Nadia Whittome

We are working with the construction sector to reduce its emission contributions to help meet our net zero target, with a focus on construction processes including transport and the plant and machinery it uses, and in the built environment. We are also working with the sector to reduce embodied carbon and are looking at a range of means for doing so.

The Government introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of business support measures to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period. This support package included measures such as the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. These measures were designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.

Further measures were also announced by the Chancellor that build on the significant support already available as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. This includes the extension of the CJRS until the end of April 2021, the extension of the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes until 31 March 2021, and the introduction of Pay As You Grow measures, meaning businesses now have the option to repay their Bounce Back Loans over a period of up to ten years. Businesses who also deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have the option to opt-in to a scheme to allow them to pay in smaller instalments up to the end of March 2022, interest free.

Business premises that are required by law to close during the current period of national restrictions which began on 5 January 2021 can also access grants of up to £4,500 per 6 weeks of closure under the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed). In addition, each closed business will be eligible for a one-off payment of up to £9,000 via the Closed Business Lockdown Payment. Local authorities have also been allocated a further £500 million in discretionary funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support businesses that are significantly impacted by the restrictions even though not required to close. This is in addition to £1.1 billion already allocated in November 2020. Local authorities have discretion to use this funding to support businesses in the way they see fit.

Further initiatives include the BEIS-led Small Business Leadership Programme and Peer-to-Peer networks, to help businesses build resilience and grow. In addition, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced £20 million in July 2020 to help small and medium-sized businesses acquire new technology and seek advice on digital adoption in order to continue or diversify their business activities in light of the pandemic. This is provided through grants of between £1000 and £5000 and is fully funded by the Government with no obligation for businesses themselves to contribute financially.

Additionally, businesses are able to access tailored advice through our Freephone Business Support Helpline, online via the Business Support website or through their local Growth Hubs in England. The Government will also continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic the Government has worked closely with the hospitality sector to understand the impact of the pandemic on their businesses.

Hospitality and events businesses have been able to benefit from Government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Government-backed loans, Local Restrictions Support Grants, additional funding provided to Local Authorities to support businesses and the Cultural Relief Fund.

On 5 January, when the new National Lockdown began, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a one-off top up grant for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the spring.  A £594 million discretionary fund has also been made available to support other impacted businesses.

We are looking to partner with organisations at COP26 with strong climate credentials, particularly those who have set ambitious net zero commitments by 2050 or earlier, with a credible short term action plan to achieve this (e.g. Science Based Targets). We conduct due diligence on all potential sponsors, and will ensure compliance with rigorous government standards.

You can find details about sponsorship on the COP26 website here.

The details of mergers and takeovers are primarily a commercial matter for the parties concerned.

The Employment Relations Act 1999 introduced a statutory recognition procedure that gave independent trade unions the right to apply to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) to be recognised by an employer for collective bargaining over pay, hours and holidays in respect of a group of workers in a particular bargaining unit.

Where an employer decides not to recognise or to derecognise a trade union, the union can use the statutory recognition procedure. The CAC can award recognition where a clear majority of the bargaining unit want it, and this is established in most cases through a ballot of the workforce.

We intend to consult on strengthening the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in due course, in line with our Clean Growth Strategy aspiration for privately rented properties to reach EPC Band C by 2030 where practical, affordable and cost-effective. Landlords will also be eligible for subsidised energy efficiency measures through the Green Homes Grant scheme this autumn.

The Government has considered the financial impact of COVID-19 on all parts of the economy throughout the pandemic and has provided unprecedented levels of financial support.

The Government will continue to monitor the impact of the restrictions, working closely with business groups including the beauty industry, to ensure it continues to consider the impact on all groups including women.

The Government released an unprecedented package of support, including loan schemes, grant funding and wage packages, to help as many individuals and business as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For commercial confidentiality reasons, the British Business Bank cannot disclose whether companies are or are not in receipt of support without their approval. Any financial support provided (if provided) would be subject to the terms and conditions of the specific scheme.

As of 6 May, in total over £5.5 billion worth of loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to 33,812 businesses. Lenders have received 62,674 completed applications.

In order to minimise administrative burden and therefore facilitate the issuing of as many loans as possible, the British Business Bank’s system only gathers data from lenders when loans are offered and drawn. Decisions on whether to capture information relating to rejected loans are at the discretion of the lender.

We are working with the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and the lenders on the publication of regular and transparent data going forward.

The two existing business grants schemes have helped supported many thousands of small businesses. However, we are aware that many small businesses which are facing high fixed costs are finding themselves excluded from the existing grants schemes because the way they interact with the current business rates system means they are not eligible for the grants schemes.

To ensure that Local Authorities can help these businesses, on 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. It is our intention that the following businesses should be considered as a priority for these funds:

• Businesses in a range of shared workspaces;
• Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;
• B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates; and
• Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need and subject to those businesses meeting the specific eligibility criteria.

Video-on-demand services like Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are not regulated in the UK to the same extent as linear TV channels, some services, like Netflix, are not regulated in the UK at all. On-demand services are not subject to Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code which sets out appropriate standards for content including harmful or offensive material, accuracy, fairness and privacy.

The Government launched a consultation in August 2021 to level the playing field between traditional broadcasters and video-on-demand streaming services, to provide a fair competitive framework and ensure UK viewers are better protected from harmful material. We are now considering the response to the consultation and will publish next steps in due course.

The Government’s 10 Tech Priorities include building a tech-savvy nation where no-one is left behind by the digital revolution. For this reason, the government is working to ensure that everyone has digital access to further their training and improve employment prospects.

The pandemic and the ongoing measures, including those implemented under Plan B, continue to highlight the importance of supporting digitally excluded people. Throughout the pandemic, DCMS has supported initiatives that help address digital exclusion. These include the Digital Lifeline fund, which provided tablets, data and free digital support to over 5,000 people with learning disabilities who would otherwise find it difficult to get online.

Additionally, in September 2021, the Inclusive Economy Partnership (IEP), partnered with industry leaders to launch the Digital Inclusion Impact Group focused on tackling digital exclusion. One of the pilot programmes is Dell Donate to Educate, which will support children across England with the right access to technology at school and at home.

The Online Safety Bill will increase people's protection from scams facilitated via dating sites. Dating sites will have to assess the risk of fraud arising from user-generated content on their service and then take steps to mitigate and tackle that risk. This is just one part of the government’s plan, led by the Home Office, to tackle fraud in all its forms.

Victims of fraud must feel they can come forward to report these crimes and receive the support they need. The government is working to improve the victim support system to make sure that everyone receives the advice and care they need to move beyond the impact of this crime.

Theatres have been eligible to access Government COVID-19 support throughout the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes various government-backed loans, business grants, reduction in VAT and the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes. Theatres were also able to access the discretionary Local Restrictions Support Grant and Additional Restrictions Grant which provided Local Authorities with funds to support businesses who met the eligibility criteria. And, earlier this year the Chancellor announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring.

Theatres have also benefited from the Cultural Recovery Fund. To date, over £1.2 billion has been allocated from this fund, reaching over 5000 individual organisations and sites. Of this funding, awards with a value of over £183m were made to applicants whose main artform is ‘theatre’ in Round 1 recovery grant funding, and in Round 2 almost £60 million was awarded to help theatres plan for reopening in every corner of the country from the West End’s Criterion Theatre to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

In the 2021 Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £300 million to support theatres, museums and other cultural organisations in England through the Culture Recovery Fund. This extra funding, together with other cultural support such as funding for our national museums, means that our total support package for culture during the pandemic is now approaching £2bn. These are unprecedented sums.

On 22 February the Prime Minister set out the roadmap gradually ending the current lockdown for England.

At step 3 of the roadmap, no earlier than 17 May, the restrictions on social mixing indoors will be eased and individuals will be able to meet socially distanced in a group of 6 or with 1 other household. Non-professional activities, such as private music lessons for adults, will be able to resume from this time.

The timings outlined in the roadmap are indicative, and the Government will be led by data, rather than fixed dates. Before taking each step, the Government will review the latest data and will only ease restrictions further if it is safe to do so. The indicative, ‘no earlier than’ dates in the roadmap are all contingent on the data and subject to change.

The Government acknowledges the significance of the events sector to the UK economy and that it has been significantly affected by the impacts of Covid-19.

We recognise the importance of giving the events sector clarity for when events will be permitted to resume with fuller audiences. However we have always been clear that the activity permitted would be in line with the latest public health context.

No assessment is currently available regarding the potential merits of providing support to the sector to encourage event attendance at this time.

We are committed to continue working with the live events sector to understand the challenges they face and to work towards reopening events with fuller audiences. Furthermore, the business events pilots we carried out in September will help to ensure that the correct advice and guidance is put in place to help larger events reopen when it is safe to do so.

It has been agreed that in regards to public funds, such as the Job Retention Scheme, and the Culture Recovery Fund, organisations may apply for both, although of course organisations should not claim for the same costs through a public funding scheme and the Culture Recovery Fund. Where organisations have questions about this interaction they should speak to their relevant arms length body - Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England or the British Film Institute.

In April, Government launched a £750 million charity funding package. This spearheaded a major effort to tackle loneliness, with over £23 million allocated to this activity. Activity includes a £5 million grant fund to support national organisations working to tackle loneliness and build social connections to help them continue and adapt their critical work. This has given grants of between £500,000 and £810,000 to 9 organisations. In addition, a further £44 million of the £750 million package was given to organisations supporting people with their mental health.

Government has also announced a £4 million microgrants fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, to provide targeted funding to small grassroots organisations, to build relationships in communities to help reduce loneliness. This funding is due to be available shortly.

Government continues to work closely with the civil society sector to assess both the needs of vulnerable people and the sector itself, and how government can best support the continuation of its vital work.

The government has taken active steps to support the self-employed. We’ve supported the self-employed with over £13 billion in grants and the Chancellor has doubled the generosity of the self-employed grant extension scheme from 20% to 40% of people’s profits. The expanded Jobs Support Scheme, announced by the Chancellor on 22 October, will include more generous and frequent cash grants, and more help for the self-employed.

DCMS continues to engage with HMT to feed into their assessment of the potential impacts of Government support. We will ensure the needs of our sectors are also factored into the developing economic response, and that DCMS sectors, including the live music industry, are supported throughout this time.

The Arts Council England has made £119 million available to individuals (including freelancers and self-employed), with £23.1 million already distributed and £95.9 million currently available to apply for via open funds.

The £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund will benefit freelancers, because it will invest in organisations and help them to reopen, and restart performances.

DCMS is continuing to work closely with the civil society sector to assess the needs of the sector and how the government can best support it to continue its vital work. The Government has committed a £750m targeted funding package to support the Voluntary and Community Sector, which builds on the significant package of support available across sectors, including the Job Retention Scheme. A further £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts has been unlocked to support urgent work tackling youth unemployment, providing emergency loans for civil society organisations and improving the availability of fair, affordable credit to people in vulnerable circumstances.

Ensuring charities can begin fundraising activities will be a crucial part of the sector’s recovery. On the 24th June, DCMS published a collection of guidance for DCMS sectors relating to COVID-19. This includes practical guidance and resources from the Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute of Fundraising supporting charities to safeguard the public, staff and volunteers as they plan to return to fundraising activities in a safe and responsible way. This can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-dcms-sectors-in-relation-to-coronavirus-covid-19

Ministers have regular discussions with their Cabinet Colleagues on a range of issues, including tackling online hate speech. The Home Office are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), civil society partners and social media platforms to encourage victim reporting of online hate crime during the pandemic and to ensure that all police forces are providing reassurance to affected communities. Policy for combating online hate crime remains with the Home Office.

Ensuring the UK is the safest place in the world to go online is a priority for the Government. We are pressing ahead with legislation to establish a new Online Harms regulatory framework which will protect users from harm. The Government’s Online Harms White Paper, published in April 2019, set out our plans for world-leading legislation, by making companies more responsible for their users’ safety online.

