Gill Furniss

The Government has invested over £2 billion in the Post Office network since 2010.

Our current funding agreement with Post Office runs up to 2021 and we are working with Post Office to ensure the network is sustainable beyond that point. Beyond 2021, Government remains committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the network and will work with Post Office Limited to achieve this.

Businesses operating from a domestic premises are eligible to benefit from a range of Government support during the pandemic, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme (CBILS), Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), Future Fund, Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

As of 12 July, £45 billion worth of loans have been approved under the three debt schemes (CBILS, CLBILS and BBLS). 429 convertible loans have been approved under the Future Fund, worth almost £419.6 million.

Around 95 per cent of those with more than half their income from self-employment in 2018-19 could be eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). As of 12 July, SEISS had helped 2.7 million individuals, claiming £7.8 billion of government support.

Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company via a PAYE scheme, including those based in domestic premises, are eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). As of 12 July, 9.4 million jobs had been furloughed under the CJRS.

We engage frequently with businesses of all sizes including micro businesses and self-employed people and their representative organisations, to understand and identify the most effective support.

In order to apply for the Bounce Back Loans scheme, businesses complete a short, simple, online application form, meaning that applications can be submitted and processed rapidly. The Government is providing lenders with a 100% guarantee on each loan to give them the confidence they need to quickly support the smallest businesses in the country.

The scheme has proved popular with businesses and as of 5 July, there had been 1,013,410 approved loans totalling £30.93 billion.

The Government’s Safer Working guidance does not affect employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation. For example, this guidance does not change employers’ responsibilities towards new or expectant mothers. Workers who are pregnant are part of the “clinically vulnerable” group who are at higher risk of coronavirus.

Employers, therefore, need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others.

The Government is committed to protecting consumers from those who seek to profit from scams, and particularly those associated with Covid-19.

The Consumer Protection Partnership of consumer advice and enforcement agencies collects regular intelligence on scams as they emerge. Citizens Advice and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute issued advice and warnings on Covid-19 related scams earlier this month.

Consumers can access advice on how to spot a scam and how to report one through the Citizens Advice website. Citizens Advice refer cases onto enforcement agencies including local Trading Standards where appropriate.

The Government believes that Post Office Limited’s commitments for cultural and organisational change following the mediation are of the upmost importance and is determined to see them delivered.

I have personally challenged the Post Office CEO and Chair to strengthen their relationship with postmasters and take onboard the lessons learnt through the litigation. I will continue to raise this issue and test progress during my regular meetings with the CEO going forward. Officials will also monitor progress at regular meetings with Post Office officials.

BEIS has established and chairs a quarterly working group with the National Federation for Subpostmasters and the Post Office. This is a forum for discussing how the relationship between the Post Office and postmasters can be improved and highlighting any concerns that postmasters may have. This is a further forum where we will test whether progress is being made.

The Government is also committed to establishing an independent review to look at these issues further. We will announce more details in due course. We will ensure that any review does not undermine the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s work or the separate Director of Public Prosecution’s consideration.

The Government believes that Postmasters are at the heart of communities and we recognise the strength of feelings about the negative impact the Horizon Court case has had on postmasters, causing distress to them and their families.

In relation to £57.75 million settlement that was agreed between Post Office Limited and the postmasters concerned. The costs involved in the legal defence of this litigation were drawn from Post Office Limited’s own commercial revenues, including the settlement offer. The shareholder has specifically required that government funding is not used for this purpose.

Following the collapse of Thomas Cook, the Government committed to develop proposals for a capped, statutory payment scheme to support customers who suffered life-changing injuries, illness or loss of life while on Thomas Cook holidays for which the company would have been liable and who may now face serious financial hardship as a result of the company’s approach.

We intend to bring forward the legislation necessary to establish such a scheme in due course.

The Government takes the issue of disinformation very seriously. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it continues to be vitally important that the public has accurate information about the virus, and DCMS is leading work across Government to tackle disinformation.

That is why we stood up the Counter Disinformation Unit up in March 2020 to bring together cross-Government monitoring and analysis capabilities. The Unit’s primary function is to provide a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and impact of disinformation and misinformation regarding Covid-19 and to work with partners to ensure appropriate action is taken.

Throughout the pandemic, we have been working closely with social media platforms to help them to quickly identify and respond to potentially harmful content on their platforms, including unfounded conspiracy theories, in line with their terms and conditions, and to promote Government and NHS messaging.

In Tier 3 areas, indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, such as theatres, concert halls and music venues will be closed to audiences. However, training, rehearsals and performances without an audience for broadcast or recording purposes may continue. Drive-in venues will remain open to performances with audiences. Outdoor performing arts activity can still take place in line with the restrictions laid out in the Performing Arts Guidance, if not in an outdoor venue. The Performing Arts guidance covers both professional and non-professional activity and events.

We know that the introduction of venue closures in Tier 3 areas will affect some scheduled shows around the country. However we know that a number of venues are adapting their performances to broadcast without audiences. We have updated the performing arts guidance to enable all forms of performing arts activity to go ahead where it is safe for them to do so.

The Government continues to work with the cultural sector to bring back more and more performances and fuller audiences when it is safe to do so.

We have committed to a review of the Tiers on 16 December.

My department has not undertaken a recent assessment of the financial sustainability of public libraries in England.

The most recent assessment was the National Audit Office report published in 2018 on the Financial sustainability of local authorities for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government - https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Financial-sustainabilty-of-local-authorites-2018.pdf

The Government is providing local councils with unprecedented support during the pandemic with a £4.3 billion package, including £3.7 billion which is not ringfenced and £600 million to support social care providers. This is part of a wider package of almost £28 billion which the Government has committed to support local areas, with funding going to councils, businesses and communities. The 2020 Spending Review will look at pressures facing the sector and provide them with the certainty they need to aid financial planning.

