it seeks to build upon rather than reinvent existing initiatives, and seeks to secure the broad support and participation of members.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the amount of tax relief available to individual companies in relation to the oil and gas fields they may have a commercial interest in.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent forecast of tax revenues from the oil and gas sector was published at Autumn Budget 2024 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook October 2024 (https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2024/), which also includes other economic projections. The OBR’s tax revenue forecast does not give a breakdown by field or company to protect taxpayer confidentiality but takes into account the impact of relevant, available tax reliefs.

Where data is available, estimates of the cost of tax reliefs available to oil and gas companies are published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of the number of claimants for each relief.