Earl of Shrewsbury

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) found drivers without fuel cards pay more at motorway service stations due to limited competitive pressures. Differences in costs, including rent, staff wages and fuel volume sold also cause price variations.

This autumn, we will consult on CMA recommendations for a road fuel price open data scheme and elements of a monitoring function. The government has tabled amendments to the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumer Bill to give the CMA information gathering powers for the monitoring function. Upon Royal Assent of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, smart data powers will be used to enact regulations for the open data scheme.

In 2020, CHP represented 7.7% of the UK’s total electricity generation and 8.5% of gas demand. Approximately 85% of fuel used in CHPs in 2020 was fossil fuel (72% of which was natural gas). CHP plants are used by a wide variety of sectors, in particular chemicals, food and drink, paper and refining industries. CHPs are also used in large commercial and civic buildings with high heat demands, such as hospitals, hospitality and leisure facilities, retail outlets and heat networks.

The Government recognises the benefits CHP can bring, such as primary energy savings associated with making use of the heat from power generation compared to separate heat and power generation, and grid stability.

The Government continues to develop policies to support the decarbonisation of CHP in the future and is reviewing the potential role for CHP using various fuel sources going forward. As part of this review, we have published a call for evidence on CHP: Pathway to Decarbonisation that closes on 20 December 2021. In the Heat and Buildings Strategy, Government proposed to regularly review the contributions of different technologies.

As outlined in the Hydrogen Strategy, analysis indicates that boilers and CHP installations could make up around two thirds of demand for hydrogen fuel switching by 2030 in industrial sectors.

The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for energy is not compatible with that ambition.

Combined heat and power installations can encompass a range of different generation technologies and are fueled by fossil fuels or renewable sources such as biomass. Whilst those that operate using fossil fuels are not supported under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, there are a number of existing support mechanisms in place for CHP that meets defined efficiency thresholds, including environmental tax exemptions such as the Climate Change Levy. The Government continues to look to develop policies to support the decarbonisation of combined heat and power in the future and there is currently a live Call for Evidence on the pathway to decarbonisation for CHP that runs to 20 December 2021.

The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for heating is not compatible with that ambition.

In order to help meet this ambitious emissions reduction target, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has a strong focus on reducing on-site emissions in public sector buildings. It is a scheme requirement that all funded projects remove a fossil fuel heating system and replace this with a low carbon heating system. This means that grant funding cannot be used to purchase any heating technology that runs on fossil fuels, including gas and oil Combined Heat and Power units.

We recognise the importance that government ambition, coupled with a supportive policy framework, has had in building investor confidence in the development of low carbon technologies in the UK.

My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030.

The Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper both set out that the Government, working with industry, aims to have 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.

In support of this we have announced a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund for co-investment in new low carbon hydrogen production, to bring forward a combination of CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. This year, we are bringing forward detail on hydrogen business models and the revenue mechanism, to stimulate private investment in new low carbon hydrogen production facilities.

The Government will publish a dedicated Hydrogen Strategy in the first half of this year. This will offer more detail on how we will work with industry to meet the 2030 ambition.

My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to unlock three times as much private sector investment by 2030. The Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper both set out that the Government, working with industry, aims to have 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.

The Government will publish a dedicated Hydrogen Strategy in the first half of this year. This will offer more detail on how we will work with industry to meet the 2030 ambition.

Driving the growth of low carbon hydrogen could deliver support for up to 8,000 jobs by 2030, potentially unlocking up to 100,000 domestic and export jobs by 2050 in a high hydrogen scenario.

To ensure we have the skilled workforce to deliver net zero, including our commitments on hydrogen, the government has launched the Green Jobs Taskforce, working in partnership with business, skills providers and unions, to help develop plans for new long-term good quality, green jobs by 2030.

The department has developed extensive guidance for all settings across the education, childcare and children’s social care sectors on how to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including a range of protective and control measures for preventing the spread of the virus. There is information to support settings on their responsibilities that advises to clean their hands thoroughly, and more often than usual, as well as good basic hygiene, and the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach, which advises individuals to clean their hands with soap and water or use sanitiser: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance#control-measures.

Ultimately, schools remain responsible for the products that they require and, as with other cleaning products, schools can access hand sanitiser through their existing supply chains. There are many alcohol- and non-alcohol-based hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants on the UK market and schools should base the use of any of these products on their own risk assessment, alongside existing guidance.

Our guidance signposts settings to the e-Bug COVID-19 website which contains free resources for settings, including materials to encourage good hand and respiratory hygiene. This information can be found at the following link: https://e-bug.eu/eng_home.aspx?cc=eng&ss=1&t=Information%20about%20the%20Coronavirus.

All education, childcare and children’s social care settings should follow the UK Health Security Agency, formally known as Public Health England, guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare settings outside of the home. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings.

Hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants are biocidal products. They are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety Executive publishes a list of authorised biocidal products, including hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants: https://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/uk-authorised-biocidal-products.htm.

The Cabinet Office and the Department for Health and Social Care published product specifications and standards associated with personal protective equipment at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/927550/Essential_technical_specifications_PPE_and_medical_devices-v0.3_Oct2020_accessible.pdf.

The government previously announced on 31 August 2019 that it will invest an extra £400 million in 16 to 19 education in 2020-21. This is the largest injection of money in a single year since 2010 and represents an increase of 7% in overall 16 to 19 funding. As part of this, the base rate of 16 to 19 funding will increase by 4.7% in academic year 2020/21, from £4,000 to £4,188, for all types of 16 to 19 providers, including privately owned and operated skills training centres.

We are also continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion in 2019/20 and 2020/21). From 2019/20 academic year, approximately 50% of the AEB has been devolved to 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), including the West Midlands, and to the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers.

Independent training providers will have a key role to play in delivering the plans announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor, on 8 July including for more apprenticeships, traineeships, and high value courses for school and college leavers. Additional funding is available to deliver these priorities and the way this will be made available will be confirmed shortly.

Any requests for information on the topic of adult provision for residents in a devolved area, such as the West Midlands, should now be directed to the individual MCA. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to be responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.

Both further education colleges and independent training providers are autonomous organisations and as such they are free to deliver provision to meet the needs of local learners and labour market.

We will continue to pay grant funded providers their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year and funding allocations for 2020/21 have been confirmed. Payments will be made in line with the national profile.

We have also invested £100 million to develop a National Retraining Scheme to support working adults prepare for future changes to the economy and to help them retrain into better jobs, and have committed £2.5 billion for a National Skills Fund over the course of this Parliament, which will support people to learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future.

We are introducing new T levels from this September – high quality, practical courses designed by employers that will provide a credible alternative to A levels and prepare students for skilled work or further study.

We are currently reforming and simplifying the qualifications system so that learners can easily find high-quality qualifications that give them the skills they need. With our proposals, any qualification, including existing ones, can be approved if they provide learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.

We have also been working across government to build a package of support measures to boost skills among those who will be hardest hit by the labour market impacts of COVID-19. On 8 July my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in employment support schemes which will substantially expand existing provision. This includes:

• £111 million to triple the number of traineeships.
• £17 million to triple the number of sector-based work academy placements.
• Paying businesses to take on new apprentices – an extra £2,000 for each apprentice under 25 and £1,500 for apprentices over 25.
• £32 million to help 269,000 more people receive advice from the National Careers Service.
• £101 million for school/college leavers to study high value courses when there are not employment opportunities available to them.

The Environment Agency considers incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA) to be a waste. The Environment Agency considered issues such as IBAA being used in place of virgin aggregate, and its use avoiding the need to landfill, along with economic impacts, when deciding whether to have a regulatory position statement (RPS). The Environment Agency has carried out a pollution risk assessment of the use of IBAA, and is satisfied that it does not pose a significant risk to people or the environment when it is used under the conditions of the RPS.

The RPS is still active, and can be viewed here. A copy is attached to this answer.

The total number of prosecutions for fly-tipping offences by local authorities in England, as well as the proportion that were successful, over the last five years are shown in the table below.

This information is published as part of the annual Fly-tipping Statistics for England, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england

In its manifesto, the Government committed to increase the penalties for fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs in urban or rural areas and tackling this crime is a priority for the Government. Existing legislative and regulatory controls are the same for both urban and rural areas. Tackling fly-tipping requires a local approach, tailored to the characteristics of the area and the community in which the problem occurs. We are committed to encouraging local solutions for local problems and the role of central Government is to enable and support this local action: providing a clear legal framework of rights, responsibilities and powers, setting national standards and, where possible, making sure that the costs of dealing with fly-tipping is passed to those responsible for causing the problem.

The Resources and Waste Strategy, published in 2018, set out an ambitious package of commitments to modernise the way waste is regulated, to prevent, detect and deter waste crime, including fly-tipping. Defra is subsequently preparing a number of legislative reforms to tackle waste crime, including fly-tipping. We are taking forward the commitment in the Strategy to develop proposals for the reform of the waste carrier, broker and dealer regime. We are working with industry and the regulator and we intend to consult later this year. At the same time, we intend to consult on the introduction of mandatory electronic waste tracking. This will reduce the ability of waste criminals to hide evidence of the systematic mishandling of waste and make it easier for enforcement authorities to identify material dropping out of the system, and therefore make it easier to protect against fly-tipping. The reforms aim to improve competence in waste transportation and deter illegitimate operators from entering the sector. This will help to ensure that waste is dealt with appropriately and to reduce the incidence of waste crime and fly-tipping.

