Jeff Smith

The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:

· Income Deprivation

· Employment Deprivation

· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation

· Health Deprivation and Disability

· Crime

· Barriers to Housing and Services

· Living Environment Deprivation

On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.

The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:

· Income Deprivation

· Employment Deprivation

· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation

· Health Deprivation and Disability

· Crime

· Barriers to Housing and Services

· Living Environment Deprivation

On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.

The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:

· Income Deprivation

· Employment Deprivation

· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation

· Health Deprivation and Disability

· Crime

· Barriers to Housing and Services

· Living Environment Deprivation

On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.

The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:

· Income Deprivation

· Employment Deprivation

· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation

· Health Deprivation and Disability

· Crime

· Barriers to Housing and Services

· Living Environment Deprivation

On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.

The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:

· Income Deprivation

· Employment Deprivation

· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation

· Health Deprivation and Disability

· Crime

· Barriers to Housing and Services

· Living Environment Deprivation

On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.

We have launched a public call for evidence to support the development of a new, 10-year, cross-Government plan for mental health and wellbeing in England. We encourage those with lived experience to respond to the call for evidence, including those with Huntington’s disease. The call for evidence is open until 7 July 2022.

Patients with Huntington's Disease have access to a range of mental health support, through general practitioners, local mental health services, specialised neurology services and clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors through the clinical genomic service.

The clinical genomic service specification is currently being reviewed, which includes strengthening access to mental health support services. The revised specification will be subject to public consultation before final approval. NHS England’s neuroscience transformation programme is developing optimal pathways for neurology services, which include common principles regarding access to appropriate timely mental health support.

In addition, the neuropsychiatry service specification is in development, which will outline the multi-disciplinary approach to caring for patients with complex neurological conditions who require specialised assessment and mental health support.

The law requires that unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) be supplied under either the prescription or direction of a clinician on the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Specialist Register. As with all areas of clinical practice, the GMC’s guidance states that all doctors must recognise and work within the limits of their competence. This is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline ‘Cannabis-based medicinal products’, which states that after the initial prescription, subsequent prescriptions of CBPMs may be issued by another prescriber as part of a shared care agreement under the direction of an initiating specialist prescriber, if:

- shared care is appropriate and in the person’s best interest;

- the person's clinical condition is stable; and

- the other prescriber is confident to make a fully informed prescribing decision about cannabis-based medicinal products.

If a general practitioner (GP) accepts ongoing shared care responsibilities and continues prescribing once a patient has been initiated and stabilised on CBPMs, they must be confident to accept the associated legal and professional responsibilities associated with doing so, which are increased in the case of an unlicensed product. This includes accountability for the quality of the product prescribed. Treatments initiated privately would not usually be prescribed by a GP under shared care unless the requested treatment is approved under existing National Health Service policies or there are exceptional circumstances. This remains the case even if that privately funded treatment has been shown to have clinical benefit for the individual patient. This applies to all treatments.

There are no specific plans to allocate funding to infrastructure for dementia clinical research. However, we will announce our strategy for dementia research in due course. Plans for delivering a dementia moonshot are subject to the forthcoming Spending Review settlements.

People with severe mental and their carers should receive an invitation from their general practitioner (GP) for their COVID-19 vaccination appointment. If someone is unsure if they have a severe mental illness which falls within the official definition, they are encouraged to contact their GP or mental health team. GP teams are encouraged to prioritise people with mental illness, applying a flexible approach to defining severe mental illness. For example, this could include people who are severely unwell with an eating disorder or a diagnosis of personality disorder.

The UK agrees with the IPCC that global action to adapt to the changing climate has been insufficient. We recognise how urgent and important it is to ensure countries most vulnerable to climate change are able to respond to the risks they face.

We are providing £11 billion of international climate finance over five years, with an extra £1 billion in 2024-2025 if the economy grows as forecast. Recent UK commitments on adaptation include significant support to developing countries, with £274 million to help countries across Asia and the Pacific to build resilience, £143.5 million to support African countries to adapt and almost £50 million to help Small Island Developing States.

The UK has put action on climate change and debt at the top of its international agenda with our COP26 Presidency in 2021/22. We have increased the level of quality climate financing, which means offering financing to countries on terms that are suitable to their economic situation and consistent with their path to a more sustainable debt situation. This includes the provision of grants for countries at highest risk of debt distress.

We are working to ensure that countries get effective and timely debt treatments that put them on a more fiscally sustainable path and allow them to channel future funds to productive investments that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, including climate change adaptation. In November 2020, the UK, along with the G20 and Paris Club, agreed the Common Framework to help deliver a long-term sustainable approach for supporting lower income countries to tackle their debt vulnerabilities.

The UN IPCC's Working Group II report on the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change provides a stark assessment on the impacts of climate change. Findings show that impacts are worse than previously predicted and current efforts to adapt are insufficient.