Ministers have regular discussions with their Cabinet Colleagues on a range of issues, including tackling online hate speech. The Home Office are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), civil society partners and social media platforms to encourage victim reporting of online hate crime during the pandemic and to ensure that all police forces are providing reassurance to affected communities. Policy for combating online hate crime remains with the Home Office.

Ensuring the UK is the safest place in the world to go online is a priority for the Government. We are pressing ahead with legislation to establish a new Online Harms regulatory framework which will protect users from harm. The Government’s Online Harms White Paper, published in April 2019, set out our plans for world-leading legislation, by making companies more responsible for their users’ safety online.

The Government has announced a broad package of support for businesses and charities to ensure that organisations that need support are able to access it. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the option to defer VAT payments due between 20 March and 30 June 2020.

In addition, on 8 April the Government announced a £750 million funding package to ensure charities providing frontline services to vulnerable people affected by the pandemic can continue their vital work. Of this, £360 million was to be allocated to individual government departments based on evidence of service need. This funding has now been allocated to government departments, who are using a range of approaches to award funding either directly to charities or through bidding processes. As part of this package, the Department for Education will provide £26.4 million to support vulnerable children in England.

£370 million has been allocated to support small and medium sized charities during the pandemic. This includes £60 million funding through the Barnett formula to support charities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of the £310 million to be spent in England, £200 million has been distributed to the National Lottery Community Fund to award grants through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. Applications for this fund opened on 22 May and the National Lottery Community Fund is assessing applications in the order in which they are received, in order to award grants as quickly as possible. Child poverty charities working with BAME communities during the Covid-19 outbreak are eligible to apply for this funding.

Decisions on Ministerial remits and duties lie with the Prime Minister. A range of government departments (including DCMS) have policies that affect young people, and that is why the government believes there should be a cross-departmental approach.

This government is committed to supporting young people to have a voice on issues and concerns that matter to them, at both a local and national level. DCMS leads this work, and funds the British Youth Council (BYC) to deliver a youth voice programme including the UK Youth Parliament, the Make Your Mark ballot, the Youth Select Committee, The Government’s Youth Steering Group and the Young Inspectors group.

Officials are working collaboratively across Whitehall, with the youth sector, and young people to ensure that we support our young people during and post Covid-19, and that their voices are heard.

The government is committed to ensuring that students that have been living away from home are able to return home at the end of term, if they choose to do so. Higher education (HE) providers should ensure they have plans for how they support students to return home safely. As part of these plans, HE providers should plan to have moved all teaching online by 9 December, at the very latest, for a short period until the end of the autumn term. We expect providers to stagger the end of face to face provision between 3 to 9 December, both between faculties and universities in the same city (and region if possible).

Anyone who remains at university after 9 December will run the risk of having to undertake a period of isolation of up to 14 days at university, if they contracted COVID-19, or were identified as a contact of someone who had, and would therefore be at risk of not being able to travel home for the end of term break.

The government plays no direct role in the provision of accommodation, whether university or privately owned.

Officials speak regularly with representatives of private and university owned accommodation, as well as sector bodies. The government worked closely with universities to ensure they were well prepared for the return of students, and we have published guidance to help them keep students and staff as safe as possible. Protecting students’ education and wellbeing is vital, so we are supporting universities to continue delivering a blend of online and face-to-face learning where possible in a COVID-secure way. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.

Libraries and study spaces on campus should remain open to students and staff, for educational purposes, and must continue to maintain COVID-secure measures. This is important to ensure that student learning can continue as planned while the national restrictions are in place.

Students who have an accommodation contract and, because of COVID-19, think it may no longer fit their requirements, should talk directly to their housing provider.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance on consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. This sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and help businesses treat their customers fairly. This guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds.

Students may be entitled to refunds from accommodation providers depending on the terms of their contract and their particular circumstances. If students need help, organisations such as Citizens Advice offer a free service, providing information and support.

If a student thinks that their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice, as long as their provider is a code member. The codes can be found at: https://www.thesac.org.uk/; https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain and https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml.

The department provides two documents to assist schools in managing any report of sexual violence and sexual harassment. Both provide detailed information on schools’ legal responsibilities, advice on managing reports of abuse, victim support and provide links to specialist advice and support.

The statutory guidance, which schools must give regard to, for keeping children safe in education is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.

Advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sexual-violence-and-sexual-harassment-between-children-in-schools-and-colleges.

Adopters are legally entitled to an assessment of their needs and their adoptive child’s needs, including assessment of need for financial support, therapeutic services, advice and guidance.

Sexual abuse can have both short-term and long-term effects and children and young people may experience a range of issues including: anxiety and depression; post-traumatic stress; feelings of shame and guilt; and relationship problems with family and friends. Therapeutic support can help children recover from their experiences and the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) is available for children who have left care through adoption and special guardianship to access this kind of support. The types of therapeutic support available through the ASF include play therapy, psychotherapy, family therapy and extensive life story work.

The government has invested significantly in the ASF, which has provided more than £177 million for therapeutic support to over 62,000 families since it launched in 2015. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies also fund other types of support to adoptive families. The government continues to review the support provided to all adoptive children and this issue will be discussed as part of the forthcoming spending review. We have also tasked the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board with improving support to adoptive families.

Although no full assessment has been made regarding the effect that school closures have had on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, the Department has commissioned an independent research and assessment agency to provide a baseline assessment of catch up needs for pupils in schools in England. They will then monitor progress over the course of the year, based on existing assessments, to help us target support across the system. This research will make use of existing assessments that schools already choose to use and are typically taken by over one million children each year. This will allow the Department to assess how a range of groups are performing this year, including the most disadvantaged and those with historically poor outcomes.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department has made it clear that no child should fall behind as a result of COVID-19. Now children are back in school, teachers are assessing what support their pupils need to get back on track, and head teachers have the flexibility to spend their allocation from our £1 billion COVID-19 catch up fund in the way they think is best for their pupils, using approaches that are known to have the most impact. The Department also continues to provide pupil premium funding, worth £2.4 billion in the current financial year, which aims to reduce the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils.

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) will provide additional, targeted tutoring support for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils who need the most help to catch up. It is important that decisions about what support pupils receive are made locally by those who understand their needs. Schools are encouraged to direct NTP support to pupil premium pupils who have been hardest hit by the disruption to their education. Schools are also able to exercise their professional judgement to include other disadvantaged and vulnerable children who are most in need of support.

As well as the NTP, the Department is also providing £650 million for a catch-up premium for all schools to help make up for lost teaching time. Schools can prioritise support based on individual needs, including pupils from deprived backgrounds and pupils facing other challenges, such as young carers, those working with a social worker, and those with mental health needs. Schools are free to use this funding to meet the needs of their pupils, including, for example, intervention programmes, extra teaching capacity or access to technology.

As of 4 July, providers offering out-of-school activities to children, such as sports clubs, including those not based on school premises, have been able to open for both indoor and outdoor provision with safety measures in place.

Out-of-school provision will continue to be permitted to operate during the autumn. The Department has updated the guidance for providers of holiday and after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings during the COVID-19 outbreak to outline the protective measures that settings should put in place to minimise the risk of infection and transmission of the virus, and to operate as safely as possible when all children return to school. The 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.

All pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for this. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Schools are advised to maximise the use of their site and any associated available space, such as rooms in an associated place of worship for schools with a religious character, if feasible. We do not, however, consider it necessary for schools to make significant adaptations to their site to enable them to welcome all children back to school. We also do not think schools will need to deliver any of their education on other sites (such as community centres and village halls) because class sizes can return to normal and spaces used by more than one class or group can be cleaned between use.

As stated in our guidance, schools should use their existing resources when making arrangements to welcome all children back for the autumn. There are no plans at present to reimburse additional costs incurred as part of that process.

Schools have been able to claim additional funding for exceptional costs incurred due to COVID-19 between March and July 2020, such as additional cleaning required due to confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases and increased premises costs to keep schools open for priority groups during the Easter and summer half term holidays. Schools have also continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6bn in 2020-21, £4.8bn in 2021-22 and £7.1bn in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20.

All pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for this. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.

Schools are advised to maximise the use of their site and any associated available space, such as rooms in an associated place of worship for schools with a religious character, if feasible. We do not, however, consider it necessary for schools to make significant adaptations to their site to enable them to welcome all children back to school. We also do not think schools will need to deliver any of their education on other sites (such as community centres and village halls) because class sizes can return to normal and spaces used by more than one class or group can be cleaned between use.

As stated in our guidance, schools should use their existing resources when making arrangements to welcome all children back for the autumn. There are no plans at present to reimburse additional costs incurred as part of that process.

Schools have been able to claim additional funding for exceptional costs incurred due to COVID-19 between March and July 2020, such as additional cleaning required due to confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases and increased premises costs to keep schools open for priority groups during the Easter and summer half term holidays. Schools have also continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6bn in 2020-21, £4.8bn in 2021-22 and £7.1bn in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20.

Racial harassment is unacceptable, and we cannot tolerate staff and students being victims of it at our world-leading universities. There is no place in our society - including within higher education – for any form of harassment, discrimination or racism. Universities have clear responsibilities in this regard.

As independent and autonomous institutions, higher education providers are responsible for the contracts and conditions of employment that they offer to their staff. We expect universities to follow fair recruitment and employment practices in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act (2010) to ensure that all job applicants and existing staff, regardless of race, have the opportunity to progress in their careers.

This government will continue to work closely with key partners, and the Office for Students, to drive progress on matters of racial harassment and inequality in higher education.

Racial harassment is unacceptable, and we cannot tolerate staff and students being victims of it at our world-leading universities. There is no place in our society - including within higher education – for any form of harassment, discrimination or racism. Universities have clear responsibilities in this regard.

As independent and autonomous institutions, higher education providers are responsible for the contracts and conditions of employment that they offer to their staff. We expect universities to follow fair recruitment and employment practices in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act (2010) to ensure that all job applicants and existing staff, regardless of race, have the opportunity to progress in their careers.

This government will continue to work closely with key partners, and the Office for Students, to drive progress on matters of racial harassment and inequality in higher education.

Racism in all its forms is abhorrent and has no place in our society. Schools play a crucial role in helping young people understand the world around them and their place within it. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they have the freedom to develop their own anti-bulling strategies and monitoring approaches to best suit their environment.

Our guidance on preventing and tackling bullying (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying) sets out that schools should develop a consistent approach to monitoring bullying incidents and evaluating the effectiveness of their approaches. It also directs schools to organisations who can provide support with tackling bullying related to race, religion and nationality.

The department asks teachers about the prevalence of different types of bullying in its regular school snapshot surveys. The latest survey is from July 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-summer-2019. This survey suggests that, over the previous 12 months, 56% of school leaders and teachers had ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ seen any of the types of bullying mentioned. 18% reported seeing bullying linked to race and ethnicity ‘sometimes’ or more often.

On 7 June, we announced more than £750,000 for the Diana Award, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Anne Frank Trust in order to help hundreds of schools and colleges build relationships between pupils and to increase their resilience as well as to continue to tackle bullying both in person and online (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-mental-health-support-for-pupils-and-teachers). The department has also made resources available through the website Educate Against Hate (https://educateagainsthate.com/). This website provides teachers, school leaders and parents with the information, guidance and support that they need to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs.

The department publishes an analysis of pupil performance at the key stage 2 and key stage 4 assessment points each year.

These analyses show that attainment at the end of key stage 2 varies between different ethnic groups. Consistent with previous years, Chinese pupils were the highest achieving group in 2019, with 80% of Chinese pupils reaching the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths, which is 15 percentage points above the national average. The pattern of attainment across the ethnic major groups has remained largely the same compared to the previous years. Chinese pupils were the highest attaining ethnic group, while black pupils and white pupils were the lowest attaining ethnic groups.

