Chris Loder

In the spring of 2019 the House of Bishops discussed why some of the recommendations of the Church Buildings Review, which was approved by the General Synod in November 2015, had not been implemented. Paula Vennells was subsequently asked by the Archbishops to undertake a lessons learnt review. During the course of the review its remit was expanded to look at the wider working together of the National Church Institutions (NCIs), including issues around organisational governance, leadership and culture. The report, ‘Church Buildings Review- Lessons Learnt’, was completed in October 2019 and Paula Vennells attended a meeting of the House of Bishops in December 2019 at which it was presented.

In February 2020 Paula Vennells was invited to attend the Church Commissioners Board of Governors for a discussion of the Lessons Learnt report, but she was unable to attend and the report was considered in her absence. The Lessons Learnt report was considered by the Archbishops’ Council in March 2020, again in the absence of Paula Vennells, who was invited but unable to attend.

In March 2020 the Archbishops established a Coordinating Group, to continue the work of the Triennium Funding Working Group, and to coordinate certain strands of national work for the Church during the Covid 19 pandemic. Paula Vennells was invited to join the Coordinating Group and to lead on the part focusing on Governance. She attended three meetings of the Group, in April, May and June 2020 and sent apologies to two further meetings in June and July, before withdrawing from the work. The Coordinating Group became what is now the Emerging Church Steering Group. A Governance Review group under the Chairmanship of the Bishop of Leeds proceeded from August 2020, without the involvement of Paula Vennells.

The Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) is convened and funded by the three National Investment Bodies, to whom it provides ethical investment advice. Paula Vennells was appointed to the EIAG by its Nominations Committee and was a member between March 2019 and April 2021. She attended two meetings, in March and October 2019, and sent apologies for meetings thereafter until she took leave of absence from the Group from June 2020, lasting until her resignation in April 2021. More information about the EIAG can be found here: Ethical Investment Advisory Group | The Church of England

It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure on all public affairs activity from the overall total working costs for the Archbishop of Canterbury in the financial year 2020-21 without incurring disproportionate cost. During this period the public affairs team at Lambeth Palace comprised a social and public affairs adviser, research officer and a PA. The PA role will be reduced to half time in 2022.

It is not possible to give a cumulative figure for expenditure on public affairs for the Church of England, as each National Church Institution, diocese and parish is a separate charity and this information is not collected.

At a national level public affairs functions are not limited to a specific branch of the National Church Institutions. The Faith and Public Life team of the Archbishop’s Council (formerly MPA: the Mission and Public Affairs Division) handles much of the Church of England’s national engagement with Government, Parliament and policymakers but also has responsibility for work that is not public affairs. In the transition from MPA to the Faith and Public Life team under the Transforming Effectiveness process, the total number of NCI staff working in those public affairs roles has been cut.

The Archbishops’ Council Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 can be seen here: GS 2211 AC_annual_report_and_financial_statements_for_year_ended_31_December_2020.pdf (churchofengland.org)

The Church Commissioners for England Annual Report 2020 can be seen here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Church%20Commissioners%20Annual%20Report%202020.pdf

Data are not kept on the nationality or migration status of those who seek Baptism. The content of the rite of Baptism remains the same for all.
Clergy are required by canon law to ensure that all who come to Baptism as adults are given appropriate teaching on the tenets of the faith and in encouragement to private spiritual devotion. Therefore, the preparation process may require specific, lengthier input and instruction of some groups of candidates before the clergyperson is confident of the independent faith of each individual.

Records are not held centrally on the causes of death of clergy. The Church of England provides resources for those experiencing stress and signposts to other resources from charities and organisations able to help. Some more information is available here: Supporting clergy health and wellbeing | The Church of England As chief pastors in their dioceses, diocesan bishops ensure pastoral care is available to clergy and is provided when needed.

The Church of England is committed to supporting those individuals and organisations working to help those at risk of self-harm and suicide. At a parish level many clergy play a key role themselves in providing counselling, comfort and support to those at risk. All suicides are tragedies, and whilst causes will vary, the death of any member of the clergy through suicide will be a matter of profound concern and deep sadness for all in the church, their community and all who have a responsibility for their pastoral care.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his Ditchley Speech, the Government is determined to ensure the Civil Service is better distributed across the country. The Places for Growth Programme is working with departments and public bodies to firm up relocation plans and further details will be announced in due course. The Places for Growth programme is exploring opportunities across the whole of the UK.

A social tariff is fundamentally about supporting the most vulnerable with the cost of energy and this is what we have delivered. Between 2022-25 we are delivering a package of support worth £108 billion, or £3,800 per household on average.