The Environment Bill provides a significant step forward in delivering a number of the commitments set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy. The newly introduced Bill amends section 108 of the Environment Act 1995 to make it easier for an officer to search premises to seize and remove documentary or other evidence. The new power does not require a warrant if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that first obtaining a warrant would allow for evidence to be concealed, altered or destroyed. Further to this, Schedule 11 of the Environment Bill removes the seven-day notice period required before powers of entry can be used to access residential premises. The current seven-day notice requirement enables, for example, rogue waste carriers who operate from their home address rather than a business address, to destroy evidence. These new powers will work to ensure waste criminals, such as illegitimate waste operators reliant on fly-tipping for income, are held accountable for their actions.

In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping, including introducing fixed penalty notices of up to £400 for those who give their waste to fly-tippers, or fly-tip themselves. We have also enhanced the powers available to local authorities and the Environment Agency to search and seize the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.

As well as legislative changes, Defra is developing a fly-tipping toolkit, following a commitment in the Resources and Waste Strategy. The toolkit will be a web-based tool to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. It will cover, for example, the use of new technology to report fly-tipping, the presentation of cases to court, the sharing of intelligence within and between partnerships and promoting the duty of care to individuals and businesses.

Furthermore, as the majority of fly-tips involve household waste (62% in 2018/19), we published a research project on public awareness of and adherence to the household waste duty of care in August 2019. At the same time, we published related publicity materials. The materials have been provided to the Local Government Association to circulate to local authorities. They are also available on the website of National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, which is chaired by Defra: http://www.tacklingflytipping.com. By limiting the material given to fly-tippers and using appropriately licenced waste carriers, everyone can play their part in reducing fly-tipping incidents.

We are currently developing the programme for selling land and property acquired for the HS2 project that is no longer needed and will set out more details in due course. We will take time to develop this programme carefully to ensure that it delivers value for money to the taxpayer and does not disrupt local property markets.

Under what is known as Crichel Down rules, land and property which was acquired through compulsory purchase, or the threat of compulsion, and which is no longer required and not materially changed, should in certain circumstances be offered back first to its former owner at its current market value before being offered on the open market. Any future purchaser will be responsible for their own costs.

The Department is working with HS2 Ltd and its supply chain to assess the implications of the cancellation of HS2 beyond Birmingham. Rail, roads and buses will benefit from £36 billion in transport improvements from re-directed HS2 costs to build the daily connections that people depend on.

As part of ensuring an orderly and respectful close-down of the northern phase of HS2, HS2 Ltd will be reviewing those works that have already taken place and considering the best course of action to take on a case-by-case basis. This may mean restoring some sites to their former condition; it may also mean leaving some early environmental enhancement works in place. No sites will be left incomplete, and all close-down activities will be funded from the HS2 budget.

Her Majesty's Government’s assessment is that disinfectants (that may be used in tunnel and pod disinfection systems) which are used to control/kill harmful organisms such as bacteria and viruses etc. can pose risks to humans, animals and the environment due to their intrinsic properties and associated use patterns, and as such are strictly regulated under the Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012 (EU BPR).

In respect of Covid-19, Her Majesty’s Government’s position on the use of tunnel and pod disinfection systems, formed and based upon a report produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on cleaning and disinfecting of environmental surfaces (Covid-19 Situation Report 115), is that it is not recommended for individuals to be sprayed with disinfectant under any circumstances. WHO Situation Report 115 concludes that spraying individuals with disinfectant could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread SARS-CoV-2 through droplets or contact.

Her Majesty's Government’s assessment is that disinfectants (that may be used in tunnel and pod disinfection systems) which are used to control/kill harmful organisms such as bacteria and viruses etc. can pose risks to humans, animals and the environment due to their intrinsic properties and associated use patterns, and as such are strictly regulated under the Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012 (EU BPR).

In respect of Covid-19, Her Majesty’s Government’s position on the use of tunnel and pod disinfection systems, formed and based upon a report produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on cleaning and disinfecting of environmental surfaces (Covid-19 Situation Report 115), is that it is not recommended for individuals to be sprayed with disinfectant under any circumstances. WHO Situation Report 115 concludes that spraying individuals with disinfectant could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread SARS-CoV-2 through droplets or contact.

1) In 2020-21, the Government has given local authorities access to almost £6 billion of dedicated funding across adult and children’s social care. This includes:

a) £1 billion of new grant funding for adults and children’s social care;

b) Consulting on a 2% council tax precept for adult social care, which will enable councils to access a further £500 million;

c) The continuation of existing social care grant funding worth £2.5 billion, through the improved Better Care Fund (iBCF) and Social Care Grant.