On 17 July, the Prime Minister announced that as long as the prevalence of COVID-19 remains around or below current levels into the Autumn, we will reduce easements on a number of sectors including those listed from 1 October. We have always been clear that easing lockdown restrictions depended on the prevalence of COVID-19. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, our decisions have been and will continue to be based on scientific evidence and public health assessments.

From 15 August, audiences adhering to social distancing were able to return to live indoor theatres, music and performance venues. This is the fourth stage of the performing arts roadmap and we continue to work with the sector on how we can achieve the final stage of the roadmap, indoor performances with fuller audiences. Exhibition and conference centers were allowed to show small groups of up to 30 people with social distancing requirements to view the facilities and plan future events and to enable government-backed pilots to take place.

The Government also announced that a small number of sporting events and business events will be used to pilot the safe return of spectators and attendees through September– with the ambition to reopen competition venues for sports fans and venues for business events, with social distancing measures in place, from 1 October, subject to the covid situation.

We have worked closely with events stakeholders through both the Visitor Economy and Events & Entertainment Working Groups to develop Covid-19 Secure reopening guidance for the business events industry. We continue to meet with the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel to discuss the specific issues facing the industry.

Cinemas were able to reopen on the 4th of July thanks to the guidance that was recently published.

We also recently published a 5-stage roadmap for reopening performing art venues - which are currently allowed to rehearse and broadcast shows without an audience.

We hope to move to stage 3 which will allow for outdoor performances, and stage 4, indoors with social distancing soon.

On 5 July, DCMS announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, including performing arts and theatres, museums and galleries, heritage sites, live music venues and independent cinema. We want this package to support organisations across the cultural, heritage and creative sectors, and will publish further detailed guidance as soon as possible in July.

The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme.

Practical guidance for heads of library service and library staff to assist the reopening of physical library buildings in England from 4 July was published by Libraries Connected on Monday 29 June. The Libraries Connected Service Recovery Toolkit, developed in partnership with key library stakeholders and DCMS, will help libraries to reopen and to reintroduce their services gradually, in line with the latest public health advice. The toolkit is available at: https://www.librariesconnected.org.uk/resource/service-recovery-toolkit-june-2020-word.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. The Government is providing this significant injection of devices on top of an estimated 2.9 million laptops and tablets already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On 12 January, the Department announced that it will be providing a further 300,000 devices over the course of this term. The Get Help with Technology scheme will email all schools with information on the number of additional devices allocated to them, and when they will be able to order.

The number of devices available for each school, academy trust or local authority is based on children eligible for free school meals and takes into account existing devices available in schools. Schools, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which disadvantaged children and young people need access to a device.

Figures on the number of devices delivered is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data. These figures are broken down by local authority and academy trust. Information on delivery by constituency is not available.

Laptops and tablets provided under the Get Help with Technology scheme meet defined technical specifications to enable remote education and allow for use in schools and colleges. Information on devices specifications is published at: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/devices/device-specification.

Details of the contracts for this programme are available at: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder, in line with normal Government commercial practice. Information on the proportion of each contract that has been fulfilled is not available.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced on 4 January 2021 that early years settings remain open for all children during the national lockdown. Details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home. For school-aged children, schools, childminders and wraparound care remain open for vulnerable children and children of key workers.

Early years provision should continue to allow all children to attend full time or their usual timetabled hours. This includes early years registered nurseries and childminders, maintained nursery schools, as well as nursery classes in schools and other pre-reception provision on school sites. Only vulnerable children and children of critical workers should attend on-site reception classes. Early years settings remain low risk environments for children and staff. Current evidence suggests that pre-school children (0 to 5 years) are less susceptible to infection and are unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission.

We do stay in regular contact with the early years sector, and we are closely monitoring both parental take-up of places and the capacity and responses of providers. An estimated 49,000 early years settings were open on 7 January 2021. This represents 72% of all settings, with 13% closed and 15% unknown. The percentage closed may include some providers which are open, due to differences in the ways local authorities collect data and report non-responses.

The Department for Education does not hold a central register of all wraparound provision and so does not routinely collect data on the number of providers in operation. However, ensuring sufficiency of childcare provision for critical worker parents and carers remains a government priority. This is why we have ensured that wraparound childcare providers, and other providers of out-of-school activities, can continue to remain open during the current national lockdown for the children of critical workers to support their parents or carers to work, seek work, undertake training or education, or to attend a medical appointment or address a medical need, as well as for all vulnerable children. We have also published updated guidance on ‘Protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs, and other out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak’ to support providers to continue to operate as safely as possible during the national lockdown. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

In addition, we are encouraging all schools to continue offering their before and after school provision to ensure parents and carers who are critical workers can continue to work, as well as to ensure vulnerable children continue to have access to this valuable provision. Schools can also continue to open up or hire out their premises for use by external wraparound providers, such as after-school or holiday clubs, to support them to do so.

Our Regional Education and Children Team, comprising education and social care staff from both the Department for Education and Ofsted, are also continuing to work closely with local authorities, and will act as a valuable source of intelligence on the sufficiency of wraparound and early years childcare places for the children of critical workers, and for vulnerable children and young people during the current national lockdown.

Given the critical importance of ensuring that all children and young people continue to learn during the national lockdown, we have updated the remote education guidance for schools and colleges to clarify and strengthen expectations while on-site attendance is restricted, drawing on our evolving understanding of best practice in remote education. Further information on this is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf.