At the end of key stage 4, as in 2018, Chinese, mixed and Asian pupils had Attainment 8 scores above the national average (46.7 in 2019). Average Attainment 8 scores for white pupils and black pupils both remained below the national average.

The latest key stage 2 analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2019-revised.

The latest key stage 4 analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-performance-2019-revised.

The government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s social care. We will keep this under very close review over the coming weeks and months.

The government is providing free IT devices and equipment for children who do not currently have access to these, including children living with foster carers. We have also provided a national scheme to offer supermarket vouchers, worth £15 a week, to families of children who receive benefits-related free school meals. This is to cover the cost of meals for children who are currently unable to attend school.

We are continuing to work with fostering services and sector organisations to better understand the specific challenges that foster carers are facing in order to ensure the right level of support is put in place. This includes working closely with Fosterline, an independent advice and support line funded by the Department for Education, to consider what additional support can be offered to foster families struggling at this time.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, we are temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to include some children of groups who have no recourse to public funds. These groups are children of Zambrano carers, children of families with a right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, children of families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 and children of a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. These groups are a subject to a maximum income threshold of £16,190 per annum.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Students will continue to receive scheduled payments of loans towards their living costs for the remainder of the current, 2019/20, academic year.

Students with a part-time employment contract should speak to their employer about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been set up to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment. This can be accessed from here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses.

We have also asked that HE providers pay particular attention to the additional financial hardships that are being faced by student staff who have been reliant on income from campus-based jobs at this time.

Students who are tenants with individual private landlords are entitled to support if they are impacted by COVID-19, such as repayable rent reductions or postponements and assurances that eviction proceedings cannot begin against them for 3 months.

The government encourages universities and private hall providers to be fair in their decisions about rent charges for this period. A number of universities and large companies have waived rents for the summer term or released students early from their contracts.

It is also important to stress that accommodation providers should not have instructed any student to leave. If any accommodation provider did formally instruct a student to leave the property then it would be unacceptable to continue to charge student rents.

[questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-07/86122]

Defra has no plans to carry out a value for money assessment of out-of-hours veterinary care.

The Department has not made a value for money assessment of out-of-hours veterinary care.

The Government is currently providing up to £27.3m per week of emergency funding to the bus sector through the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG) scheme, ensuring that essential services continue to be provided. We will provide CBSSG until the funding is no longer needed.

On the 9^th May the Government announced a £2 billion package of funding for cycling and walking over the next five years. The Government will say more in the summer about its plans to boost cycling and improve cycle safety.

The Government has issued new statutory guidance to local authorities encouraging them to take measures to reallocate road space to people walking and cycling. It has also introduced a £225 million Emergency Active Travel Fund, available to local authorities this financial year for immediate measures to improve cycle safety including new cycle lanes.

The Government has no plans to introduce an Adoption Allowance for self-employed people. Local Authorities can make discretionary payments to self-employed adopters who do not qualify for adoption pay.

Wait times for customers needing to make a new claim to PIP remain low with customers, on average, waiting 4 mins and 59 seconds.

Call traffic to the PIP Telephony Enquiry Line fluctuates across the day; the average speed of answer, based on the previous three months, is 23 mins and 30 seconds.

Customers calling to register a PIP Mandatory Reconsideration can expect to wait an average of 3 minutes and 2 seconds.

Telephone calls remain the primary contact method for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) customers. Call traffic has increased significantly on the PIP enquiry line and during particularly busy periods there have been longer wait times than we would like.

We have deployed additional resources onto the enquiry line, including recruitment of more staff. Additionally, we have introduced new technology that will improve information for customers when they first call, and simplified the identity and verification process. These enhancements will increase call handling efficiency and improve the customer experience.

We are also developing new and better SMS messages to keep customers up to date and better informed. This will reduce the need for customers to contact the PIP enquiry line.

A range of DWP initiatives are supporting disabled people to start, stay and succeed in work. These include the Work and Health Programme, one-to-one support and training through the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advice in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we provided specialist employment support remotely and made programmes easier to access.

Every autistic person experiences autism differently, and many have complex needs or other conditions, such as a learning disability or mental health condition. We therefore design our programmes to tailor support to meet the needs of individual participants, while recognising that some approaches, such as the “place and train” model have been successful with autistic participants who have more complex needs. The IPES programme provides support that is highly personalised to meet the needs of disabled participants who are further from employment and have more complex barriers to work- this includes people with autism.

We are working with the National Autistic Society to test how we can make Jobcentre Plus services more accessible to and supportive of autistic customers, including accrediting individual offices. This test will run to the end of March 2022 and will inform future decisions about JCP provision.

If a new claim advance is taken, this means that a claimant can receive 13 payments over the course of a year instead of 12. As of October 2021, the period over which claimants can repay an advance also doubles from 12 months to 24 months

For Universal Credit claims due a payment during August 2020 41% had a deduction:

• 26% had only advance repayments,
• 10% had advance repayments and deductions for other debts
• 5% had only deductions for other debts.

Notes

• Other debts include Universal Credit third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.
• Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.
• Deductions for benefit overpayments were temporarily suspended for three months from the beginning of April due to Covid. These began to be reinstated from July 2020, taking a phased approach. However, as of August they have not been fully reinstated and some debts associated to new Universal Credit claimants have not yet been transferred to DWP.
• Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

New claimants do not have to wait for their first regular Universal Credit payment if they need up front support. All new UC claimants are able to request a new claim advance during the first assessment period of up to 100% of their estimated monthly award. Advances can be repaid over the following year, allowing new claimants to receive 13 payments during the year instead of 12. We are extending the maximum repayment period to two years from October 2021 to reduce the impact of taking an advance even further, and the reduction of the deductions cap from 30% to 25%.

For Universal Credit claims due a payment during August 2020, 41% (1,847,000 claims) had a deduction (excluding sanctions and fraud penalties).

• 26% had only advance repayments,
• 10% had advance repayments and deductions for other debts (e.g. third party deductions),
• 5% had only deductions for other debts.

For those who find themselves in unexpected hardship, advance repayments can be deferred for up to three months in certain cases.

Notes

• Other debts include Universal Credit third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.
• Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.
• Deductions for benefit overpayments were temporarily suspended for three months from the beginning of April due to Covid.
• Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

For UC claims with payments due during August 2020, around 5% (216,000 claims) had deductions for benefit overpayments. The deductions from UC for benefit overpayments include overpayments for tax credits, housing benefit and any DWP overpayments (including legacy benefits), not just UC overpayments.

The latest available data for legacy benefits shows, claims with payments due during May 2020, around 1% (213,000 claims) had deductions for benefit overpayments.

UC collects overpayments from the full range of benefits, including tax credits. As more people have moved on to UC this has resulted in a greater proportion of these overpayments being collected through UC.

Notes

• Claims figures rounded to the nearest 1,000.
• During the Covid period, deductions for benefit overpayments were suspended for three months. These began to be reinstated from July 2020, taking a phased approach, however as of August they have not been fully reinstated and some new debts may not yet have been transferred to DWP.
• Deductions for benefit overpayments include DWP, HMRC and LA fraud and non-fraud overpayments.
• Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

UC collects overpayments from the full range of benefits, including tax credits. As more people have moved on to Universal Credit (UC) this has resulted in a greater proportion of these overpayments being collected through UC.

For UC claims with payments due during February 2020, around 23% (579,000 claims) had deductions for benefit overpayments. The deductions from UC for benefit overpayments include overpayments for tax credits, housing benefit and any DWP overpayments (including legacy benefits), not just UC overpayments.

For Legacy benefit claims with payments due during February 2020, around 1% (237,000 claims) had deductions for benefit overpayments.

The Department has an obligation to ensure that public funds are administered responsibly and to abide by the principles set out in Her Majesty’s Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money.

We understand the impact that debt can have on the wellbeing of claimants and we endeavour to ensure that the recovery of any overpayment is managed in a way that takes account of the claimant’s individual circumstances. Where a person says they cannot afford the proposed rate of recovery, a reduction in their rate of repayment may be agreed. Debts can be waived if recovery is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship to a claimant or their immediate family

Our Work Coaches are trained to gauge claimants’ financial needs from their first contact and can refer them to more specialist support for personal budgeting, money guidance and debt advice if required, including through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS).

Notes:

1. Claims figures rounded to the nearest 1,000.

2. Deductions for benefit overpayments include DWP, HMRC and Local Authority, fraud and non-fraud overpayments.

3. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available

For Universal Credit claims due a payment during May 2020, 40% (1,627,000 claims) had a deduction.

Notes

1. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

2. Figure rounded to the nearest 1,000.

3. Third party deductions were suspended due to covid-19 from 10th April to 10th May and ‘other deductions’ (excluding advance repayments) were suspended for three months from the beginning of April, therefore these figures may not be representative of the full cohort of claims which would otherwise be having deductions.

4. Other debts include Universal Credit third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

For Universal Credit claims due a payment during May 2020, 40% had a deduction:

• 34% were having only advance repayments,
• 4% were having advance repayments and deductions for other debts (e.g. third party deductions)
• 2% were having only deductions for other debts.

New claimants do not have to wait for their first regular Universal Credit payment if they need up front support. All new UC claimants are able to request a new claim advance during the first assessment period of up to 100% of their estimated monthly award. Advances can be repaid over the following year, allowing new claimants to receive 13 payments during the year instead of 12. We are extending the maximum repayment period to two years from October 2021 to reduce the impact of taking an advance even further, and the reduction of the deductions cap from 30% to 25%.

For those who find themselves in unexpected hardship, advance repayments can be deferred for up to three months in certain cases.

Notes

1. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

2. Figure rounded to the nearest 1,000.

3. Third party deductions were suspended due to covid-19 from 10th April to 10th May and ‘other deductions’ (excluding advance repayments) were suspended for three months from the beginning of April, therefore these figures may not be representative of the full cohort of claims which would otherwise be having deductions.

4. Other debts include Universal Credit third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

The Government has been clear with its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:

• making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessments. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed online or by phone;
• increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;
• temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate;
• making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and
• increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

These steps form part of a wider package of measures which represent an investment of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system following the outbreak of COVID-19. These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.

We know that circumstances can change rapidly, and that was particularly true at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19, which is why the Government will continue to keep the adequacy of its welfare response under review.

The Government has been clear with its commitment to support those affected in these difficult times and we have made a number of changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. These changes include:

• making it easier to access benefits. Those applying for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) who may have coronavirus, are self-isolating, or caring for a child (or qualifying young person) who falls into either of those categories, or individuals who have been advised to ’shield’ because they are at high risk of severe illness, will be entitled from day 1 of their claim – as opposed to day 8 - and we have removed the need for face-to-face assessments. Both Universal Credit (UC) and ESA can now be claimed online or by phone;
• increasing the standard allowance of UC by up to £1,040 this year;
• temporarily relaxing the application of the Minimum Income Floor for all self-employed claimants affected by COVID-19 to ensure that the self-employed can access UC at a more generous rate;
• making Statutory Sick Pay available from day 1 – as opposed to day 4 - where an eligible individual is sick or self-isolating; and
• increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the cheapest 30% of local market rents – which is on average £600 in people’s pockets.

These steps form part of a wider package of measures which represent an investment of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system following the outbreak of COVID-19. These measures, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support by an advanced economy.

We know that circumstances can change rapidly, and that was particularly true at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19, which is why the Government will continue to keep the adequacy of its welfare response under review.

This Government provides a strong welfare safety net, and continues to spend over £95 billion a year on working age welfare benefits for those who need them.

We do not assess adequacy of benefits on the grounds of race.

Those who cannot access the digital NHS COVID Pass can display a text message or email, which can also be printed, to provide proof of COVID-19 status. Free rapid lateral flow tests are available through NHS.UK, 119 and at most pharmacies. The 119 service can also support those who require assistance with ordering, accessing and using test kits, registering their test result and for language support if English is not their first language. Once the result is registered, the person will receive a confirmation via email or by text. The confirmation will include:

- their name;

- their age or date of birth;

- the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider;

- confirmation that the test was either a polymerase chain reaction test or a rapid lateral flow device test; and

- confirmation that the test result was negative.

