Catherine McKinnell

The government is committed to understanding and addressing the ethnic disparities in maternal mortality rates. Maternal deaths are fortunately rare and overall women’s experiences of maternity care are positive, but it remains important we encourage every expectant mother to engage with NHS maternity services so they get the support they are entitled to.

I have been supporting the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in this area since last summer. This includes co-hosting a roundtable discussion on maternal mortality rates for ethnic minority women in September 2020, which identified the need for more intelligent use of data to target action.

Following this, officials in the Race Disparity Unit have been working with DHSC colleagues to understand how data can be disaggregated and flow more easily among NHS agencies, and research bodies. They have also been supporting DHSC officials on initiatives such as the new £7.6m Health and Wellbeing Fund that will support 19 projects to reduce health inequalities among new mothers and babies.

Nobody should miss out on their education because of their period. Our Period Product scheme makes free products available for primary schools, secondary schools and colleges in England. Our supplier is actively contacting organisations who have not yet ordered products. Period products should be available, if learners need them, even during lockdown. I encourage all schools and colleges to make use of this fantastic scheme.

In the COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021, the Government has set out the gradual and cautious approach to reopening different sectors in England, guided by science and the data. It is important that we take a cautious approach in easing restrictions, so that we can see the impact of the steps we are taking before moving to the next step.

For that reason, we will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Guidance on weddings at Step 3 will be updated at least a week in advance, taking into account developments in the pandemic.

At Step 3, no earlier than 17 May 2021, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are permitted for up to 30 people in COVID-19 Secure venues. Receptions can also proceed with up to 30 people in a COVID-19 Secure indoor venue, or outdoors, which includes private gardens.

For further information, please refer to the guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

For further information, please refer to the guidance for for wedding and civil partnership receptions and celebrations:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-wedding-and-civil-partnership-receptions-and-celebrations

Domestic production of coal, alongside the amounts of coal imported in the UK, have been steadily declining in the last five years. This is evidenced by the figures published by the Department here: DUKES table 2.4.

In order to tackle climate change and deliver a net zero economy by 2050, we need to further reduce our use of coal. We are among the first countries in the world to commit to closing all unabated coal power plants. We intend to do this by 2024.

Domestic production of coal, alongside the amounts of coal imported in the UK, have been steadily declining in the last five years. This is evidenced by the figures published by the Department here: DUKES table 2.4.

In order to tackle climate change and deliver a net zero economy by 2050, we need to further reduce our use of coal. We are among the first countries in the world to commit to closing all unabated coal power plants. We intend to do this by 2024.

The voluntary, non-statutory guidance entitled ‘Online Safety Guidance if you own or manage an online platform’ published by the Government is targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and at start-up organisations, specifically those that are likely to be in scope of future Online Safety legislation. The guidance was developed in consultation with relevant SMEs and start-ups to understand their needs and to frame the guidance in the most user-friendly and effective way. This included multiple rounds of user research and feedback on how information should be presented.

We are unable to publicly name individual companies that took part in user testing, due to the approach agreed with these organisations when they took part in the research. DCMS also worked with relevant industry bodies who represent hundreds of SME and start-up organisations to draw up the content for the guidance. This includes Tech Nation, the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), the Federation of Small Businesses, the Independent Game Developers' Association (Tiga) and the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), as well as subject matter experts in government and civil society.

The BBFC offers unparalleled expertise in content classification. Ministers and officials will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including the BBFC, on the video sharing platform regime and the upcoming Online Safety Bill.

The video sharing platform regime, for which Ofcom is the regulator, came into force on 1 November 2020. UK-established video sharing platforms must now take appropriate measures to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material. Video sharing platforms are not currently mandated to adopt BBFC ratings, nor is it expected that they will be mandated to do so under Ofcom’s regulatory regime for video sharing platforms.

The Government recognises age ratings as an important tool for audience protection, however they are most effective when used in conjunction with other protection tools, such as age assurance and parental controls. Video sharing platforms encompass a broad range of services so it is important that there is flexibility in the regime to be able to adopt tailored approaches. Platforms should consider what measures are most appropriate and proportionate when introducing them on their services.

The BBFC is engaging with both Ofcom and online platforms to share their expertise on emerging technologies and the applicability of content ratings. The Government will also continue to engage with the BBFC, Ofcom and industry to encourage platforms to adopt appropriate content labelling and other age assurance measures in relation to the upcoming Online Safety Bill.

Ministers and officials will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders on the development of the Online Safety Bill, including the BBFC. The BBFC offers unparalleled expertise in content classification, including pornographic content.