2) The total national funding available to local authorities in order to administer Housing Benefit for this year (2019/20) is £256.1 million.

The digital firearms marker was rolled out to all general practices in England in May 2023 and NHS England is exploring the most effective way to report on its use. Information is currently not available in a format to be able to provide this detail. The memorandum of understanding was signed in 2019, and therefore predates the digital marker and we do not hold data from that time.

Following the publication of new Home Office statutory guidance for chief officers of police on firearms licensing, which came into effect on 1 November 2021, the Department and NHS England, formerly NHS Digital, worked with the Home Office, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and other stakeholders to design and roll out the new digital firearms marker.

A digital version of the firearms marker has been rolled out to all general practices in England, and this was completed in May 2023.

When the police inform the general practitioner (GP) that the patient has been granted a firearms licence, the GP adds the appropriate clinical code to a patient’s medical record. The marker is used throughout the five-year validity of the firearm certificate and automatically highlights to the GP when patients recorded as firearms certificate holders or applicants are diagnosed with relevant medical conditions, such as depression or dementia.

The British Medical Association has produced guidance for GPs about firearm digital marker use and signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office which encouraged GPs to place a firearms flag on patient records when requested.

The companies who have contacted the Antivirals Taskforce have provided a wide range of information to inform the Taskforce on the antiviral/s that they are developing. This includes, but is not limited to, detail on the antiviral’s mechanism of action, available evidence from completed studies, target patient populations and route of administration. This information helps the Antivirals Taskforce to further expand understanding on the most promising antivirals being developed worldwide.

The Antivirals Taskforce proactively develops a pipeline of priority antiviral candidates to be considered for research and procurement in the United Kingdom. The Taskforce monitors antiviral candidates at all stage of development, working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify the most promising products. In addition, the Antivirals Taskforce is contacted by a wide range of companies, academics and patients to discuss the potential suitability of antiviral products. To date, 15 companies have submitted a proposal to the Taskforce to provide more information on their product.

If a shotgun certificate due for renewal is automatically extended for up to eight weeks, then the certificate holder can continue to buy ammunition. Such an automatic extension is a temporary measure that can be used by police forces to help manage delays in processing renewal applications when a certificate is soon to expire. However, if a permit under section 7 of the Firearms Act 1968 is issued by the police force instead, new ammunition cannot be purchased.

The processing of firearms and shotgun licences remains an operational matter for chief officers of police. The time taken by police forces to process firearms and shotgun licence applications will vary depending on factors such as local circumstances and the details of each application. Most recently, the Covid 19 pandemic has an impact on the time taken by police forces to process applications as the provision of relevant medical information by General Practitioners (GPs) has been delayed because of temporary measures taken by GPs to prioritise the vaccine booster programme over the Christmas and New Year period.

If a shotgun certificate due for renewal is automatically extended for up to eight weeks, then the certificate holder can continue to buy ammunition. Such an automatic extension is a temporary measure that can be used by police forces to help manage delays in processing renewal applications when a certificate is soon to expire. However, if a permit under section 7 of the Firearms Act 1968 is issued by the police force instead, new ammunition cannot be purchased.

The processing of firearms and shotgun licences remains an operational matter for chief officers of police. The time taken by police forces to process firearms and shotgun licence applications will vary depending on factors such as local circumstances and the details of each application. Most recently, the Covid 19 pandemic has an impact on the time taken by police forces to process applications as the provision of relevant medical information by General Practitioners (GPs) has been delayed because of temporary measures taken by GPs to prioritise the vaccine booster programme over the Christmas and New Year period.

The Government does not require general practitioners to report on whether and how they place a marker on the medical records of shotgun or firearm certificate holders. However, the Government is supportive of the use of these markers as a means of helping to ensure firearms licences are held safely.

The Home Office is actively working with the medical profession and the Department of Health and Social Care to see what more can be done to promote the effective and consistent use of medical markers.

Statistics relating to prosecutions for making a false statement in order to procure the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate are available within the publication: Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool. The relevant offence codes are 11559 and 11560. In summary, the figures for the last three years show that in 2019 there were 14 prosecutions and 8 convictions; in 2018 there were 2 prosecutions and 0 convictions; and in 2017 there were 15 prosecutions and 5 convictions.

Data relating to prosecutions specifically in relation to a false declaration relating to medical conditions is not available centrally.

Firearms licensing is an operational matter for police forces. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability. As part of this process, GPs are asked to provide information about whether the applicant has suffered from a number of relevant medical conditions, prior to the issuing of the firearm or shotgun certificate by the police

Home Office Ministers and officials have regular meetings with stakeholders as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. But I can confirm that we have discussed the involvement of medical professionals in firearms licensing procedures with representatives of the medical profession, including the British Medical Association, and we will continue to do so, as appropriate.