The UK is committed to supporting countries' efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, including through our International Climate Finance (ICF), which will total at least £11.6 billion between 2021-2026. As COP26 President, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and others to progress the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. We are also supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network. Decisions on UK funding for the Santiago Network will be taken as this work progresses. Between 2016 and 2019, the UK spent £2 billion of ICF on adaptation and investments in areas needed to address loss and damage.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, including through our International Climate Finance (ICF), which will total at least £11.6 billion between 2021-2026. As COP26 President, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and others to progress the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. We are also supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network. Decisions on UK funding for the Santiago Network will be taken as this work progresses.

Negotiations continue on the Santiago Network's organizational structure. The focus of the Santiago Network's support will be developed and agreed once the Network is operational. Current FCDO Agriculture Research programmes continue to support climate resilient crops and food systems. These includes our major joint research initiatives with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supporting work at the Crop Science Centre in Cambridge to sustainably increase yields for small-holder farmers in Africa, and Edinburgh-based research on livestock health.

We have no record of receiving this item of correspondence. My officials have contacted your office and have obtained a copy. We will work to expedite a response.

The Government is committed to proving support to the charitable sector worth over £5 billion per year. Gift Aid - a key part of this - is one of the most generous tax reliefs available – worth £1.4 billion per year to charities and £500 million to their donors (through higher rate relief).

In March 2018 HM Revenue and Customs published research on charitable giving and Gift Aid and the key findings were that, for the 12-month period up to January 2016, £560m of Gift Aid was not claimed where it could have been and £180m of Gift Aid was incorrectly claimed. However, as neither charities nor their donors are required to tell the Government about donations on which Gift Aid is eligible but not claimed, there is no administrative data to publish. Therefore, the 2018 figures have not been updated.

HM Revenue and Customs works closely with the charity sector to help ensure donors are aware of Gift Aid and are able to make informed decisions about whether or not they qualify for the relief but ultimately it is a choice for the donor. The Government is always open to new ideas to improve eligible Gift Aid take-up and to ensure that Gift Aid is fit for the future.

The Government is committed to proving support to the charitable sector worth over £5 billion per year. Gift Aid - a key part of this - is one of the most generous tax reliefs available – worth £1.4 billion per year to charities and £500 million to their donors (through higher rate relief).

In March 2018 HM Revenue and Customs published research on charitable giving and Gift Aid and the key findings were that, for the 12-month period up to January 2016, £560m of Gift Aid was not claimed where it could have been and £180m of Gift Aid was incorrectly claimed. However, as neither charities nor their donors are required to tell the Government about donations on which Gift Aid is eligible but not claimed, there is no administrative data to publish. Therefore, the 2018 figures have not been updated.

HM Revenue and Customs works closely with the charity sector to help ensure donors are aware of Gift Aid and are able to make informed decisions about whether or not they qualify for the relief but ultimately it is a choice for the donor. The Government is always open to new ideas to improve eligible Gift Aid take-up and to ensure that Gift Aid is fit for the future.

The UK authorities have taken the appropriate actions to mitigate risks of disruption to cross-border financial services at the end of the Transition Period (TP), including confirming that the Temporary Permissions Regime will apply from the end of the TP. This will allow EEA firms currently providing services in the UK via a financial services ‘passport’ to continue operating after the TP while they apply for full UK authorisation.

However, the issue of whether UK firms can service EEA-based retail customers remains a matter of local law and regulation in each country. It may also be impacted by how firms are set up and what steps they have taken to continue to service customers. We expect banks to act lawfully and in accordance with local regulators’ expectations.

We also expect that banks work to ensure good outcomes for their customers and provide timely communications to enable them to make appropriate decisions. UK banking providers are expected to contact impacted customers if they need to make any changes to their product or the way it is provided.

We encourage customers with questions or concerns to speak to their service provider. There is also further guidance for impacted customers on the Money Advice Service website, which can be found here: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/brexit-banking-insurance-finance

The Government has committed to introducing the Digital Services Tax from April 2020. This is expected to raise around £1.5bn over four years. These funds will not be directly hypothecated to any particular spending area.

However, the Government recognises the impact that harmful online content and activity can have on users, and that there are growing concerns about the potential impact on users’ mental health and wellbeing. The Online Harms White Paper, published in April 2019, set out plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

Calculating an average length of time does not take into account the numerous factors that contribute to the decision-making process. Nor does it consider our prioritisation of children and the most vulnerable.

We are working to improve the speed of decisions and reduce the number of outstanding claims; but there will always be complex cases, and it is right we take time to work through them carefully, not rush to meet an arbitrary deadline.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

A response to the Honourable Member was issued on 4th February.

Due to potential commercial and political sensitivities, we are unable to provide the names of councils with schemes under consideration.

The Department does not make a distinction between renewals and new schemes when processing selective licensing applications.

There are three schemes currently under consideration.

The Government has responded to the pressures councils are facing. The settlement provides access to an estimated 4.4 per cent increase in core spending power; the largest year on year increase in a decade, with a further £1.5 billion to fund adult and children’s social care.