This constitutes proof of COVID-19 status for accessing domestic venues and events where certification applies. It can be displayed either by showing the text or presenting a printed copy of the email. In addition, a non-digital NHS COVID Pass letter is also available demonstrating that an individual has completed a full primary course of an approved United Kingdom vaccine. However, the COVID Pass letter does not include test status.

Evidence on the symptomatology of COVID-19 is regularly reviewed and monitored. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the symptoms of COVID-19 are significantly different in a vaccinated or unvaccinated person once they become infected.

Vaccinated individuals who contract the virus can be asymptomatic or present with the same range of symptoms as those who have not received the vaccine but are less likely to be hospitalised or die.

We have regular discussions with other Government departments on a range of issues related to controlling the spread of the virus. The current targeted and temporary measures will slow the entry and spread of the Omicron variant of concern and will be reviewed. This will protect the National Health Service from being overwhelmed. More economic and social restrictions would only be considered as a last resort, which includes restrictions on the hospitality sector.

Individuals notified by NHS Test and Trace or a public health official that they are a close contact of someone confirmed or suspected to have the COVID-19 Omicron variant are legally required to self-isolate, regardless of their age, or vaccination status or negative test result. This change came into force on 30 November 2021.

We have no plans to do so. Those who receive a positive polymerase chain reaction or assisted lateral flow device (LFD) test result or who self-report a positive LFD test receive specific advice on their self-isolation requirements.

We are considering all evidence submitted to the Government’s public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion. We will publish our response in due course.

Laboratories in the network have target turnaround times from kit registration to communicated result of 80% within 24 hours for physical test sites and 60% within 48 hours for satellite sites. Performance metrics are tracked daily and any issues are investigated to restore performance to minimum target levels as quickly as possible. To minimise waiting times, we have designed a dynamic COVID-19 laboratory network to ensure samples can be processed as effectively as possible, minimising sample waiting time through a regional allocation model to factor in travel times, laboratory capacity and testing rates.

The Department has no such current plans. Since September 2020, the Department has made available a new, non-repayable, training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year for eligible nursing and paramedicine students through the NHS Learning Support Fund (NHS LSF). In addition, the NHS LSF provides for an additional parental support allowance of £2,000 per academic year to help eligible students with childcare costs. NHS LSF funding is a supplementary source of financial support for eligible students in addition to maintenance and tuition fee loans provided by the Student Loans Company.

The ‘COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021’ sets out that if the data suggests the National Health Service is likely to come under unsustainable pressure, the Government will implement its prepared ‘Plan B’ for England. This would introduce measures to control transmission of the virus, such as requiring people to wear face coverings in some settings. The exact settings will be announced if and when Plan B is implemented.

Specialist clinical nursing workforce working in chemotherapy and palliative care are post-registration qualifications. It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that they have the staff available to provide clinical services. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing a programme in 2022 to assess the palliative workforce, training, and support requirements of health care systems in England.

The Spending Review in 2020 provided £260 million to continue to support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan, of which £52 million was provided to Health Education England (HEE) to invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce. In 2021/22 HEE has provided 105 training grants to National Health Service trusts in England for existing and aspiring chemotherapy nurses to enable them to undertake further training and education.

Over the next three years, £36 billion will be invested in the health and care system to ensure it has the appropriate long term resources. Allocations and profiles will be confirmed as part of the up-coming Spending Review, which will set out the Government’s spending plans including investment in the NHS workforce.

Specialist clinical nursing workforce working in chemotherapy and palliative care are post-registration qualifications. It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that they have the staff available to provide clinical services. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing a programme in 2022 to assess the palliative workforce, training, and support requirements of health care systems in England.

The Spending Review in 2020 provided £260 million to continue to support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan, of which £52 million was provided to Health Education England (HEE) to invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce. In 2021/22 HEE has provided 105 training grants to National Health Service trusts in England for existing and aspiring chemotherapy nurses to enable them to undertake further training and education.

Over the next three years, £36 billion will be invested in the health and care system to ensure it has the appropriate long term resources. Allocations and profiles will be confirmed as part of the up-coming Spending Review, which will set out the Government’s spending plans including investment in the NHS workforce.

Specialist clinical nursing workforce working in chemotherapy and palliative care are post-registration qualifications. It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that they have the staff available to provide clinical services. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing a programme in 2022 to assess the palliative workforce, training, and support requirements of health care systems in England.

The Spending Review in 2020 provided £260 million to continue to support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan, of which £52 million was provided to Health Education England (HEE) to invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce. In 2021/22 HEE has provided 105 training grants to National Health Service trusts in England for existing and aspiring chemotherapy nurses to enable them to undertake further training and education.

Over the next three years, £36 billion will be invested in the health and care system to ensure it has the appropriate long term resources. Allocations and profiles will be confirmed as part of the up-coming Spending Review, which will set out the Government’s spending plans including investment in the NHS workforce.

General practice has remained open throughout the pandemic, offering face to face appointments in addition to telephone and online consultations.

On 14 October we announced a plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with professional bodies and patient groups to develop communications tools to help patients understand how they can access the care they need in general practice.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess the eligible social care needs of the local population and arrange respite care where necessary, including for people with terminal illnesses. We have supported councils to maintain services with access to over £1 billion of additional funding for social care in 2021-22, including for respite care for people with a terminal illness where required. Since the start of the pandemic we have also an additional £6 billion directly to councils to support them with the impacts of COVID-19 related spending pressures, including on social care services such as respite care.

We have invested £270 million since November 2020 to expand capacity in general practice, in addition to £1.5 billion until 2023/24 and £250 million via the Winter Access Fund. The non-recurring revenue funding through the Winter Access Fund is ringfenced to protect and expand capacity in general practice, until March 2022.

We have committed increasing and diversifying the workforce and through our general practitioner (GP) recruitment and retention schemes, alongside recruiting an additional 26,000 primary care staff by embedding multidisciplinary teams.

More than 3,793 doctors accepted a place on GP training in 2020 against a target of 3,500 and we remain committed to increasing the number of training places to 4,000 in 2021/22.

Ambulance performance is measured against six response time standards across four call categories. The category of call reflects the severity of the incident as follows: Category 1: life threatening; Category 2: emergency; Category 3: urgent; Category 4: less urgent.

The following table shows ambulance performance data in September 2021 by category.

Trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve response times. This includes continuous monitoring and support through the National Ambulance Coordination Centre and the investment of an extra £55 million for ambulance trusts to increase staff numbers ahead of the winter.

We have invested £270 million since November 2020 to expand capacity in general practice, in addition to £1.5 billion until 2023/24 and £250 million via the Winter Access Fund. The non-recurring revenue funding through the Winter Access Fund is ringfenced to protect and expand capacity in general practice, until March 2022.

We have committed increasing and diversifying the workforce and through our general practitioner (GP) recruitment and retention schemes, alongside recruiting an additional 26,000 primary care staff by embedding multidisciplinary teams.

More than 3,793 doctors accepted a place on GP training in 2020 against a target of 3,500 and we remain committed to increasing the number of training places to 4,000 in 2021/22.

In May 2018 we announced £40 million over five years for brain tumour research to improve outcomes for cancer patients as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission through the National Institute for Health Research. Since this announcement, 10 applications for research have been funded and seven are under consideration.

The NHS Long Term Plan set out a series of commitments that focus primarily on fast and early diagnosis for all cancers including raising greater awareness of symptoms of cancer, lowering the threshold for referral by general practitioners and accelerating access to diagnosis investing in rapid diagnostic centres. These measures, aimed at improving cancer outcomes for all cancers, will benefit brain tumour patients.

The Department agrees further brain tumour research is vital for improving the treatment and outcome for these patients. In 2018, we announced £40 million over five years for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). To encourage applications for this research, the NIHR is supporting the research community in submitting fundable proposals. The NIHR also continues to encourage brain tumour research applications. We therefore have no plans for a dedicated fund.

The Government has zero tolerance for abuse or violence directed at National Health Service staff. As announced in ‘Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice’ on 14 October 2021, the Government and NHS England will work with the trades unions and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to launch a zero-tolerance campaign. In addition, NHS England will immediately establish a £5 million fund to facilitate upgrades to practice security measures.

Ambulance performance is measured against six response time standards across four call categories. The category of call reflects the severity of the incident as follows: Category 1: life threatening; Category 2: emergency; Category 3: urgent; Category 4: less urgent.

The following table shows ambulance performance data in September 2021 by category.

Trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve response times. This includes continuous monitoring and support through the National Ambulance Coordination Centre and the investment of an extra £55 million for ambulance trusts to increase staff numbers ahead of the winter.

All National Health Service providers are required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in the Equality Act 2010 and the Accessible Information Standard to ensure that deaf people who wish to communicate using British Sign Language (BSL) to access NHS services can do so.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have extended access to BSL interpretation of their 111 service via Interpreter Now. NHS England and NHS Improvement have also commissioned a rapid review into access to BSL interpretation in NHS services which is near completion. The review will set out clear steps to support NHS providers to meet their responsibilities to deliver access to BSL interpretation.

Local authorities must safeguard people with care and support needs who are at risk, in cooperation with the police and the National Health Service. Specific offences can be used to prosecute perpetrators. These duties have remained throughout the pandemic and we have supported the sector with guidance, training and increased funding for local authorities.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 provides protection and support for all victims who are abused or controlled by a relative. We have also committed to review the protections and support in place for adults abused at home by someone caring for them. The Law Commission is running a consultation on its programme of reform. Government officials are also engaged with this work.

A United Kingdom national travelling from this country should have appropriate travel insurance in place in the event that they become ill overseas and wish to be medically repatriated home to continue treatment. Once home, a patient would be treated as any other who is ordinarily resident in the UK and will be able to continue their treatment as appropriate.

Three new clinics were established in 2020 in London, Manchester and Liverpool. A further pilot clinic being implemented in the East of England in summer 2021.

At meeting 29 on 28 April 2020, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered a paper on environmental influences on transmission of COVID-19 including the contamination risks of jet hand dryers in public bathrooms. The paper noted that hand hygiene methods may have a significant effect on hand contamination and subsequent surface contamination. The paper is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-influence-on-transmission-of-covid-19-28-april-2020

There is no data on the efficacy of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine 12 weeks after the first dose. Given the high effectiveness and durability of responses to the first dose seen in United Kingdom data, it is not expected that protection will reduce rapidly after 12 weeks.

We work closely with our international partners to exchange best practice and work on digital solutions including exploring ways to support citizens when international travel resumes.

The Government’s policy, based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers, is that second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should be administered within 12 weeks of the first dose. This is the case for all people receiving a vaccination, including people with chronic and terminal illnesses.

People with chronic and terminal illnesses are receiving the second dose within 12 weeks of their first dose and there are currently no delays.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has concluded that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age, as age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations and the speed of delivery is crucial as we provide more people with protection from COVID-19.

In line with the JCVI’s advice, special school staff will not be prioritised for a COVID-19 vaccination based on their occupation. Staff in schools for children with learning disabilities, will therefore be prioritised for vaccination according to their age and clinical risk along with the rest of the population, rather than on the basis of occupation.

We do not collect this information. COVID-19 vaccinations are offered to every adult living in the United Kingdom free of charge, regardless of immigration status and no immigration checks will be carried out.

It is against the law for anyone, including children under 12 years old, to meet socially with friends outside unless they are part of their household or support bubble. However, there is an exemption from the stay at home rule for exercise which means that children can take part in physical activity outdoors with their own household. Playgrounds are permitted to open but children should not mix with other households.