In 2023-24 we have supported millions of vulnerable households with up to £900 in further cost-of-living payments. Despite the Quarter 2 2024 Ofgem price cap falling nearly 60% since its 2023 peak, we have committed to supporting households past April, by cutting National Insurance, and increasing benefits and the National Living Wage.

We have also been working with Ofgem on their new involuntary prepayment meter rules and a long-term solution to end the prepayment meter premium. I met with suppliers at the end of last year to outline my expectation that they support vulnerable customers and improve their customer service.

Post Office has not prosecuted any cases relating to its Horizon system since 2015. According to Post Office’s records, no-one is currently imprisoned as a result of its historical prosecutions.

Records of cases prosecuted by the UK’s public prosecution agencies which may also relate to Horizon will be kept by the Crown Prosecution Service, Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland respectively.

Post Office has made those agencies aware of the concerns relating to Horizon and Judge Fraser’s findings in the recent Horizon court case.

When determining whether a premises is eligible for the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), Ofcom takes into account data from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on the provision of a fixed wireless service over their networks. Broader mobile coverage is not taken into account.

As part of Ofcom’s Connected Nations report MNOs are formally asked to provide a list of the premises where they are able to offer a service that meets the broadband USO specification, excluding any premises where they do not have sufficient capacity to serve Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) users. Ofcom’s analysis is based on this list of premises. MNOs are required to provide data that is as accurate as possible, but individual circumstances may mean actual availability is unable to match the prediction.

Ofcom does not include Vodafone and O2 in this analysis. Vodafone has not provided an estimate of premise level coverage which factors in the capacity available for FWA users, and O2 currently does not offer a fixed wireless service.

In terms of accuracy of this data, Ofcom tested whether fixed wireless could deliver decent broadband. It measured and published FWA performance service on the EE 4G network as part of its USO work programme (Annex 1 Page 84).

Where a premises is indicated to have an available fixed wireless service that meets the USO specification but this turns out not to be the case, the customer is eligible to apply for the broadband USO.

The government understands that digital connectivity is more important than ever in light of Covid-19 and the need to work from home. Superfast broadband (speeds greater than 30 Mbps) is now available to 97% of UK homes and businesses, up from 50% in 2010 as a result of the government’s £2 billion Superfast Broadband Programme. This means the vast majority of premises already have access to speeds far in excess of those required for home-working.

In order to ensure all remaining premises are able to access the connectivity they need, the government has launched the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) in order to give every premises the legal right to request a decent, affordable broadband connection, providing download speeds of at least 10Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. Ofcom has stated that a 10Mbps connection will allow multiple users to simultaneously use the internet, including web browsing, video streaming, video calling and gaming, and should be sufficient for home working requirements. According to Ofcom’s latest figures, just 0.4% premises in the UK are still without access to a decent broadband connection when taking into account both fixed and fixed wireless access.

The government is also committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible to make sure UK citizens have access to the connectivity they will require in future. Since the initial lockdown began in March 2020, UK Gigabit coverage has risen from 18% to 65% today. By 2025, the Government’s goal is for at least 85% premises to have access to gigabit-capable networks and we are investing £5 billion to ensure hard-to-reach areas are not left behind in the digital revolution.

DCMS continues to work alongside Ofcom to encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to go further to support low-income families. Following our discussions with the telecoms sector, affordable social tariffs are now available from BT, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre and KCOM for £15 per month to those on Universal Credit as well as other means-tested benefits. These ISPs operate in 99% of the UK. We continue to encourage all operators to introduce affordable tariffs.

In terms of mobile coverage, 99% of premises in the UK have indoor 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator (MNO), with 81% of premises covered by all four operators.

To ensure all corners of the country are connected, the government’s £1 billion deal with the MNOs to deliver the Shared Rural Network, will see operators collectively increase mobile phone coverage throughout the UK to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of the programme, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments. The programme will also provide guaranteed extra coverage to 280,000 premises, with further indirect improvements over time, including better indoor coverage in around 1.2m business premises and homes.

The government does not think the extensive deployment of 5G infrastructure will result in fixed broadband becoming redundant.

As set out in 2017’s Future Technology Infrastructure Review, the government wants to ensure the UK has access to world-class digital connectivity in order to meet the growing demands of the consumers of the future. Both 5G and gigabit-capable fixed broadband infrastructure is essential to ensuring this, and that is why we have committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible, with at least 85% connectivity by 2025.

Our ambition is for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027, and we also want to ensure that UK businesses reap the full benefits of 5G. All four mobile network operators have launched their 5G networks and our internal analysis suggests that 5G services are available in more than 385 locations across the UK.