The Government is looking to standardise the enfranchisement process and asked the Law Commission to review current arrangements to make them easier, faster, fairer and cheaper. The Law Commission has now published its first report to Government, on the valuation aspects of enfranchisement. The report, which follows a consultation by the Law Commission, sets out a number of options relating to valuation, including purchasing a freehold and extending the lease of a house or flat. The Law Commission will report on the remaining aspects of enfranchisement later in the spring.??The Government will carefully consider the?proposals outlined in the Law Commission’s report and set out?its?preferred way forward in due course.

A Law Commission report due later this year is expected to present options for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission include offering couples greater flexibility to form their own ceremonies, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations, and powers to hold weddings remotely in a national emergency. The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

Delivery of registration services falls to local authorities who continue to manage the demand for civil marriage within their respective geographical areas during recovery from the pandemic.

The Government has published guidance on gov.uk to assist couples in planning for their marriage or civil partnership formation in England, and for venues that host ceremonies and receptions to enable them to prepare for these events. The guidance sets out how this can be done in a manner that is safe and complies with legal requirements and social distancing guidelines. The Welsh Government has published similar guidance in respect of Wales.

A Law Commission report due later this year is expected to present options for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission include offering couples greater flexibility to form their own ceremonies, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations, and powers to hold weddings remotely in a national emergency. The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

Delivery of registration services falls to local authorities who continue to manage the demand for civil marriage within their respective geographical areas during recovery from the pandemic.

The Government has published guidance on gov.uk to assist couples in planning for their marriage or civil partnership formation in England, and for venues that host ceremonies and receptions to enable them to prepare for these events. The guidance sets out how this can be done in a manner that is safe and complies with legal requirements and social distancing guidelines. The Welsh Government has published similar guidance in respect of Wales.

A Law Commission report due later this year is expected to present options for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission include offering couples greater flexibility to form their own ceremonies, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations, and powers to hold weddings remotely in a national emergency. The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

Delivery of registration services falls to local authorities who continue to manage the demand for civil marriage within their respective geographical areas during recovery from the pandemic.

The Government has published guidance on gov.uk to assist couples in planning for their marriage or civil partnership formation in England, and for venues that host ceremonies and receptions to enable them to prepare for these events. The guidance sets out how this can be done in a manner that is safe and complies with legal requirements and social distancing guidelines. The Welsh Government has published similar guidance in respect of Wales.

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the CPS and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) introduced an Interim Charging Protocol in April 2020. This enabled the prioritisation of the right cases to facilitate the effective working of police, CPS and courts during a time of crisis. The interim protocol sets out how cases should be managed by the police and the CPS by identifying three categories of cases:

A. Immediate – Custody and all Coronavirus related cases;

B. High Priority – Non custody bail cases;

C. Other cases – Released under investigation or no arrest required

In the courts we have taken decisive action to address the impact of the pandemic on how quickly cases can be heard. We spent over £250 million on recovery last financial year roll-out out new technology for remote hearings, make the court estate COVID-secure, and set up 60 new Nightingale courtrooms. This has enabled disposals to return to pre-pandemic levels in the Crown Court, which is over 2000 cases per week, and we completed over 7000 jury trials last year.

We will continue to address the outstanding caseload and reduce delays by increasing capacity in our physical estate, running Crown Courts to the fullest possible extent, using every judge and courtroom to maximise court sitting days.

We have increased funding for victim support services, with £151 million this year, including £27 million to increase the number of independent advisors for sexual violence and domestic abuse victims by over 40 per cent. Beyond significant increases in funding to victims’ services, the Government has taken a range of actions to ensure that victims and witnesses receive the support they need in the face of delays caused by the court backlogs.

It is essential that businesses and the wider public continue to take steps to prepare for the end of the transition period. We are working closely with businesses and communities to ensure that action is taken now.

As well as regular meetings of the Business Engagement Forum, led by my department, we are in constant contact with communities in Northern Ireland. Last month the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland chaired a roundtable with civic leaders from across Northern Ireland, facilitating a really valuable two-way dialogue on readiness. We will continue that dialogue to ensure that Northern Ireland is ready on 1 January 2021.

We are continuing to support the Scottish hospitality sector through a combination of UK Government initiatives.

This includes the now extended VAT reduction for the sector and support for businesses, such as business loans, which includes the new Recovery Loan Scheme.

This is in addition to the extended furlough scheme and grants for the self-employed.

The UK Government package, as well as an additional £3.8 billion in funding for the Scottish Government through the Barnett Formula, has been significant.

The furlough and self-employed support schemes have saved more than three quarters of a million jobs in Scotland.

It is right that the furlough scheme has been extended until October, and now made available on a part-time basis. This will provide much-needed reassurance to businesses across Scotland. Scottish businesses have been very clear that what they really want is to get back to work.

I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a range of topics, including employment support for people in Wales. The Government has announced unprecedented measures to support people in Wales and right across the UK through these difficult times.