Schools are expected to offer pupils online lessons and a set number of hours of remote education, having increased from the Department’s previous minimum expectations. This includes time for independent study and either recorded or live direct teaching. Schools are also now expected to have a system in place for checking daily whether pupils are engaging actively with their work and education. The Department has also asked schools and colleges to publish information about their remote education provision on their websites. This should be done by 18 January 2021 for colleges and 25 January 2021 for schools.

The Department recognises that different expectations are appropriate for younger and older age groups when undergoing remote education. We expect schools to consider the remote education expectations in relation to pupils’ age, stage of development or special educational needs. The number of hours of remote education we expect schools to deliver also varies according to pupil stage.

The Department also recognises that younger children in Key Stage One or Reception often require high levels of parental involvement to support their engagement with remote education, which makes digital provision a particular challenge for this age group. We therefore do not expect that solely digital means will be used to teach these pupils remotely.

The Department is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. We have already provided over 54,000 4G wireless routers, with free data for the academic year, and have also partnered with some of the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families, further supporting remote education where it is needed.

The Department has made £4.84 million available for Oak National Academy, both for the summer term of the 2019/20 academic year, and for the 2020/21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects, for Reception up to Year Eleven. Specialist content for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is also available.

The BBC has also adapted their education support for the spring term 2021 and will be making educational content available on the television. Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer. This TV offer is in addition to the BBC’s online offer, which parents, children, and teachers can access when and where they need it.

A range of resources are available to help support children’s wellbeing at present. Public Health England has provided advice and guidance for parents and professionals on supporting children and young people's mental health and wellbeing, including suggested key actions to take, such as supporting safe ways to connect with friends. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing. Resources are also available through the Every Mind Matters campaign and Rise Above, which aim to build resilience and support good mental health in young people aged ten to sixteen specifically. These can be accessed here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/ and https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools/topics/rise-above/overview.

The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people.

This includes over 560,000 laptops and tablets that have already been delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities in 2020.

The Department will have dispatched over 750,000 devices in total by the end of this week.

Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, trusts or local authorities who can lend these to children and young people who need them most during the current COVID-19 restrictions.

The Department has partnered with some of the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families, which will support access to education resources, including Oak National Academy, and other websites.

Families will benefit from this additional data until July 2021. Schools are able to request free mobile data uplifts via the Get Help with Technology service. Further information on the Get Help with Technology service is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-technology-for-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

The Department has already provided over 54,000 4G wireless routers, with free data for the academic year, and continues to provide 4G wireless routers where children need to access remote education.

Support is also available for schools to get set up on Google or Microsoft platforms. These platforms bring together the school community, pool resources and give pupils the opportunity to work with their peers remotely. As of 5 January 2021, 6900 schools have applied to the Department’s digital platforms programme that forms part of the Get Help With Technology programme.

The EdTech Demonstrator Programme is in place to promote effective use of devices, including ways they can be used to promote greater accessibility to the curriculum.

The Government’s position is clear: exams will take place in summer 2021. Schools across the country, including in areas of high prevalence of COVID-19, are doing a brilliant job staying open and providing high quality education to pupils.

We recognise that there will be challenges for students being assessed in summer 2021. We have announced a wide range of contingency measures to ensure that as many pupils as possible can take an exam paper in their chosen subjects, and all students will have the opportunity to be awarded a qualification.

Exams will be sufficiently spaced to account for periods of self-isolation. If a student misses all their assessments in a subject, they will have the opportunity to sit a contingency paper held shortly after the main exams. Students who miss part of their exams because of the COVID-19 outbreak will be able to get a grade through the special consideration process, provided they have sat one paper or non-exam assessment and met requirements.

In the extreme case where a student has a legitimate reason to miss all their papers, then a validated teacher informed assessment can be used, only once all chances to sit an exam have passed. The Government will set out further detail on this process, and on adaptations to exams, in the New Year.

The purpose of the national curriculum tests is to determine pupil attainment in relation to the national curriculum. This enables parents to understand the performance of their child with respect to national expectations and supports schools in planning the appropriate next steps for teaching. As a result, it would not be appropriate to modify the tests to account for the adverse impact of COVID-19 as this would provide only a partial picture of pupil attainment.

Instead, to recognise the challenges that primary schools are facing, the key stage 1 tests and the English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests at key stage 1 and 2 have been removed for one year. There will also be no requirement to undertake and report on science teacher assessment at both key stages. In addition, the introduction of the multiplication tables check will be postponed by a further year, whilst still enabling schools to use it on an optional basis.

As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed to the House on 1 October 2020 in his oral statement, we will publish our further education white paper later this year.

During the COVID-19 outbreak while schools were largely shut, children from more than 1,800 schools taking part in the National School Breakfast Programme in disadvantaged areas were offered healthy breakfast support over the summer holidays, giving them nutritious meals to start their day.

Schools on the programme have flexibility in how they provide breakfast meals and can choose to support children in the way which works best for them. This may include parents collecting food parcels from open schools or breakfast food ‘drop offs’ to families where appropriate. This should be arranged alongside the school’s wider support for children on free school meals (FSM), and schools must follow the government’s advice on social distancing at all times.

In the event of local restrictions on education and childcare settings (including before-school clubs and after-school clubs) being required, the department will publish operational guidance for settings in the affected area to support them to implement contingency plans. We have also published guidance to help schools with secondary year groups plan for tier 2 local restrictions, outlining their responsibilities regarding FSM. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions#free-school-meals.