It is against the law for anyone, including children under 12 years old, to meet socially with friends outside unless they are part of their household or support bubble. However, there is an exemption from the stay at home rule for exercise which means that children can take part in physical activity outdoors with their own household. Playgrounds are permitted to open but children should not mix with other households.

The Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) 03-01 provides guidance on the design and management of heating and specialised ventilation in health sector buildings, including guidance regarding the adequate ventilation of healthcare facilities to ensure staff safety. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-premises-parts-a-and-b

The HTM gives comprehensive advice and guidance on the legal requirements, design implications, maintenance and operation of specialised ventilation in all types of healthcare premises. It applies to new installations and major refurbishments of existing installations. Under the HTM all hospital trusts are required to have an Authorising Engineer (Ventilation) who provides independent auditing and advice on ventilation systems and who reviews and witnesses documentation on validation. The Care Quality Commission is responsible for compliance with the HTM under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (revised), and the Department has no current plans to change this approach

Since March 2020, the Government has given over £10.2 million to mental health charities, including bereavement support charities, to support adults and children struggling with their mental wellbeing due to the impact of COVID-19. This includes funding for bereavement support helplines, counselling and signposting services to ensure that grieving families and individuals who have lost loved ones have access to the bereavement support they need, when they need it. We continue to take a cross-Government approach to assess what is needed to provide support to bereaved families and individuals.

Although autism is not technically considered a learning disability, many autistic people also have a learning disability. On 24 February, the Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published a clarification of their advice on vaccinating people with a learning disability. The JCVI confirmed that while their clinical view remains that those at greatest risk are people with severe and profound learning disabilities, they support the practical operational approach of inviting everyone on the General Practice Learning Disability Register to be vaccinated as part of cohort six in phase one.

We have been clear that learning disability should never be a reason for a Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decision and that blanket DNACPR decisions are completely inappropriate. NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued a number of joint statements to health and care providers reiterating this.

We have asked the Care Quality Commission to undertake a review of DNACPR decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is underway and will report on later this year. The 2020/21 General Medical Services Contract Quality and Outcomes Framework now includes a requirement for all DNACPR decisions for people with a learning disability to be reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation and have asked representative organisations to inform us where cases of inappropriate DNACPR practice are identified.

All indoor entertainment venues, including theatres, had to close in areas under tier 3 restrictions. However, on 4 January, the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown, meaning theatres are now closed across England, although they are still be able to open for training, rehearsals and for filming. While we understand and appreciate the efforts businesses have taken to limit the risk of transmission in their premises, Scientists have confirmed that the new variant is between 50 and 70% more transmissible and can be spread by people with no symptoms. It is right, therefore, that theatres and other entertainment venues must close in order to manage the spread of the virus.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is an uncommon diagnosis, partly because some psychiatrists are unsure it is a mental health condition in and of itself at all, and partly because dissociation is a symptom present in a number of conditions, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, severe mental health problems such as psychosis, and ‘personality disorder’, where trauma has played a significant role.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care will give 370,000 adults and older adults with serious mental illnesses, including psychosis and ‘personality disorder’ where disassociation is a symptom, greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by 2023/24.

Until 3 December, tiers requirements will not apply because of the new national restrictions. As part of the national restrictions, however, we continue to recognise providing informal social care to relatives and vulnerable people is of the highest importance.

People may meet with a maximum of one person from another household outdoors for the purposes of exercise and recreation. Children under school age, as well as those dependent on round-the-clock care, such as those with severe disabilities, who are with their parents will not count toward the limit on meeting two people outside. People can continue to exercise outdoors as a household or support bubble.

Ministers and officials across government have regular discussions about social distancing, including the rule of six, and keep the legislation and guidance under review.

We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan.

Under this plan, new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care will give 370,000 adults and older adults with serious mental illnesses, including psychosis and personality disorder where disassociation is a symptom, greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by 2023/24.

This will include access to psychological therapies, improved physical health care, employment support, personalised and trauma-informed care, medicines management and support for self-harm and coexisting substance use. Local areas will be supported to redesign and reorganise core community mental health teams to move towards a new place-based, multidisciplinary service across health and social care aligned with primary care networks.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, an additional 345,000 children and young people in England will have access to support via National Health Service-funded mental health services and school-or college-based mental health support teams by 2023/24. The first 59 mental health support teams are becoming operational and 123 teams will be in place by early 2021 with the programme rolling out to at least 20-25% of the country by 2023.

We are also piloting a new four week waiting time for children and young people’s mental health services in 12 areas and incentivising every school or college to identify and train a senior lead for mental health.

No estimate has been made of the proportion of dental practices taking on new National Health Service patients.

If an appointment is required, patients with a regular dentist should call their regular dental practice in the first instance. Those unable to contact their own dentist or not currently registered with a dental practice should contact NHS 111, who will be able to help them contact an urgent dental service or arrange treatment if needed.

No estimate has been made of the proportion of dental practices taking on new National Health Service patients.

If an appointment is required, patients with a regular dentist should call their regular dental practice in the first instance. Those unable to contact their own dentist or not currently registered with a dental practice should contact NHS 111, who will be able to help them contact an urgent dental service or arrange treatment if needed.

The NHS Long Term Plan’s Mental Health Implementation Plan sets out our plans to invest £57 million in suicide prevention. This will see investment in all areas of the country by 2023/24 to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services. We have worked with NHS England to ensure that local areas use this funding to test approaches to reaching and engaging men.

We recognise that there is the potential for an increase in demand for mental health services amongst students as a result of COVID-19. We are working with the Department for Education, the National Health Service, Public Health England and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19, including on students.

Mental health services are still open and working to support people with mental health issues through the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Our community, adult talking therapies and children and young people’s services have deployed innovative digital tools to connect with people and provide ongoing support.

There has are currently no plans to undertake a review of whether there has been an improvement in diagnosis and management of endometriosis in women since the publication of the 2018 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standards.

The Government has recently received the Inquiry Report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, the report raised a number of important issues concerning the treatment and diagnosis of endometriosis which will be carefully considered as part of our ongoing work in women’s health.

There are currently no plans to undertake a review of the adequacy of treatment provision for people diagnosed with endometriosis.

The Government has recently received the Inquiry Report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, the report raised a number of important issues concerning the treatment and diagnosis of endometriosis which will be carefully considered as part of our ongoing work in women’s health.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published a service specification for adult gender dysphoria services in July 2019 that describes the psychological and psychotherapeutic therapies that must be available for individuals with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. This includes a specialist multi-disciplinary team of professionals, with a mix of skills, experience and expertise including in mental health care needs that are specific to individuals with gender dysphoria. The service specification is available at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/publication/service-specification-gender-identity-services-for-adults-non-surgical-interventions/

In September 2020, the Government announced the establishment of three new gender dysphoria clinics in England, each of which will work to the national service specification.

The NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24 sets out the National Health Service priorities for improving mental health care and widening access to mental health services by 2023/24.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year in mental health services by 2023/24 to support adults and children, including autistic people. Through the pandemic, we have provided £9.2 million of additional funding for mental health charities to support adults and children struggling with their mental wellbeing during this time. We have also provided a further £6 million to support various charities, including those working with people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs.

We are revisiting the work to refresh the autism strategy, working closely with the Department for Education and other Government departments. As part of this work and as a key priority, we will consider what further action can be taken to support people to maintain good mental health.

We recognise how difficult it has been for people to be cut off from their friends and family throughout the past few months. Support bubbles are to assist the loneliest and most isolated in society. They were introduced to provide extra support to some of those most impacted by the difficult effects of the social restrictions, while ensuring we continue to keep the rate of transmission low. The policy has been targeted at single-adult households for that reason.

We recognise concerns people with eating disorders may have on measures to reduce obesity and are committed to striking a careful balance between enabling people to make healthier food and drink choices whilst not negatively impacting on those with or recovering from an eating disorder.

Obesity represents a huge cost to the health and wellbeing of the individual, the National Health Service and the wider economy. With over six in 10 adults and more than one in three children aged 10 to 11 years old overweight or obese, it is right we take action.

In response to feedback to our consultation on out-of-home calorie labelling, we will introduce legislation to require large out-of-home sector businesses, that is businesses with 250 or more employees, to calorie label the food they sell.

An equalities assessment and impact assessment were published alongside the consultation response and can be viewed at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/calorie-labelling-for-food-and-drink-served-outside-of-the-home

Data from the National Child Measurement Programme shows obesity prevalence is highest amongst the most deprived groups in society. Children in the most deprived parts of the country are more than twice as likely to be obese as their peers living in the richest areas.

No assessment has been made as, to date, it has not been necessary to commence Schedule 8 Section 3 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Everyone can make their own face covering at home, using readily available textiles that can be washed, and reused after every use.

We have published guidance online which provides a step-by-step breakdown of how to make these face coverings and what materials can be used.

We are doing everything we can to ensure the social care sector has the support it needs during this unprecedented global outbreak. To date, we have released over 172 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to designated wholesalers for onward sale to social care providers. As a result, the majority of PPE continues to be sourced by care providers themselves from wholesalers, as it was prior to COVID-19.

The Government does not have direct responsibility for pay awards in adult social care in the same way as for other areas of the public sector, and for this reason adult social care was not included in the pay award announcement on 21 July 2020. Adult social care providers continue to set the rate of pay for their workers.

The Government nonetheless maintains oversight of the social care system and we are committed to raising the profile of the social care sector. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a society.

The Department is aware of the complexities of interpreting for remote medical consultations, including the need for interpreter services to adapt their processes to align with this new type of video consultation. We are developing our support offer to help trusts engage with the widest possible audience of patients, through initiatives like sound-only access to the call for interpreters. We will continue to support and share innovative practices in interpreter services as part of this effort.

We understand how challenging this period has been for people who rely on ventilation and we are doing everything we can to support patients, led by clinical advice.

COVID-19 has caused a significant increase in demand for clinical consumables and has disrupted international supply chains, making it more difficult to source products, including a small number of products for ventilators.

The Department, working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement, has put in place a range of measures to address these challenges, including making it easier for clinicians to report shortages and identifying opportunities to open up new supply options and using additional brands.

We have received assurances from the key supplier of filters for ventilators that supply chains are now restored and they have resumed processing orders and working through the backlog. Currently none of the National Health Service trusts who supply patients in the community with these consumables are reporting critically low stock levels. However, we will of course keep this under very close review and, if necessary, work with suppliers to prioritise deliveries to areas with the greatest clinical need.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working closely with clinicians, trusts and suppliers to prepare for winter and ensure there are sufficient stocks of these consumables to meet the need of all patients who require home ventilation as well as for any future spike in COVID-19 cases going forward.

The Department has been working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Implementation Working Group to look at how the current NICE guidance and quality standard on ADHD are being implemented and to identify and disseminate examples of best practice in respect of care and support for people with ADHD.

NHS Digital continue to work with the Department and NHS England on how the collection of ADHD data, including data on diagnosis waiting times can be improved. Consideration is being given as to how collection of data on ADHD can be improved on a national level, including improving consistency and comparability of any data currently collected.

The Department has been working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Implementation Working Group to look at how the current NICE guidance and quality standard on ADHD are being implemented and to identify and disseminate examples of best practice in respect of care and support for people with ADHD.

NHS Digital continue to work with the Department and NHS England on how the collection of ADHD data, including data on diagnosis waiting times can be improved. Consideration is being given as to how collection of data on ADHD can be improved on a national level, including improving consistency and comparability of any data currently collected.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd on 14 May 2020 to Question 43087.

Since the start of this outbreak we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care to respond to the pandemic.

On 12 March 2020 the Government announced that we were moving our COVID-19 response from the ‘contain’ to ‘delay’ phase. The following day, Public Health England published new guidance for care homes. This included action to be taken in the event of a staff member or resident displaying COVID-19 symptoms, and guidance on infection control within the home.

This guidance was updated on 2 April with the Government’s ‘Admissions to Care Homes guidance’. This set out further advice on infection control procedures, as well as isolation, decontamination, cleaning and protective measures for staff.