Through the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy we want to set out the development, deployment and adoption of 5G and future wireless networks in the UK. The government recognises the importance of ensuring that our wireless connectivity ambitions are technology neutral, and will complement other technologies including fixed broadband infrastructure.

Ofcom is responsible for measuring 4G coverage through its Connected Nations reports and reports at a local authority level.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2021 Annual Report, published on 16th December 2021, shows that 81.3% of the Dorset Unitary Authority area had good quality 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNOs), with 99% from at least one operator. This compares to 4G geographic coverage in London Boroughs ranging from 94.3% to 100% from all four operators.

Ofcom is responsible for measuring 4G coverage through its Connected Nations reports and reports at a local authority level.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2021 Annual Report, published on 16th December 2021, shows that 81.3% of the Dorset Unitary Authority area had good quality 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNOs), with 99% from at least one operator. This compares to 4G geographic coverage in London Boroughs ranging from 94.3% to 100% from all four operators.

The Department provides multi-academy trusts with a high level of autonomy to drive improvement in the school sector. This approach ensures trust leaders are accountable to their trustees.

Inspection of individual schools and financial oversight from the Education and Skills Funding Agency are the two primary levers in the Department’s regulation of trusts. We publish performance information on multi-academy trusts and have powers to intervene in the event of failures of governance.

In March, the Department published the Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review. This sets out how we will revise and consolidate our regulatory approach, so it is more proportionate, effective and risk-based, delivering regulatory oversight in a more strategic manner. It also details how the Department will support the continued transition to a self-improving system by sharing best practice and supporting trust improvement.

Finally, the Review sets out how we will reform our approach to commissioning multi-academy trusts to grow. It was followed in July by the publication of the ‘Commissioning high-quality trusts’ guidance. Together, these documents set out new, high expectations on trusts that want to grow which we will apply consistently and transparently. The result will be that standards in the trust sector will continue to rise.

Multi-academy trusts continue to improve standards in schools with poor Ofsted ratings, with 88% of schools now rated good or outstanding compared to 68% in 2010. This reflects the ability of high quality trusts to introduce effective approaches to raising standards, and to deploy the capacity and capability of the trust to target underperformance.

Any education institution which provides full-time provision to 5 or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is ‘looked after’ or who has an education, health and care plan) is required to register with the Secretary of State for Education. It is a criminal offence under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered.

Since those conducting an unregistered school are committing a criminal offence, they do not generally inform the Department for Education about the school’s operation. It is not therefore possible to accurately estimate the number of unregistered schools operating in (a) West Dorset constituency, (b) Dorset, and (c) England.

The Department for Education and Ofsted continue to investigate any institution where intelligence or evidence suggest the operation of an unregistered school. Section 97 of the 2008 Act permits the Chief Inspector to investigate, and conduct no-notice inspections of, institutions believed to be operating in breach of the registration requirement.

Ofsted publishes statistics on the number and outcomes of investigations carried out into unregistered schools. Statistics have been published online for the period 1 January 2016 to 31 August 2021. The statistics up to 31 August 2021 showing the investigations and inspections which have taken place both nationally and in the south-west are in the table attached.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carry out local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections. Inspectors will look for evidence of how children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (or both) are identified and how their needs are assessed and met. They also look for evidence of how they are supported to move on to their next stage of education, the world of work and wider preparations for adulthood.

Dorset, which includes the district of West Dorset, had a local area SEND inspection in January 2017 and were required to produce a Written Statement of Action to improve in four areas of significant weakness. They were revisited by Ofsted and the CQC in February 2019 and were found to have improved in two of the four areas. An Accelerated Progress Plan to address the two areas that had not made sufficient progress was then put in place, with the department and NHS England providing challenge and support to make the required improvements. By January 2021, the department and NHS England judged that Dorset had made sufficient progress in both areas.

The department is currently working with Ofsted and the CQC on an amended SEND inspection framework. Dorset’s SEND services will be inspected again as part of this.

Any educational institution which provides full-time provision to five or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is ‘looked after’ or has an education, health and care plan) is required to register with the Secretary of State for Education as a school. It is a criminal offence under Section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered.

The department has not made any estimate of the number of pupils in unregistered schools. Those conducting an unregistered school are committing a criminal offence and they do not generally inform the department about the school’s operation. It is not therefore possible to accurately estimate the number of children attending an unregistered school.

The department and Ofsted continue to investigate any institutions where intelligence or evidence suggest the operation of an unregistered school. Section 97 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 permits no-notice inspections of institutions believed to be operating in breach of the registration requirement.