The department is investing up to £35 million into the National School Breakfast Programme. This includes our extension of the programme by a further year until March 2021, with up to £11.8 million being invested during this current financial year. Overall, this money will kick-start or improve breakfast clubs in up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, making them sustainable in the long run. The focus of these clubs has been to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country – including the department's Opportunity Areas – to help make sure every child gets the best start in life. Any further investment in school breakfast clubs beyond March 2021 is subject to the upcoming Spending Review.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, further education colleges have responded swiftly to deliver education to students remotely and many have made enormous strides in the delivery of online learning, for which we are very grateful.

On 31 August 2019, the government announced that an extra £400 million would be invested in 16-19 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 16-19 funding. As part of this, the base rate of 16-19 funding will increase by 4.7% in the 2020/21 academic year, from £4,000 to £4,188.

We are also continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion in 2020/21).

Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocations for 2020 to 2021 have been confirmed, and payments will be made in line with the national profile, which has been confirmed in the relevant 2020 to 2021 funding rules. This should provide the funding certainty required to seek to address the impact of responding to COVID-19.

To support remote learning specifically, we have ensured that colleges are able to gain access to devices and connectivity for students facing financial barriers to participation through the 16-19 Bursary Fund. This was always possible with the 16-19 Bursary Fund and to complement this, we have introduced a change to the ESFA and AEB Funding Rules for the 2020/21 academic year, to enable providers to use their Learner Support funds to purchase IT devices and meet learners’ IT connectivity costs.

The department has also funded professional development support for staff to improve their skills and confidence in delivering online learning through funding the Education and Training Foundation and the EdTech Demonstrator Programme which delivers free training for further education providers. We are also funding 7 College Collaboration Fund projects to develop new high-quality digital curriculum content which will begin to be available for use by the sector from the Autumn.

The department is looking carefully at all elements of further educational funding, in preparation for the forthcoming Spending Review.

Students who leave school with a good grasp of English and maths increase their chances of securing employment, apprenticeship or going on to further education. It is important now more than ever to give this opportunity to students who have yet to secure a Level 2 in these essential subjects and we will continue to do so.

Young people from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be amongst those hardest hit by the unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of COVID-19. I recognise that colleges and their staff around the country have worked tremendously hard responding to this unprecedented challenge and working with us to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our students. Colleges and providers swiftly moved more learning online to allow students to continue with studies remotely.

We are aware that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused disruption to people of all ages in education, in particular lost teaching time. Many further education providers opened over the summer for priority learners, subject to the required safety measures being met. We know that we have the professional knowledge and expertise in the education system to ensure that students recover and get back on track. From Autumn 2020, all learners will return to a full high-quality education programme delivered by their college or post-16 learning provider. To support providers, additional funding of up to £96m for the academic year 2020/21 has been made available to schools, colleges and other 16-19 providers to provide small group tuition for disadvantaged students whose learning has been disrupted.

All members of school staff and pupils should get a test if they have symptoms of COVID-19. The capacity of the NHS Test and Trace system must be protected for those with symptoms of the virus, and so it is vital that only those with symptoms get tested.

Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate in line with guidance, but should not get tested unless they themselves develop symptoms.

Further education college corporations as statutory corporations and exempt charities are responsible for completing risk assessments and the board must publish a statement in its annual accounts about how it manages risk. Health and safety legislation requires employers to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect staff, students and others from COVID-19 within the education setting.

As set out in the further education autumn return guidance, further education providers are responsible for ensuring that these risk assessments are adequate and meet the relevant legal requirements.

We expect most students will be able to fully return to college in the autumn term, apart from a small number of students who are self-isolating or have been advised not to attend due to local restrictions. In these circumstances, we expect colleges to make sure education and training is delivered remotely, as set out in our further education autumn return guidance published on 2 July and updated on 29 August. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term.

Further education college corporations as statutory corporations and exempt charities are responsible for completing risk assessments and the board must publish a statement in its annual accounts about how it manages risk. Health and safety legislation requires employers to assess risks and put in place proportionate control measures. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect staff, students and others from COVID-19 within the education setting.

As set out in the further education autumn return guidance, further education providers are responsible for ensuring that these risk assessments are adequate and meet the relevant legal requirements.

We expect most students will be able to fully return to college in the autumn term, apart from a small number of students who are self-isolating or have been advised not to attend due to local restrictions. In these circumstances, we expect colleges to make sure education and training is delivered remotely, as set out in our further education autumn return guidance published on 2 July and updated on 29 August. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the-start-of-the-2020-autumn-term.

As set out in the Secretary of State’s statement of 1 September, most vocational and technical qualifications were not subject to standardisation like GCSEs and A levels. However, where an element of standardisation was used for some vocational qualifications, awarding organisations have reviewed these grades. This was done to ensure fairness for all pupils.

Pearson, the awarding organisation responsible for BTECs reviewed its results to ensure no BTEC pupils were disadvantaged and that consistency was achieved with the principles applied to GCSEs and A Levels. Pearson published guidance on how BTEC results were being reviewed. This is available at: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/campaigns/assessment-and-grading-in-2020.html. They have worked closely with schools and colleges throughout the process.

The vast majority of VTQ results have now been issued or reissued. No students saw their VTQ results downgraded - results either stayed the same or improved.

The government continues to support families with their childcare costs. Last October, we announced increases in our hourly rates for the 2 year old entitlement and in the vast majority of areas for the 3 and 4 year old entitlement, effective from April of this year.