The video sharing platform regime, for which Ofcom is the regulator, came into force on 1 November 2020. UK-established video sharing platforms must now take appropriate measures to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material. Ofcom, and the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) have a strong collaborative relationship when working on audience protection issues. The BBFC is engaging actively with both Ofcom and video sharing platforms to share their expertise on emerging technologies and the applicability of content ratings.

Over the past year the government has also been working with the BBFC and industry to drive the voluntary adoption of the BBFC’s age rating symbols by video on demand platforms. We will continue to engage with industry to encourage platforms to use BBFC age ratings, and will keep the evidence for legislation in this area under review.

As the designated body for age classification of film content, the Government has great trust in the British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) best practice age ratings.

While adoption of the BBFC’s age ratings by online platforms is currently voluntary, we welcome their usage by Video on Demand platforms. We were particularly pleased to see Netflix announce on 1 December 2020 that they have become the first platform to achieve complete coverage of their content under the BBFC’s ratings. We will continue to engage with industry to encourage other Video on Demand platforms to adopt the BBFC’s ratings across all of their content, and will keep the evidence for legislation in this area under review.

The video sharing platform regime, for which Ofcom is the regulator, came into force on 1 November 2020. UK-established video sharing platforms must now take appropriate measures to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material. The BBFC is engaging actively with both Ofcom and video sharing platforms to share their expertise on emerging technologies and the applicability of content ratings on the streaming platforms.

We know that businesses in arts, culture, entertainment and hospitality have been hit hard by this pandemic. That's why we secured an unprecedented £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund of which over £1 billion has so far been allocated so far to over 3000 organisations.

This is along a world class package of broader economy measures worth hundreds of billions, including the furloughing scheme and the Self Employed Income Support Scheme

The department wants as many eligible pupils as possible to claim their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

Since December 2016, when the referenced question was asked, the department has continued to develop and provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have continued to provide a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals.

The department has also provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.

Pupil premium allocations for the 2021/22 financial year have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2021-to-2022.

The Department has also published the impact of moving to using the October census for the pupil premium for mainstream and special schools. This is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pupil-premium-effective-use-and-accountability.

The calculation of pupil premium allocations is resource intensive. There are no plans to calculate hypothetical allocations showing what each school would have received if the pupil premium had been allocated on a different basis.

On 16 December, we wrote to all local authorities to inform them of their individual indicative allocation of funding for the Holiday Activities and Food programme 2021. We are working closely with colleagues from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to finalise grant determination documentation, which will be published on the GOV.UK website in due course.

There are no plans to publish a comprehensive dataset from the October 2020 (Autumn) school census.

Data collected in the autumn census on exclusions relates to the 2019/20 academic year and is expected to be published in July 2021. No data was collected on pupil absence in the autumn census 2020.

The Department release annual National Statistics in the Schools, pupils and their characteristics publication, based on the Spring Census, collected in January. This includes data on pupil numbers by characteristics including gender, age, free school meals eligibility, language, and ethnicity, alongside data on class sizes and school numbers. The latest release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Further information on Special Educational Needs is also produced from the Spring Census and released in the ‘Special educational needs in England’ publication, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

Palliative care can help children with life limiting or life ending conditions to have a good quality of life where they get treatment, care and support. Regular palliative care can enable parents to work and also can prevent escalation of needs later on.

While the government has not done any recent assessment of the economic benefits of short breaks for respite for children who need palliative care, local authorities have a statutory duty to assess the social care needs of disabled children and young people, and to provide respite care where necessary. Where it is appropriate, local authorities can fund respite care provided by hospices, either as a short-term stay or as a service provided to the child or young person in the family home by the hospice team. Local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups regularly liaise to plan and commission the most appropriate package of respite care for the children and young people with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition in their area.

My officials met with retailers, and other interested parties, at a roundtable on 24 August 2020 to consider the use of peat in the horticultural sector. The roundtable was part of a series of roundtables to discuss the England Peat Strategy. The Government continues to be committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England, and we will set out plans to speed this up in the England Peat Strategy. We plan on publishing the strategy later this year.

Data on the quantity of peat sold in the UK is only available for 2018 and 2019. The total volume of peat sold in 2018 was 2.11 million m³, and 2.06 million m³ in 2019.

My officials met with retailers, and other interested parties, at a roundtable on 24 August 2020 to consider the use of peat in the horticultural sector. The roundtable was part of a series of roundtables to discuss the England Peat Strategy. The Government continues to be committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England, and we will set out plans to speed this up in the England Peat Strategy. We plan on publishing the strategy later this year.