Between 1 January 2016 and 31 August 2021, 119 settings subject to a Section 97 inspection were identified as operating as an unregistered independent school. Joint work between the department and Ofsted has led to 101 of these settings changing their provision to operate lawfully, and no longer in breach of the 2008 Act. In that time, five successful prosecutions have been brought against those responsible for conducting illegal settings.

The department consulted in 2020 on extending the registration requirement to education institutions that operate full time but only offer a very narrow curriculum, which are currently allowed to operate without registration. The department will respond to this consultation soon, setting out next steps. The department has also committed to taking forward measures to make it easier to investigate and prosecute unregistered schools, including in the 2019 Integrated Communities Action Plan. The department intends to take forward such measures when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

Education providers use their government funding on qualifications that are approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The list of qualifications approved for funding includes 18 qualifications that involve preparation for uniformed service (sometimes referred to as Military Preparation Diplomas).

The funding providers receive for qualifications approved by the ESFA is based on a range of factors detailed in our guidance published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula.

All qualifications at level 3 and below (excluding A levels, T Levels, GCSEs and Functional Skills) are subject to a review in which we will decide which qualifications will be available for public funding in future. As part of the review, we have recently published a consultation and call for evidence. Respondents are welcome to give views on the role and purpose of specific qualifications, including those designed to prepare students for the military.

Natural England is undertaking a strategic England landscape assessment to identify areas which may have potential for future National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation, as well as places for alternative landscape action. This assessment is providing an opportunity to gather a wide range of views including those of local stakeholders, including groups such as the Dorset National Park team. All designation orders made by Natural England are subject to the Secretary of State’s confirmation.

The UK is a nation that trades seafood internationally. The majority of UK fleet landings are exported, whilst most of the fish we consume is imported.

Through direct engagement with industry and by working in partnership with Seafish and other organisations, Defra works closely with seafood businesses to inform our negotiating positions in Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

Defra will always champion UK seafood producers. In line with the government’s manifesto commitment to build markets for British produce at home and abroad, we are committed to increasing domestic consumption of locally sourced seafood and expanding opportunities for the UK seafood sector overseas.

The Farming Investment Fund is not geographically targeted. I would encourage farmers, growers, foresters and contractors in all areas, including those in West Dorset, to consider what equipment, technology and infrastructure would most improve their business and to take this opportunity to invest to help their businesses to prosper.

Defra has been working with the Food Standards Agency on the design of a slaughter survey to take place in February 2022. The timing of the survey has been carefully selected to represent a typical week for the meat processing industry, avoiding religious festivals, and for consistency with the previous survey.

This timescale also reflects the intention to build bespoke data collection and analysis software to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the survey. It is our plan to collect data on a more regular basis in future and the new software will enable us to do this.

The last method of slaughter survey was undertaken by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in 2018 and the results were published in February 2019 - Farm animals: survey of slaughter methods 2018 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The survey is not conducted annually and we are planning for it to be carried out again by the FSA in early 2022.

HM Government publishes scoping assessments to provide a preliminary assessment of a free trade agreement (FTA) in advance of negotiations. Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full Impact Assessment is published.

These set out HM Government’s current assessment of a new FTA, including the impact on wages and composition of employment across sectors.

Accession could see 99.9% of British exports being eligible for tariff-free trade with members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP/TPP-11). £1.8bn worth of goods were exported to CPTPP countries by over 1,300 businesses in the South West of England last year.

HM Government published a scoping assessment in June 2021 that showed accession could result in a gross value added benefit to the South West of England of £106m, and increase real wages across the United Kingdom by £800m in the long run, compared to 2019 levels.

HM Government will always consider the opportunities and other impacts on the agricultural industry of any trade agreement we negotiate. In addition, the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission will scrutinise new free trade agreements once they are signed, providing an additional layer of independent scrutiny.

Our trade agreements unlock new opportunities for our agriculture, food and drink sector and we will continue to work with producers and suppliers to make sure the sector is represented in future free trade agreements.

We have secured trade agreements with 70 countries, plus the EU, covering trade worth £766 billion last year, delivering benefits for communities across the country.

An impact assessment is published when the text of a new free trade agreement is laid in Parliament, which presents the economic benefits of the deal. For example, compared to the United Kingdom not having an agreement with Japan, output in the South West of England is expected to be £90 million higher in the long run (in 2017 terms).

A UK-Australia deal will open up new opportunities for British farming. British beef and lamb are the best in the world and a deal with Australia is a first step to joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and opening up new opportunities for our agri-food exports in growing CPTPP markets across four continents. Any deal we sign with Australia will also include protections for UK agriculture and will not undercut UK farmers or compromise our high standards.