We also announced that supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools will continue until the end of the financial year 2020-21. We are committed to supporting maintained nursery schools in the long term. Guidance on the use of free early education entitlements funding during the COVID-19 outbreak is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/use-of-free-early-education-entitlements-funding-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

We are planning to spend over £3.6 billion on our early education entitlements in 2020-21. Future funding is a matter for the next spending review.

We will continue to monitor the market closely through a range of research projects which provide insight into various aspects of the childcare and provider market.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, we have continued to pay the entitlements to local authorities as usual.

The government has also provided childcare providers with a range of measures to offer financial assistance during the COVID-19 outbreak, including business rates relief, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

On 20 July, we announced that we will fund childcare at the level we would have done before the COVID-19 outbreak until the end of the year. This will give nurseries and childminders another term of secure income, regardless of whether fewer children are attending.

We continue to work closely with the early years sector to understand how it can best be supported to ensure that sufficient childcare is available for those returning to work now, and for all families who need it in the longer term.

As my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, confirmed in his announcement on 23 June, community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children will be able to operate over the summer holiday with safety measures in place. Adjustments to the measures for out-of-school provision were taken as part of Step 3 of the government’s recovery strategy from Saturday 4 July. This guidance covers tuition and learning centres, extracurricular clubs (such as football coaching), uniformed youth organisations (such as Scouts and Guides), supplementary schools, private language schools and religious schools offering education (such as madrassahs, yeshivas, and Sunday schools).

Before the end of the summer term, while state schools in their local area are open, out-of-school provision will only be able to operate for children from the eligible and priority groups, including vulnerable children, children of critical workers and select year groups (early years, Reception, year 1 and year 6). However, during the summer holiday period, out-of-school provision can open to all children, provided they put in place the appropriate protective measures, which are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-of-children-attending-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-of-children-attending-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

We are sympathetic to those affected by the collapse of Thomas Cook and passengers with ATOL protection are entitled to a full refund on any future bookings.

Following the collapse of Thomas Cook, the Government and the CAA together carried out the largest peacetime passenger repatriation. Consequently, the CAA are undertaking the UK travel industry’s largest ever refund programme.

In order to process refund claims as quickly and efficiently as possible, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) set up an automated claims process for claims to be submitted online, using the dedicated Thomas Cook claims website. Over the last four months the CAA have processed more than 95% of the claims they have received which totals over £310 million of ATOL payments to over 320,000 customers. They are still receiving hundreds of claims per week. If people require further assistance they should contact the CAA.

The number of claims made between 01 June 2020 and 23 June 2020 are as follows:

(a) online 254,840

(b) telephone 4,280

Notes:

1. Figures provided to 23 June 2020 in line with published Universal Credit Management Information

2. Figures are GB and rounded to nearest 10

3. Based on claims declared between 01 June 2020 and 23 June 2020

Food banks are independent charitable organisations and, as such, are best placed to decide on the most appropriate arrangements for supporting people who use them. As both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

I also refer the honourable member to the response given by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in response to an oral question made on 19 March:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-19/debates/EBB8F3D7-F9F4-4C5C-B913-86FD27851B5D/VulnerablePeopleFoodSupplies”

Additionally announcements were made at the Prime Minister’s daily briefings on 21 and 22 March in relation to food supply.

Food banks are independent charitable organisations and, as such, are best placed to decide on the most appropriate arrangements for supporting people who use them. As both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

I also refer the honourable member to the response given by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in response to an oral question made on 19 March:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-19/debates/EBB8F3D7-F9F4-4C5C-B913-86FD27851B5D/VulnerablePeopleFoodSupplies”

Additionally announcements were made at the Prime Minister’s daily briefings on 21 and 22 March in relation to food supply.

The Infection Control Fund has provided over £1.1 billion of ring-fenced for infection prevention and control in the care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial support is being provided to the sector in other key areas through the £149 million Rapid Testing Fund and the £120 million Workforce Capacity Fund. Additionally, £4.6 billion has been provided to support local authorities to address pressures on public services, including adult social care.

In 2021/22, we expect to provide local authorities with estimated funding of around £3 billion to help manage the impact of COVID-19 across their services, including in adult social care and to compensate for income losses. The Government will continue to monitor pressures on the sector and will keep future funding under review.

This information is not currently held centrally.

The Government does not have direct responsibility for pay or wider terms and conditions in adult social care in England.

The Government nonetheless maintains oversight of the social care system and we are committed to raising the profile of the social care sector. The Government expects local authorities to commission care at the rate that allows providers to employ the staff they need to deliver quality care. We are providing councils with access to an additional £1 billion for social care.

In July 2020, the National Health Service launched the ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service to support the recovery of people who have been in hospital or suffered at home with the virus. This is a two-phase endeavour with phase one being available as an open, publicly available site containing general information on all aspects of recovering from COVID-19, including physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Over 100,000 people have used the online service since it was launched in July.

On 7 October the NHS announced £10 million is be invested this year to help kick start and designate ‘long COVID-19’ clinics that will be available to all patients in England. Alongside this, new guidance has been commissioned by NHS England from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the clinical case definition of ‘long COVID-19’. This will include patients who have had COVID-19 who may not have had a hospital admission or a previous positive test. It will be followed by evidence-based NICE clinical guidelines that will outline the support that ‘long COVID-19’ patients should receive, enabling NHS doctors, therapists and staff to provide a clear and personalised treatment plan. This will include education materials for general practitioners and other health professionals to help them refer and signpost patients to the right support.

The Public Health Grant to local authorities is £3.279 billion in 2020-21. This is in addition to what the National Health Service spends on public health, which included over £1.3 billion in 2019-20 on national public health programmes such as immunisations and screening. Local authorities have also been provided with £4.3 billion in 2020/21 to support their response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Funding beyond 2020-21 will be set out at the next Spending Review.