The Adult Social Care Action Plan published on 15 April set out further measures to support care homes in reducing transmission of the virus. On 15 May, we published our care home support package which recommended further measures care homes could take to minimise the risks of the virus and was backed by a £600 million Infection Control Fund.

We have made £1.3 billion funding available to the National Health Service to help patients who no longer need urgent treatment to get home from hospital safely and quickly. We have also made £3.2 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.

Only clinically extremely vulnerable people are included on the shielded patient list. Following the update to shielding guidance on 31 May 2020, the National Health Service has written to general practitioners (GPs), NHS trusts and commissioners asking them to continue to maintain the shielded patient list, using the existing criteria and processes.

GPs or specialists are able to add individual patients to the list where they consider them to be clinically extremely vulnerable. They may also remove people from the list where they believe someone has been identified in error through the national process, or if they no longer think someone is clinically extremely vulnerable. This should only ever be done in consultation with the patient and other clinicians where appropriate.

Anyone who is concerned about whether or not they should be shielding, should contact their doctor to discuss.

The Department is offering a test to every staff member and resident in every care home in England, whether symptomatic or not. By 6 June, every care home for the over 65s will have been offered testing for residents and staff.

The expanded provision for care homes is being met through increased satellite testing and the deployment of Mobile Test Units. Through these means we are now providing 30,000 tests per day. We have also launched an online portal that makes it easy for care homes to request deliveries of COVID-19 test kits.

In England, information is not collected specifically relating to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the Department has been working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their ADHD Implementation Working Group to look at how the current NICE guidance and quality standard on ADHD are being implemented and to inform discussions about how data can be improved.

NHS Digital continue to work with the Department and NHS England on the development of access and waiting times reporting for mental health care pathways. Consideration is being given as to how collection of data on ADHD can be improved on a national level, including improving consistency and comparability of any data currently collected.

Information on tests and diagnoses for Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

On 2 April 2020, the Government, NHS England, Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission co-published guidance for the care sector, entitled ‘Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 Incident in a Care Home’.

This contains advice on assessing the appropriateness of hospitalising, infection prevention and control for patient transport, and informing the receiving healthcare facility that the incoming patient has COVID-19 symptoms.

Building on this, the Government published the ‘COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care’ on 15 April 2020. This confirms that, where a care home resident is suffering from more severe COVID-19 symptoms, the individual may need to be admitted to hospital. Decisions should always be made in line with clinical need.

On 1 May 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published a letter: ‘COVID-19 response: Primary care and community health support care home residents.’ The letter advises that secondary care providers should accept referrals and admissions from care home residents where clinically appropriate.

In this unprecedented global pandemic, we are constantly reviewing our guidance in line with the best scientific advice.

NHS England has advised that every COVID-19 patient needing hospital care, including ventilation, has been able to receive it.

Guidance on the case definition for COVID-19 and whether the inpatient definition is met (admittance to hospital) can be found online. This advice is purely based on clinical presentation.

A letter was sent out to National Health Service organisations and general practitioner practices on 7 April from NHS England and NHS Improvement reminding people of the principles of the NHS Constitution and stressing that even in a time of emergency each person is an individual whose needs and preferences must be taken account of individually. By contrast blanket policies are inappropriate whether due to medical condition, disability, or age.

Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 125,000 workers in care settings and over 118,000 care home residents have been tested through DHSC and PHE testing routes.

On 11 May we launched the ‘whole care home’ portal. We have the capacity to deliver up to 30,000 tests a day to residents and staff in care homes, making sure that all residents and asymptomatic staff can all be tested.

Data on the number of tests requested is not currently available or published in the format requested. This information is for England only and supplements the local systems already in place for testing residents.

The Care Quality Commission referred over 34,000 care workers for testing between 10 April and 26 April. Care home workers with symptoms should be self-isolating and can access testing through the self-referral or employer referral portals. Data on the number of tests completed is not currently available or published in the format requested.

We have no plans to authorise research into the security control of viruses under investigation at the Wuhan State Institute of Virology.

We are concentrating on the stages that we have set out in paragraph 3.9 of the COVID-19 action plan. These stages are: contain, delay, research and mitigate.

Bahrain is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country. We regularly raise human rights issues and individual cases with senior members of the Government of Bahrain, as well as with the independent human rights oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies. Our annual Human Rights Report, published last in July 2021 contains our most recent assessment -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-rights-and-democracy-report-2020

We continue to monitor and discuss the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.

The UK's position on the Middle East Peace Process is clear and longstanding. The Foreign Secretary and Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid discussed the Middle East Peace Process, including how to improve the situation in Gaza, during their meeting on 29 November. The memorandum of understanding, signed on 29 November and accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-israel-strategic-partnership-memorandum-of-understanding-2021, commits to the development of a new, bespoke UK-Israel Bilateral Roadmap. This Roadmap will define UK-Israel cooperation for the next decade across the breadth of the bilateral relationship.

We continue to work closely with international partners on possible flight options to help British Nationals and their dependents to safely leave Afghanistan. Since the end of the evacuation, more than 100 British Nationals and dependents have been able to leave on seven Qatari Government charter flights. We hope more British nationals will be able to make use of this route out of Afghanistan. We will also facilitate relocation, from third countries if possible, for those British Nationals and their eligible dependents.

Our ambition is to re-energise the G7, strengthening unity and working with democratic partners. Prime Minister Modi's attendance will broaden geographic representation and demonstrates the importance of the Indo-Pacific region. We are disappointed that Prime Minister Modi will not be able to attend the G7 Summit in person because of domestic coronavirus priorities, but look forward to welcoming him virtually. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters, working with union and state governments, and with non-governmental organisations, to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at ministerial level.

As we made clear in our statement on 9 November, the UK is very concerned that the Rohingya and other minority ethnic groups, were excluded from these elections. Universal suffrage for all people in Myanmar, including the Rohingya, and the right to stand as a candidate, is a key part of achieving effective democracy. We are clear that the 1982 Citizenship Law is deeply flawed and enables the exclusion of Rohingya and other minorities on spurious grounds. The Rohingya, who have lived in Myanmar for generations, should be granted full citizenship and the associated rights. They should not be excluded from Myanmar elections. We have made this clear to the Myanmar Government. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues with the Minister for International Cooperation in advance of the election and I [Minister Adams] raised my concerns when I spoke to the same Minister in June. We continue to call for elections to be credible and inclusive, allowing individuals of all communities to participate.

The Government is deeply concerned by violence during protests in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria, including reports of protestors being killed. Our condolences go to the families of all those affected. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 21 October calling for an end to the violence and for the Nigerian Government to urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces. I also tweeted on 21 October urging the Nigerian Government to restore peace and address concerns about brutality towards civilians. I reiterated the UK's concerns when I [Minister Duddridge] spoke to Foreign Minister Onyeama on 23 October. The British High Commissioner in Abuja continues to raise the protests with representatives of the Nigerian Government.

We will continue to push the Nigerian police to uphold human rights and the rule of law in all operations. We will also continue to urge the Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of police brutality, illegal detentions and assaults, and hold those responsible to account.

The Government is deeply concerned by violence during protests in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria, including reports of protestors being killed. Our condolences go to the families of all those affected. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 21 October calling for an end to the violence and for the Nigerian Government to urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces. I also tweeted on 21 October urging the Nigerian Government to restore peace and address concerns about brutality towards civilians. I reiterated the UK's concerns when I [Minister Duddridge] spoke to Foreign Minister Onyeama on 23 October. The British High Commissioner in Abuja continues to raise the protests with representatives of the Nigerian Government.

We will continue to push the Nigerian police to uphold human rights and the rule of law in all operations. We will also continue to urge the Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of police brutality, illegal detentions and assaults, and hold those responsible to account.

The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses issues related to international security with international counterparts. Earlier this year, P5 Foreign Ministers of the five Nuclear Weapon States issued a joint declaration reaffirming our commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to mark the Treaty's 50th anniversary. The UK Government hosted a P5 Conference in London on 12-13 February, which allowed the five Nuclear Weapon States to deepen our engagement on nuclear issues, including disarmament. Officials also continue to have regular discussions with international partners on multilateral disarmament.

The violence we have seen is clearly very alarming. People must be allowed to protest peacefully - peaceful protest remains a vital part of a democratic society and we understand the strength of feeling around this issue.

The violence we have seen is clearly very alarming. Peaceful protest remains a vital part of a democratic society and people must be allowed to protest peacefully.

Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 27 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.

As the Foreign Secretary stated in the House on 24 March, we are prioritising the most vulnerable. We are in regular contact with the insurance industry to keep the information on our travel advice pages up to date, and continue to work with all partners to ensure that the most vulnerable passengers receive the help they require.

Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 27 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.

British nationals should follow the instructions of local authorities and take into account medical advice specific to their personal circumstances. In general, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recommended that all British nationals who live in the UK and are currently travelling abroad, whether working or on holiday, should return now, where and while there are still commercial routes available. International travel is becoming more difficult with the closure of land borders and further restrictions, such as on freedom of movement, are being introduced daily. Foreign and Commonwealth Office teams around the world are working urgently to ensure that governments have sensible plans to enable the return of British and other travellers, and ensure that the most vulnerable travellers receive the help they require.

As Parliament rose earlier than planned and the first day for answer of this PQ was after the Easter recess, due to the pace of developments during the COVID-19 crisis, I submitted a response by email on 31 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.

The British High Commission in Wellington is fully staffed and doing all it can to support British nationals at this time, including on routes home. The New Zealand Government has introduced strict restrictions on movement. This requires businesses, including diplomatic premises, to work fully remotely to support social distancing. Consular services are deemed essential and therefore, our High Commission is open to issue emergency travel documents. However, given the New Zealand Government's directive on social distancing, we are asking people not to visit our High Commission in Wellington, or our Consulate in Auckland in person, and instead reach out via our online webform. This is the most effective way to ensure that all requests for support are captured and triaged appropriately.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like events and hospitality.

We have already announced considerable and unprecedented support for businesses and individuals through the national restrictions.

Businesses forced to close can claim grants of up to £3,000 per month (worth over £1 billion per month) through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed). Any business in England forced to close due to national or local restrictions can claim grants, via their local authority, of up to £3,000 per month, per business premises, depending on rateable value.

In addition, on 5th January, the Government announced an extra £4.6 billion to protect jobs and support affected businesses as restrictions get tougher. Businesses forced to close can claim a one-off grant of up to £9,000. This is in addition to the monthly closed grant amounts above. Local authorities (in England) will also be given an additional £500 million discretionary funding to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion discretionary funding (worth £20 per head of population) which local authorities in England have already received to support their local economies and help businesses impacted

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been extended until the end of April. This provides a substantial grant for employers to cover 80% of the wages of their employees. As of 13 December, CJRS has support 9.9 million jobs at the cost of roughly £46.4bn.

Furthermore, individuals who are furloughed, become unemployed, or anyone who sees a fall in their earnings, may become eligible for support through the welfare system, notably, Universal Credit. We have announced significant temporary extra support worth £7.4bn in 2020-21 for families who rely on the safety net of the welfare system. This includes a £20 per week increase to the 2020-21 UC standard allowance, a suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed UC claimants, and an increase in UC and Housing Benefit Local Housing Allowance rates so they cover the lowest third of local rents

We will continue to monitor the impact of government support on public services, businesses, individuals and sectors, including the events and hospitality sector, as we respond to this pandemic. But we must recognise that it will not be possible to preserve every job or business indefinitely, nor stand in the way of the economy adapting and people finding new jobs or starting new businesses.

HMRC publish experimental monthly estimates of payrolled employees and their pay from Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) data (jointly with the ONS): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/earningsandemploymentfrompayasyouearnrealtimeinformationuk/previousReleases.