Data on the quantity of peat sold in the UK is only available for 2018 and 2019. The total volume of peat sold in 2018 was 2.11 million m³, and 2.06 million m³ in 2019.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement is the first free trade agreement the EU has reached based on zero tariffs and quotas and is fantastic news for the North East. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes Rules of Origin that frequently exceed what the EU has previously agreed. For example, innovative rules to support trade in electric vehicles will benefit our world-leading car manufacturers including in the North East.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is currently determining eligibility criteria for the new Direct Lending Facility for clean growth solutions which was announced at the Budget in March. UKEF will publish guidance on its website shortly.

The facility will provide fixed-rate loans directly to overseas borrowers to help them finance the purchase of capital goods and/or services from UK exporters and suppliers to support clean growth project internationally up to a value of £200 million per loan.

UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) new Direct Lending Facility for clean growth which was announced at the Budget in March will support overseas borrowers to help them finance the purchase of capital goods and/or services from UK exporters and suppliers to support clean growth projects internationally. The eligibility criteria for this new facility are currently being developed but the facility will contribute to supporting overseas countries in transitioning to cleaner energy sources, through renewable, low carbon and green growth solutions. It will complement UKEF’s competitive product range to help ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, while operating at no net-cost to the taxpayer.

In line with all its export credit support, and UK’s international commitments, UKEF will where applicable, conduct environmental, social and human rights due diligence of projects it is asked to support. This applies equally to its existing and new Direct Lending facilities.

There is no set decision timeline for the Mozambique LNG project. UK Export Finance (UKEF), along with other finance parties, will assess timings at each relevant stage of the development of a transaction.

UKEF is committed to high standards of environmental, social and human rights (ESHR) risk management. It rigorously follows the requirements of the OECD Common Approaches and Equator Principles, which set the framework for managing such risks for export credit agencies and international financial institutions. It has a specialist ESHR team that reviews relevant projects prior to UKEF taking a decision. Supported projects are then monitored by the ESHR team throughout the lifetime of UKEF’s support to ensure compliance with these requirements.

The Government has published a Category A notice which includes a summary providing an overview of an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment of the Mozambique LNG project.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project

UK Export Finance is in the process of undertaking its due diligence of the project including environmental, social and human rights matters.

Individual overseas governments who are signatories to the Paris Agreement make their own decisions as to how they will reduce their national greenhouse gas emissions. However, the Government is committed to working with countries across the world to support their transition towards cleaner energy sources.

The Government is actively considering how we can modernise our fares and ticketing offer, to develop more convenient and better value options for everyone.

However, these are unprecedented times and our immediate focus must be on ensuring that we keep the railway available and safe for those who need to rely upon it.

The Government is committed to transforming our railways and building on the detailed, evidence based priorities Keith Williams set out. Covid-19 has had a clear impact across the sector and we are considering how best to deliver reform including fares reform in light of the unique challenges posed by Covid-19.

The Government recognises that Covid-19 has caused a fundamental change in working patterns and that this could have long-term effects on commuter behavior.

In order to support a green recovery and new working patterns, the Department is working with industry to explore options for flexible commuters, such as carnets, and what steps could be taken quickly to make these as useful and convenient for passengers as possible.

The Government is committed to transforming our railways and building on the detailed, evidence based priorities Keith Williams set out. Covid-19 has had a clear impact across the sector and we are considering how best to deliver reform including fares reform in light of the unique challenges posed by Covid-19.

The Government recognises that Covid-19 has caused a fundamental change in working patterns and that this could have long-term effects on commuter behaviour. In order to support a green recovery and new working patterns, the Department is working with industry to explore options for flexible commuters, such as carnets, and what steps could be taken quickly to make these as useful and convenient for passengers as possible.

The Government is committed to transforming our railways and building on the detailed, evidence based priorities Keith Williams set out. We want to create a railway that puts passengers first, where passengers know who is in charge, that delivers a fairer ticketing system and which delivers value for money.

Covid-19 has had a clear impact across the sector and we are considering how best to deliver reform including fares reform in light of the unique challenges posed by Covid-19.

The Department for Transport is actively monitoring the impact on jobs in the aviation sector from Covid-19 at the national and regional level, with support from other government Departments. The unprecedented reduction in demand as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak means the aviation sector’s labour market has suffered a significant impact. The aviation sector and associated supply chain has seen a high uptake of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and tens of thousands of proposed redundancies, with impacts likely across the regions of the United Kingdom.