The Department has provided support to general practitioners (GPs) throughout the pandemic, reflecting GPs’ vital role in tackling the virus and maintaining business as usual services to patients. Our COVID-19 Support Fund is helping general practices with the additional costs of responding to the pandemic. Details of the Fund were laid out in a letter to GP practices on 4 August 2020 which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C0651-covid-support-fund-letter-aug-2020.pdf

NHS England and NHS Improvement have produced detailed guidance on treating individuals in a COVID-secure way. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/managing-coronavirus-covid-19-in-general-practice-sop/

The guidance offers advice on maintaining social distancing during face-to-face appointments, sourcing personal protective equipment and on accessing the COVID-19 Support Fund.

All National Health Service patient facing staff in acute, mental health, ambulance and community trusts have been provided with lateral flow tests to enable them to test themselves at home twice a week. Lateral flow tests are also being distributed across primary care including general practice, community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry. In addition tests have been provided to independent sector providers and community interest companies providing NHS care.

For care homes, new guidance advises all care home staff to undertake an additional two lateral flow tests per week, in addition to the current regular polymerase chain reaction testing regime.

The Government is aware of and sympathises with the hardships faced by women who experience severe symptoms from conditions such as endometriosis.

There is currently no plan to introduce a target to reduce the average waiting time for a diagnosis. NHS England advises that women with symptoms suggestive of endometriosis may undergo diagnostic and/or operative laparoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure carried out by a gynaecologist on referral. This is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of endometriosis.

The Government is committed to the open sharing of the scientific advice guiding our response to COVID-19 where possible.

The scientific papers presented at Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) meetings together with the minutes of each SAGE meeting have been, and will continue to be, released into the public domain as soon as is practicable. The scientific papers and SAGE minutes are available to view at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19

Endometriosis manifests itself in a variety of ways and shares symptoms with other conditions. As a consequence, diagnosis can be difficult and is sometimes delayed.

There are currently no plans to reduce the average waiting time for an endometriosis diagnosis.

Given the highly invasive nature of the diagnostic procedure and the varying degree to which women experience symptoms, it can be more appropriate to treat mild symptoms on clinical grounds and reserve a laparoscopy with its inherent risks for women with more significant symptoms.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a range of information and guidance on diagnosing and managing endometriosis, and we expect all clinicians to use NICE guidelines to inform their clinical practice.

Endometriosis manifests itself in a variety of ways and shares symptoms with other conditions. As a consequence, diagnosis can be difficult and is sometimes delayed.

Information on endometriosis is available at the following webpages:

NHS.UK:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/endometriosis/

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/endometriosis/

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/gynaecological-conditions/endometriosis-and-fibroids

Endometriosis UK:

https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/

No discussions have taken place between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to ensure that employers provide increased support for those in the workplace with endometriosis.

Regulations came into force on 29 January 2020 to add Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (now known as COVID-19) to Schedule 1 of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015. This means there can be no charge made to an overseas visitor for the diagnosis, or treatment, of COVID-19. Patients that are known to be undergoing testing and treatment for coronavirus only are not subject to Home Office status checks.

This information has been widely communicated to NHS staff and the public, including a message published on Public Health England’s Migrant Health Guide, which has been translated into 40 languages.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2020 does not stop in-person physical and mental health support sessions from being held. The local authorities and charities who operate these sessions must decide on whether it is possible to do so whilst following relevant COVID-19 secure guidance.

Public Health England (PHE) is providing record level data, including postcode, to local authorities on a daily basis. PHE is also, providing identifiable data to Directors of Public Health daily from 21 July via a secure platform to improve their accessibility to the data.

The weekly syndromic surveillance reports are published on GOV.UK each Thursday and are available for local authorities and the public to access at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/news/weekly-covid-19-surveillance-report-published

They contain a range of primary care syndromic indicators, including COVID-19. COVID-19 syndromic outputs at England and Public Health England (PHE) Centre level are also included in the weekly PHE COVID-19 Surveillance Report. The England and Centre outputs are also included in the PHE Daily COVID-19 Surveillance Report. Both outputs are in the PHE COVID-19 LA Report Store available for Directors of Public Health and local authorities to access.

We are aware that limiting visits in care homes is difficult for many families and residents who want to see their loved ones. All our guidance is designed with care users in mind, to ensure that individuals are treated with dignity and respect and that their particular needs are addressed.

While we have recommended that care homes limit visits, we are clear that some visits, such as visits at the end of life, are important both for the individual and their loved ones and should continue with appropriate infection control precautions.

We are reviewing our policy on visitors and are looking to update our guidance shortly.

From 20 July and to augment the standing local arrangements between Public Health England (PHE) and Directors of Public Health, PHE will share daily fully identifiable (including names) test, case and contact tracing data via a dashboard with Directors of Public Health to further support their investigation of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The information is not held in the format requested.