On 22 October HMRC published secondary analysis which matched CJRS and PAYE Real RTI data. This showed that 90% of employees who left the CJRS furlough scheme between April and July were still on their original payroll in August, suggesting they remained working for their original employer. This analysis does not distinguish between employees who have chosen to leave their jobs and those who have been made redundant. There are many other reasons that people leave, for example to start a new role, retirement, or to enter full time education. The secondary analysis can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-secondary-analysis/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-secondary-analysis-of-ended-furloughs

97% of payments in respect of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) have been made within 6 working days.

There are several reasons why a payment could have been delayed, including mistakes made by the user when completing the claim, or the need for HMRC to conduct additional fraud checks before payment is made.

Where delays in payment have been identified, HMRC have worked quickly to establish the cause and ensure that any issues are resolved quickly.

As with all decisions under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the Government is balancing the need to support as many employers and individuals as fully as it possibly can, with the need to get the CJRS running quickly and making it easy to use by employers.

After an employer makes a claim under the CJRS, HMRC check that the claim is correct and pay the claim amount into the employer’s bank account within six working days. The employer must then pay their employees’ wages, if they have not already.

The employer must pay the full amount claimed for the employee’s wages to the employee.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like events and exhibitions.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments such as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the events sector.

The Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes the deferral of VAT payments and a year-long rates holiday for eligible businesses while some businesses have benefitted from a range of grants and government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes.

The Government has further set out our economic package of support for businesses over the Winter, including monthly grants for closed businesses worth up to £3,000 per month, extending the furlough scheme to April and providing further SEISS grants to support the self-employed to April.

But given the further national restrictions announced by the Prime Minister, the Treasury is providing additional support to the most affected businesses, worth £4.6 billion across the United Kingdom.

• A one-off grant for closed businesses in England of up to £9,000
• £500m discretionary funding provided to English local authorities to support local businesses

Furthermore, the application deadline for the loan guarantee schemes – Bounce Back Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme – has been extended to the end of March 2021 and we will also adjust the Bounce Back Loan Scheme rules to allow businesses who have borrowed less than their maximum (i.e. less than 25 per cent of their turnover) to top-up their existing loan.

We will continue to monitor the impact of Government support with regard to supporting businesses, individuals, and sectors such as events as we respond to this pandemic.

The Government remains closely engaged with the financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19.

The Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many individuals across the UK. That is why the Chancellor announced at the March 2020 Budget that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash and ensure that the UK’s cash infrastructure is sustainable in the long term. The Government published a Call for Evidence on 15 October to inform the development of this legislation.

HMRC offer offline extra support, for example, through telephone, paper, and face-to-face via their Extra Support Team (face-to-face support has been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19), as well as extra support via their online services. They have also set up a dedicated helpline for anyone experiencing difficulties with seeking access to the COVID-19 support schemes. HMRC work with voluntary and community sector organisations to help taxpayers who need support for a range of reasons from digital exclusion, language, self-confidence, physical or mental health reasons, or difficulties with engaging with HMRC, for example, with compliance or debt issues.

The Government takes fraud very seriously. We continue to work closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters. These actions include the Joint Fraud Taskforce which is helping to build a collaborative law enforcement, government and industry response to tackling fraud.

Illegal lenders, or ‘loan sharks’, can also prey on victims in various forms including by posing as fake loan companies. To tackle this crime, the Government funds the Illegal Money Lending Teams (IMLTs), via a levy on the financial services industry. The IMLTs have powers to deal with wider criminality associated with loan sharks, such as fraud, and can seize the assets of convicted loan sharks to fund support for victims and raise awareness of the dangers of illegal lending in affected communities.

The Government and IMLTs are alert to the particular challenges faced by vulnerable consumers as a result of COVID-19 and continue to work together to ensure that this dangerous and illegal activity is stopped.

HM Treasury regularly engages with the Financial Conduct Authority on the circumstances surrounding SVS Securities PLC.

SVS Securities is a wealth management firm that was placed in Special Administration on 5 August 2019. An assessment of the client money and custody assets held by the firm has been completed and the Special Administrators have confirmed that these are intact. There are costs associated with distributing client money and custody assets back to clients which by law will be deduced from client money or custody assets.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) will cover custody assets and client money shortfalls, including the costs associated with their distribution back to clients, for eligible clients up to £85,000.

The Special Administrators are working closely with the FSCS and expect the vast majority of clients will be compensated in full by the FSCS for these costs. As a result, the vast majority of clients shall receive their client money and custody assets in full.

Please note that the Special Administrators have now contacted SVS customers to invite them to submit any claims.

For further information on SVS Securities, please see the Financial Conduct Authority’s website: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/svs-securities-plc-enters-administration.

As the economic recovery continues, the Government must adjust support accordingly. Ending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme after eight months ensures that people are not trapped in jobs that can only exist because of a Government subsidy. The scheme will wind down, flexibly and gradually, supporting businesses and people through to October. This is the best means by which to ensure people’s livelihoods are protected as the Government supports the resumption of economic demand.

HM Treasury has been working closely with business representatives, unions, and Government colleagues to ensure that this decision works for both employers and employees and is coherent with the wider Government response. An Institute for Government report recently remarked “the quality and intensity of engagement on the CJRS and SEISS were described to us as being markedly different from normal experience of working with government.”

For example, the Treasury has engaged frequently with the Confederation of British Industry; the most recent meeting being alongside Trades Union Congress representatives on 7 September. The Chancellor attended this meeting and took on board the concerns and proposals raised. HM Treasury will continue to work with businesses, unions and representative groups as part of the Government’s continuing monitoring of the economy.

When launching the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the Government prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible and the scheme was made available across all regions UK-wide. There has been broad consistency in furlough rates across the UK. The latest available statistics show the West Midlands region of England has had the highest take-up rate of 34 per cent and the East region of England has had the lowest take-up of 30 per cent. The number of employments furloughed in the UK decreased from a peak of 8.9 million on 8 May to 6.8 million by 30 June.

After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close. The CJRS must be temporary and the Government must ensure people across all regions of the UK can get back to work safely and get the UK economy up and running again. The Government is providing support directly to people and businesses across the whole of the UK with the UK-wide measures announced in the Plan for Jobs.

On 21 July, HM Treasury published a Call for Evidence for the fundamental review of business rates. The Call for Evidence invites stakeholders to contribute their views on ideas for reform on all elements of the business rates system and on alternative taxes.

As set out in the Call for Evidence, the fundamental review will have an interim report in autumn 2020, ahead of concluding in spring 2021.

The Call for Evidence can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hm-treasury-fundamental-review-of-business-rates-call-for-evidence.

The announcement on 29 May provided the key information required for firms to make decisions about furloughing employees. Full information on how the scheme will change from 1 July has been available in published factsheets since the Chancellor announced the changes.

The guidance was updated on 12 June only to provide additional detail on how the scheme will operate in practice.

At the end of May the Government sought to give employers as much certainty as possible on how the CJRS will work until the end of October.

Closing the scheme to new entrants is necessary for a gradual closure of the scheme. The focus is now on bringing those currently furloughed back into productive employment.

The CJRS will close at the end of October, after eight months.

It is the case that some firms will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these firms appropriately.

It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and that may not be the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus.

The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups, with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.

A business with a property that on 11 March 2020 was eligible for Small Business Rate Relief Scheme or the Rural Rate Relief Scheme, will be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF). Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the SBGF should be directed to the relevant local authority. There are currently no plans to change eligibility criteria for the schemes. However, officials are keeping in close contact with local authorities to monitor and understand how the schemes are being implemented.

A range of further measures to support all businesses including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as dentists, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.

The Government will consider any further financial assistance necessary to help businesses get through this period.

Parents continue to have access to the Government’s childcare offers during the Covid-19 crisis. This includes support through Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit worth up to 85% and 70% of childcare costs respectively, up to 30 hours of free childcare a week for 3 and 4-year-olds, and up to £2,000 per year of support through Tax Free Childcare.

Schools also continue to offer places to the children of key workers, as they have done since the end of March.

To ensure key workers working additional hours do not lose their entitlement to free hours or Tax Free Childcare, for this tax year we are temporarily relaxing the maximum income threshold for those parents.

For an employee, including self-employed people who have a one-person limited company, to be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, they must have been notified to HMRC on a real-time information (RTI) submission on or before 19 March.

Those paid annually are eligible to claim, as long as they meet the relevant conditions, including being notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020 which relates to a payment of earnings in the 19/20 tax year. Anyone paid annually and notified on an RTI submission after that date will not be eligible for the scheme, as is the case for those who are paid more frequently and were not notified to HMRC on or before 19 March.

This scheme supplements the other significant support announced for UK businesses, including the Bounce Back Loans Scheme for small businesses, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/.

The Security Industry Authority’s licence application fee is fixed in accordance with Schedule 1, section 15(1) of the Private Security Industry Act 2001, which states that the SIA should set its application fees at a level suitable to enable full recovery of costs incurred in delivering its activities, without seeking to make profits.

Any variation to waive or vary fees for one cohort would essentially require the SIA to recoup these costs from other applicants or would result in a loss that the taxpayer would subsidise. Some employers and security businesses operate schemes to either pay for the licence fee and/or support their employees to spread repayment of the costs over a longer period of time.

There are no plans to end the limited use of prisons for the purpose of immigration detention.

The Government is committed to a fair and humane immigration policy that welcomes those here legally, but tackles abuse and protects the public. Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity, and since January 2019 we have removed 8,441 foreign national offenders.

The Government is working with the police and others and will consider the evidence and what more could be done to prevent pet theft.

Migrants coming to the UK are expected to maintain and support themselves and their families without posing a burden on the welfare system.

The Home Office has published its policy equality statement on the impact of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy on migrants on the human rights route.

Migrants with leave under certain routes can apply to lift their NRPF condition.

We have made a political commitment to pursue new bilateral negotiations on post-transition migration issues with key countries with which we share a mutual interest, including on new arrangements for the family reunion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Point 11.4 of the Statement of Changes is part of the overall clarification of the places and circumstances in which a Home Office officer is capable of receiving an asylum claim. It makes clear that an asylum claim cannot be received in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom.

I am satisfied the Rules are compatible with our international obligations. No individual will be refouled to a place where they would be harmed.

As I set out to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee on 17 November, the UK Government is looking to continue the Seasonal Workers Pilot into 2021.

When making a decision on numbers, as well as the outcomes of the evaluation, we must also consider the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on the wider economy and ensure there are employment opportunities for UK workers.

We will publish the first-year evaluation information in due course, a key part of which will be how the pilot ensured the safeguarding of migrant welfare.

As I set out to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee on 17 November, the UK Government is looking to continue the Seasonal Workers Pilot into 2021.

When making a decision on numbers, as well as the outcomes of the evaluation, we must also consider the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on the wider economy and ensure there are employment opportunities for UK workers.

We will publish the first-year evaluation information in due course, a key part of which will be how the pilot ensured the safeguarding of migrant welfare.

Last year the Home Office ran a call for evidence on Violence and Abuse Toward Shop Staff to understand further the issue and the measures which may help prevent these crimes. The Government published a response to the Call for Evidence in July. Action the Government is taking to reduce violence and abuse experienced by shop workers is set out in the response, which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-and-abuse-toward-shop-staff-call-for-evidence

The Government is also working closely with the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to address key issues highlighted by taking forward a programme of work focused on:

• Developing communications for both employees and employers to make clear that violence and abuse of shop workers is not tolerated;

• Developing a best practice guide that aims to support staff in reporting these crimes when they occur to ensure that a suitable response can be delivered;

• Looking at barriers to effective data sharing between businesses and the police to ensure that information can be used to better understand the problem; and

• Looking at how to better provide support to victims.

There are no backlogs on our ILR routes, we are deciding cases within published service standard, unless there is a specific reason we cannot, in which case we will contact the customer. Our service standard for the processing of ILR cases remains six months.