The Government has published clear guidelines on helping to prevent facial skin damage beneath personal protective equipment (PPE), which can be found in the NHS England Health and Safety section online. These guidelines state the importance of keeping the skin clean and well moisturised before applying PPE and using skin protectants if individuals will be wearing PPE for extended periods. More detailed information around optimising the correct fit of masks is also included. For example, if the mask is digging in, it is advised to move away from direct patient contact and remove the mask - using doffing guidance - and allow the skin to recover for approximately five minutes. Individuals are encouraged to inspect skin for signs of redness or soreness and take regular breaks (we recommend every two hours), from wearing a mask to relieve the pressure, and reduce moisture build-up. Where possible, staff should rotate in teams where PPE can be removed between clinical shifts. This will help allow the skin time to recover.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a recent paper on type 1 and type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 related mortality in England which can be found on their website and accessed via the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/type-1-and-type-2-diabetes-and-covid-19-related-mortality-in-england/

It is not currently possible for Public Health England to capture evidence on the outcomes for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, whose ethnic categories are not part of the NHS Data Dictionary. We will raise this issue as part of the work that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) will be taking forward following the publication of PHE’s report into disparities in COVID-19 risks and outcomes and we are in discussion with NHS England and NHS Improvement about the equality monitoring data that can and should be gathered.

We have not made such an assessment but are working hard to understand more about COVID-19 and establish robust data on the factors impacting the number of COVID-19 cases and health outcomes for different groups within the population where data is available.

As part of this, we have commissioned Public Health England to consider the impact of various factors such as ethnicity, obesity, age, gender and geographical location.

There is no legal requirement for the data controller to consult the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under Article 36 of the General Data Protection regulation as the data collected is not identifiable and the processing is not therefore considered to be high risk.

However, the ICO has been working with NHSX for some time providing information governance assurance on the app development, including advising on the Data Protection Impact Assessment regarding risk mitigation. The ICO is represented on the Assurance Board and on the Ethics Advisory Board as an observer. Both boards report up to the app’s Oversight Board.

The ICO published a statement on 24 April confirming they will offer support during the life of the app as it is developed, rolled out, and when it is no longer needed.

If users delete the app, all data stored on the phone and not already voluntarily shared with the Department or the National Health Service would be deleted. If users do not opt to share their data while the app remains on their phone, it will automatically be deleted on a continuous 28-day cycle within the app, on the phone.

By law, an individual has a number of rights as a data subject, such as the right to access information held about them or ask for their data to be deleted. The Information Commissioner’s Office provides more detail about individual rights at the following link:

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters

The data collected cannot identify an individual. It is not however anonymous: the data is categorised as pseudonymous and therefore is treated as personal data although not identifiable.

Existing law and National Health Service standards set out a framework of protective measures to ensure the app is legally compliant and meets the standards expected to keep data secure and confidential. These include the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016, Data Protection Act 2018, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (as incorporated into United Kingdom law by the Human Rights Act 1998) and the common law duty of confidentiality.

The app complies with the law around the use of data, including the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office has worked with NHSX to ensure a high level of transparency and governance and we have appointed an independent ethics board to provide guidance on the app development.

Testing is a crucial part of the United Kingdom’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government is working on multiple fronts to deliver additional testing capacity into the system.

We have committed to boosting National Health Service lab-based testing to at least 25,000 a day by the end of April for patients most in need and are working to increase our total testing capacity.

By increasing our testing capacity, we can provide better care for the most vulnerable patients across the NHS; help key workers get back to work as soon as possible; and provide certainty and reassurance to the wider UK population.

Key worker testing has now started, with hundreds of staff to be tested. This will increase from the end of March and tests will be turned around as quickly as possible.

We are also purchasing new types of tests including antigen tests to identify those who currently have the virus, and antibody tests to identify those who have had the virus and are now immune. We are working hard to bring additional tests to those that need them as soon as possible.

No discussions have taken place between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health on funding for support services for friends and family members of people with addictions. The issues that addiction causes are all too often felt by family and friends. The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with an addiction problem can access the help and support they need to overcome their problem and to help them rebuild their lives and sustain their recovery. There is a network of high quality addiction services across the country to support those who have drug and alcohol dependency issues and their families.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning effective alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services based on an assessment of local needs. Local authorities have received £3.1 billion in 2019/20 to be used exclusively on public health including addiction treatment services. The public health grant for 2020/21 will increase in real terms allowing local authorities to continue to invest in the services they provide.

The Department of Health and Social Care, with the Department for Work and Pensions, is providing £6 million, over three years, for a package of measures, to improve outcomes and support for children whose parents are alcohol dependent. This includes a local authority innovation fund; funding for voluntary sector organisations to develop new resources and training; and additional helpline and contact services for children.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suspended its operations in Yemen in 2015. Since then our ability to offer consular assistance to British nationals in Yemen has been extremely limited. Since March 2011, the FCO has consistently advised against all travel to all parts of Yemen, and advised British nationals to leave the country. However, where possible, the FCO remains committed to doing what it can for those British nationals who remain in Yemen. Our consular team continues to work around the clock to provide support, advice and information. British travellers needing to speak to a consular officer should call the FCO in London on +44(0)20 7008 1500.

In light of the challenges following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent restrictions put in place by the authorities in Yemen, FCO officials have been in contact with 29 British nationals who have expressed a wish to return to the UK since the start of the outbreak. These British nationals are spread across Yemen, but most are located in Aden and Seiyun. Officials have worked with the UN and regional partners to arrange departures to neighbouring countries, from where onward flights to the UK have then been secured. To date, seven British nationals have successfully left Yemen.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suspended its operations in Yemen in 2015. Since then our ability to offer consular assistance to British nationals in Yemen has been extremely limited. Since March 2011, the FCO has consistently advised against all travel to all parts of Yemen, and advised British nationals to leave the country. However, where possible, the FCO remains committed to doing what it can for those British nationals who remain in Yemen. Our consular team continues to work around the clock to provide support, advice and information. British travellers needing to speak to a consular officer should call the FCO in London on +44(0)20 7008 1500.

In light of the challenges following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent restrictions put in place by the authorities in Yemen, FCO officials have been in contact with 29 British nationals who have expressed a wish to return to the UK since the start of the outbreak. These British nationals are spread across Yemen, but most are located in Aden and Seiyun. Officials have worked with the UN and regional partners to arrange departures to neighbouring countries, from where onward flights to the UK have then been secured. To date, seven British nationals have successfully left Yemen.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suspended its operations in Yemen in 2015. Since then our ability to offer consular assistance to British nationals in Yemen has been extremely limited. Since March 2011, the FCO has consistently advised against all travel to all parts of Yemen, and advised British nationals to leave the country. However, where possible, the FCO remains committed to doing what it can for those British nationals who remain in Yemen.

In light of the challenges following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent restrictions put in place by the authorities in Yemen, FCO officials have been in contact with 27 British nationals who have expressed a wish to return to the UK. Officials have worked with the UN and regional partners to arrange departures to neighbouring countries, from where onward flights to the UK have then been secured. To date, six British nationals have successfully left Yemen.

Due to the response to the COVID-19 outbreak our work in this area has been delayed. The Government will provide an update and next steps in due course.

The UK is concerned at continued access restrictions within Yemen, including the closure of Sana'a airport. We are pressing the authorities to facilitate better access through ports and airports to ensure Covid experts and humanitarian personnel and supplies are able to enter Yemen, alongside food and fuel. This will be imperative to facilitate an effective international Covid-19 response. We support the UN Special Envoy's efforts to find a lasting solution to the airport issue with the parties.

As of 6 May, in Yemen there were 23 publicly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. The World Health Organisation's (WHO) assessment is that a widespread outbreak in Yemen will be catastrophic. We are extremely concerned by the capacity of the healthcare system to respond to a severe outbreak of COVID-19. Only half of Yemen's health facilities are currently functioning and almost 20 million people lack access to basic health care. We are also concerned about the capacity of the Yemeni authorities to contain and manage the outbreak given the ongoing conflict; we are urging all parties to agree a ceasefire and to work together to enable a nationwide response. The Department for International Development is currently assessing how best to respond through existing programmes in Yemen, with the WHO and United Nations Children's Fund already working with Yemen's Ministry of Health to strengthen the country's health care capacity, by providing vital equipment across the country.

The Government has announced unprecedented support for businesses and workers across the country, in recognition of the impact of COVID-19. The Plan for Jobs will support employment across the whole country, including doubling the number of work coaches in Job Centre Plus, as well as through the Flexible Support Fund, which is delivered at a local level through Job Centre Plus branches and allocated based on local needs, and through the Rapid Response Service, which can be mobilised rapidly anywhere in the country to help provide immediate support to employees at risk of redundancy. These measures are designed to ensure that areas most vulnerable to the economic impact of the crisis are given the support they need.

Time to Pay arrangements are already available to all brewers, which enable them to seek deferrals for beer duty and other taxes with no interest or late penalties due. HMRC’s dedicated Covid-19 helpline can be reached by calling: 0800 0159 559.

This comes on top of the wider package of support announced by the Chancellor, worth over £350bn. Small brewers will be able to access interest-free loans, defer their VAT payments due on VAT returns for the period until the end of June and receive support worth up to 80% of their employees’ wages.

The Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses across the economy, including the pubs sector. Alongside £330bn worth of government-backed and guaranteed loans, firms eligible for small business rate relief or rural rate relief will be eligible for cash grants of up to £10,000, and firms in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with eligible properties with a rateable value below £51,000 will be eligible for cash grants of up to £25,000. In addition, a business rates holiday has been put in place for all eligible businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Asylum seeker right to work is a complex issue and is under review; it is crucial we take the time to get this right. We are listening carefully to the arguments and considering the evidence put forward on the issue.

The findings of the review will be communicated once this work is completed.

The UK is one of the world’s leading refugee resettlement states. We resettle more refugees than any other country in Europe and are in the top five countries worldwide. Since 2015, we have resettled more than 25,000 refugees. We can be proud as a country of our ambitious commitments and achievements.

The UK has a long and proud tradition of providing safe haven to those who genuinely need our protection, and we remain committed to providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations.

Those who fear persecution should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not put their lives at risk by making unnecessary and dangerous journeys to the UK. Illegal migration from safe countries undermines our efforts to help those most in need - controlled resettlement via safe and legal routes is the best way to protect such people and disrupt the organised crime groups that exploit migrants and refugees.

While resettlement arrivals are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will resume them as soon as conditions allow, and intend to meet our full commitment to those fleeing the Syrian conflict.

We have been reviewing the level of the cash allowances provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we do each year to ensure that they remain capable of meeting their essential living needs.

As a result of this work, the standard allowance has been raised to £39.60 per week from £37.75 per week, an increase of around 5%.

A report published in March 2018 sets out the methodology for calculating the asylum support rates and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers.

We are currently reviewing the level of the support rate, as we do each year, to ensure that they remain capable of meeting the essential living needs of asylum seekers.

£1.6 billion of the £5 billion COVID-19 fund announced in the Budget will go to local authorities to help them respond to pressures across all the services they deliver.

The Chancellor has further announced a funding package of some £750m to support charities including those providing domestic abuse services. In addition, the Home Office has announced £2 million in funding to support technological capability such as specialist helplines and websites.

UK Armed Forces are currently operating in support of counterterrorism operations in four countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Mali). For operational and personnel security reasons we do not comment on specific operational rules of engagement in each theatre. More broadly, UK Armed Forces have an inherent right of self-defence wherever they may be deployed. This permits them to use force, up to and including lethal force, if there is an imminent threat and provided that it is proportionate to the threat faced.