Performance against service standards for Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are included in the Migration Transparency data which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration

Rape and sexual assault are devastating crimes and we want victims to have the confidence to report them, knowing that every investigation will be conducted thoroughly, and everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

The Government is currently conducting an end-to-end review of the criminal justice response to rape, which includes identifying issues and areas for improvement in the police handling of cases. We expect the review to report with actions for cross-system improvement later this year. These actions will improve outcomes for victims of sexual assault as well as those of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Supporting victims of child sexual abuse, whether they are children or adult survivors, is a priority for the Government and we are taking steps to ensure that adequate funding is in place for specialist support services across the country providing both therapeutic and advocacy support. For example:

The Home Office and Ministry of Justice have doubled the funding available for voluntary sector organisations providing direct support to victims and survivors at a national level through the Support for Victims and Survivors of CSA fund. The SVSCSA will provide £2.4m up to 2022 to support vital national services including support lines, online resources and remote counselling. We have also introduced a new £2.8m transformation fund to promote and embed best practice in CSA victim support.

The Ministry of Justice has awarded £12m to 91 rape support centres across England and Wales to provide independent, specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence. This is an increase of £4m from 2019/20 and includes £1.8m of ringfenced funding for victims of recent and non-recent child sexual abuse. The new funding is in addition to the £4.79m provided to Police and Crime Commissioners by the Ministry of Justice to support victims of child sexual abuse (part of the £69m provided this year for them to commission victim support service based on local need).

The Government also recently announced an additional £4m per year until 2022 for recruiting more Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) to help victims feel informed and supported at every stage of their recovery journey. ISVAs provide an important link between police, support services and criminal justice agencies.

We have also increased spending from £31m in 2018 to £39m this year to improve services and pathways for survivors and victims of sexual violence, including child sexual abuse, who seek support from Sexual Assault Referral Centres, regardless of age or gender.

We are committed to ensuring that victims can continue to access such support during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently announced a £76m package of funding for victims, with £10 million ringfenced to provide support for victims of sexual violence specifically. This has helped fund technology to enable charities to offer services remotely.

Rape and sexual assault are devastating crimes and we want victims to have the confidence to report them, knowing that every investigation will be conducted thoroughly, and everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

The Government is currently conducting an end-to-end review of the criminal justice response to rape, which includes identifying issues and areas for improvement in the police handling of cases. We expect the review to report with actions for cross-system improvement later this year. These actions will improve outcomes for victims of sexual assault as well as those of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

I have accepted the Windrush Lessons Learned review’s important findings and I will be publishing the Government’s response to the review shortly.

My officials are consulting external experts, community organisations and the very people the Home Office has failed in the past in an extensive programme of engagement to ensure officials understand the change that is needed and that the organisation at every level learns the lessons of what went wrong.

I have accepted the Windrush Lessons Learned review’s important findings and I will be publishing the Government’s response to the review shortly, including how we will take forward a review and evaluation of compliant environment policies.

We have implemented measures to reduce the impact on people caused by the restrictions which have been necessary to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

As already set out we have introduced reuse of previously enrolled biometrics and published guidance on Gov.UK which sets out the applicable circumstances. The guidance can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/913700/biometric-enrolment-guidance-covid-19-v1.0ext.pdf.

People can still evidence their right to work through the Employer Checking Service after they have submitted an application for a biometric residence permit to ensure there is no impact on their employment.

We have implemented measures to reduce the impact on people caused by the restrictions which have been necessary to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

As already set out we have introduced reuse of previously enrolled biometrics and published guidance on Gov.UK which sets out the applicable circumstances. The guidance can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/913700/biometric-enrolment-guidance-covid-19-v1.0ext.pdf.

People can still evidence their right to work through the Employer Checking Service after they have submitted an application for a biometric residence permit to ensure there is no impact on their employment.

Those currently applying for the Health and Care Visa must meet the Tier 2 (General) immigration route requirements. Under the requirements of the current Tier 2 (General), a migrant worker must be filling a degree level job and meet the relevant salary threshold.

The UK’s new Points-Based Immigration System, which will come into effect from January 2021, will include changing the qualifying skill level – to A level and equivalent and above - and salary requirements.

Senior care workers will qualify under the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System and guidance on occupations eligible for the Health and Care Visa will be updated in line with the launch of the new Skilled Workers route and the expanded skills threshold.

As we implement our new global points-based immigration system we want employers in the care sector to focus on ensuring care workers are offered rewarding packages and career development opportunities which value the vital work they do, rather than the UK’s migration system providing them with an alternative to doing this.

Those currently applying for the Health and Care Visa must meet the Tier 2 (General) immigration route requirements. Under the requirements of the current Tier 2 (General), a migrant worker must be filling a degree level job and meet the relevant salary threshold.

The UK’s new Points-Based Immigration System, which will come into effect from January 2021, will include changing the qualifying skill level – to A level and equivalent and above - and salary requirements.

Senior care workers will qualify under the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System and guidance on occupations eligible for the Health and Care Visa will be updated in line with the launch of the new Skilled Workers route and the expanded skills threshold.

As we implement our new global points-based immigration system we want employers in the care sector to focus on ensuring care workers are offered rewarding packages and career development opportunities which value the vital work they do, rather than the UK’s migration system providing them with an alternative to doing this.

Tier 2 is an employer led route aimed at filling a specific vacancy where the organisation cannot fill it from within the domestic labour market. The Government does not have any plans to grant leave to remain to those made redundant as a result of the Covid pandemic and have no other basis of stay.

However, the Government has put in place measures to support people at this time which people on a Tier 2 visa would be eligible for support from including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furlough). This must be part of a company-wide policy, with the relevant visa holders considered as part of this, but this will allow many employers to retain staff rather than making them redundant.

The Government laid the “Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2020”, in Parliament on 14 July.

We also published updated Tier 2 policy guidance, which includes information on the Health and Care Visa. The updated guidance is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-2-worker.

The Health and Care Visa will open for applications on 4 August.

Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost to the taxpayer.

The safety and health of people in the detention estate are of the utmost importance. We are following all Public Health England guidance on COVID-19 and have robust contingency plans in place, including measures such as shielding and use of personal protective equipment.

Basic hygiene is a key part of tackling COVID-19. Handwashing facilities are available in all immigration removal centres and we are working closely with suppliers to ensure we have an adequate supply of soap and cleaning materials. The arrangements in place are subject to regular review by Home Office staff and suppliers at each IRC.

In addition, each centre has posters and leaflets to inform staff and detainees about the importance of handwashing and social distancing to minimise the risk from COVID-19. Detainees are also able to speak to staff directly for advice on the protective measures in place.

Guidance on managing COVID-19 in immigration removal centres was published on gov.uk on 5 June https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-immigration-removal-centres.

As of 12 June 2020, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in immigration removal centres.

All individuals in detention from 23 March were reviewed to see if they were at a heightened risk from COVID-19, following guidance setting out the action that case workers should take in response to COVID-19. This reflected Public Health England guidance issued on 16 March 2020.? Detained cases have continued to be reviewed in light of updated guidance, and in accordance with detention guidance and known country situations.

The Government published statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system on gov.uk, on 28 May and the latest Immigration Statistics publication includes the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers in prisons.

All individuals in detention from 23 March were reviewed to see if they were at a heightened risk from COVID-19, following guidance setting out the action that case workers should take in response to COVID-19. This reflected Public Health England guidance issued on 16 March 2020.? Detained cases have continued to be reviewed in light of updated guidance, and in accordance with detention guidance and known country situations.

The Government published statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system on gov.uk, on 28 May and the latest Immigration Statistics publication includes the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers in prisons.

All individuals in detention from 23 March were reviewed to see if they were at a heightened risk from COVID-19, following guidance setting out the action that case workers should take in response to COVID-19. This reflected Public Health England guidance issued on 16 March 2020.? Detained cases have continued to be reviewed in light of updated guidance, and in accordance with detention guidance and known country situations.

The Government published statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system on gov.uk, on 28 May and the latest Immigration Statistics publication includes the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers in prisons.

The Government recognises the importance of Personal Protective Equip-ment (PPE) for all of those on the frontline and has published guidance on ap-propriate PPE for emergency workers, including the police. The NPCC and the College of Policing have issued operational guidance to all forces on the use of PPE tailored to their unique role to ensure officers and staff are protected sufficiently. The guidance covers how, when and what type of PPE to wear across a range of practical scenarios. The guidance is available online here: https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/Personal-Protective-Equipment-Operational-Guidance-1.pdf

The footage of George Floyd’s death is deeply upsetting and we appreciate the strength of feeling behind the planned #BlackLivesMatter protests, but it is vital to remember that we are still in the midst of a public health crisis.We strongly support the right to protest peacefully, but this pandemic has led to many of our individual freedoms being curtailed because everyone has a role to play in helping to control the virus following the rules. This is how we can continue to save lives so we can recover.

Under the current regulations, gatherings of more than six people from different households are not permitted. We are in close contact with police to ensure they are prepared to respond to any public disorder and have appropriate policing plans in place. How they use these powers is an operational matter for the police, who are independent of Government.

The Police have adopted an effective approach of the 4Es; engaging, explaining and encouraging compliance before moving to enforcement options. The National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing have issued guidance on how they will enforce the regulation. This can be found at https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/understanding-the-law/Pages/default.aspx

Chief constables from forces across the country, the Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Chief Executive of the College of Policing and the President of the Police Superintendents' Association made a statement following the death of George Floyd, which is published at https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/uk-police-stand-with-those-appalled-by-george-floyd-death.

The footage of George Floyd’s death is deeply upsetting and we appreciate the strength of feeling behind the planned #BlackLivesMatter protests, but it is vital to remember that we are still in the midst of a public health crisis.We strongly support the right to protest peacefully, but this pandemic has led to many of our individual freedoms being curtailed because everyone has a role to play in helping to control the virus following the rules. This is how we can continue to save lives so we can recover.

Under the current regulations, gatherings of more than six people from different households are not permitted. We are in close contact with police to ensure they are prepared to respond to any public disorder and have appropriate policing plans in place. How they use these powers is an operational matter for the police, who are independent of Government.

The Police have adopted an effective approach of the 4Es; engaging, explaining and encouraging compliance before moving to enforcement options. The National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing have issued guidance on how they will enforce the regulation. This can be found at https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/understanding-the-law/Pages/default.aspx

Chief constables from forces across the country, the Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Chief Executive of the College of Policing and the President of the Police Superintendents' Association made a statement following the death of George Floyd, which is published at https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/uk-police-stand-with-those-appalled-by-george-floyd-death.

Immigration Enforcement is responding to the unique circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak and following the latest guidance from Public Health England. We continue to remove people through available commercial routes.Statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system can be viewed by accessing the following link https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/887808/statistics-relating-to-covid-19-and-the-immigration-system-may-2020.pdf

The Home Office also publish quarterly statistics on the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers. This data can be found by accessing the following linkhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/returns-and-detention-datasets

All decisions to detain or release are taken on the basis of a careful consideration of the facts of each case. Factors arguing in favour of detention include the risk of harm to the public presented by the individual concerned and the risk of absconding. Ultimately, the Home Office detains individuals to facilitate their deportation from the UK.

All visa and migration fees are paid directly by the applicant to the Home Office and not routed through UKVCAS. The amounts collected are published in the Home Office accounts. The amounts collected for 2018-19 are shown here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/807126/6.5571_HO_Annual_Report_201920_WEB.PDF at page 137.

The fees levels approved by Parliament are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data

However, customers using UKVCAS may elect to pay for additional premium services over and above the visa/migration fee. These premium charges are retained by the commercial operator of UKVCAS. Details of the additional, optional services can be found here at: http://www.ukvcas.co.uk/additional-services.

Information on the UKVCAS contract is published here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ec5031ea-021e-471a-86cf-af540e8d8efa?p=@xUlRRPT0=NjJNT08=UFQ. However, the commencement of service and premium charge price change dates are not disclosed separately.