Nicholas Brown

The Director’s Guidance on Charging is issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under section 37A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The current version of the Director’s Guidance is the sixth version of Guidance that was first published in 2004.

The Director’s Guidance recognises the significant changes in the way that cases are investigated, charged, and prosecuted since the last edition was published in 2013.

Those changes include, in particular, the provisions of the 8th Edition of the Code for Crown Prosecutors published in October 2018, the Attorney General’s Guidelines on Disclosure 2020 and the revised Codes of Practice issued in 2020 under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996​.

The CPS consulted police forces through the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) on the contents of the Director’s Guidance before its publication in December 2020. That consultation included the sharing of initial drafts with all police forces via the NPCC, Police and Crime Commissioners and the Senior Presiding Judge. That was followed by the establishment of a joint CPS/police working group to discuss and where appropriate amend the Director’s Guidance. A further period of consultation followed with the police before it was finalised and the DPP also personally addressed all Chief Constables directly about the changes being made in version 6 of the Director’s Guidance at an event held by the NPCC in November 2020.

I refer the Honourable Member to the written ministerial statement of 23 October 2023.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-10-23/debates/23102320000007/InfectedBloodInquiry

Ofcom has a statutory duty to monitor consumer trends in the telecoms sector, and it most recently reported on this in its Pricing Trends Report 2022. While not all providers have implemented price rises, the majority of consumers are likely to have been subject to in-contract price increases in the last 12 months. However, it is not possible to more accurately estimate this due to many households having multiple, bundled contracts across different suppliers.

This is clearly a difficult time for families up and down the country who are struggling to pay their bills as a result of the global rise in the cost of living. To support people to stay connected, leaders from broadband and mobile operators agreed on a set of commitments. These include allowing households, who may be mid-contract but struggling with their bills, to switch to cheaper packages without penalty.

On 23 January, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology met with chief executives from major broadband providers and made clear her concerns about the impact price rises may have on those who are struggling due to the rise in the cost of living. On 9 February 2023, Ofcom launched a review into the transparency of in-contract price rises. We will review Ofcom’s findings once this work has been completed.

Naval Dockyards are the responsibility of MOD. BEIS has not assessed the provision of free accommodation to British and non-British nationals employed at Rosyth Dockyard.

BEIS has not assessed the provision of free accommodation to British and non-British nationals employed at Rosyth Dockyard. Accommodation issues are a matter for businesses operating at Rosyth Dockyard to discuss and resolve locally.

Through the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge, UK Research and Innovation has made an award of £33m to Newcastle University, which will be used to establish four Industrialisation Centres across the UK, involving a range of partners throughout the four locations. Newcastle University will be responsible for establishing and managing the North East Industrialisation Centre, which will include a physical centre in Sunderland.

The £57.75m 2019 Group Litigation Order settlement was paid entirely from Post Office Ltd resources.

A reply was issued on 4 May from my Hon. Friend the then Minister for Science, Research and Innovation (Amanda Solloway). A copy of that response was sent to the Rt. Hon. Member on 24 September.

The government has provided up to £600 million support through the Sport Survival Package to spectator sport organisations throughout the pandemic. To date, we have publicly announced more than £230 million support which has helped hundreds of organisations survive whilst restrictions on crowd capacities have been in place. Speedway clubs have received over £300,000 in loan support from the package to date.

Student accommodation is a busy part of the housing market. As universities and landlords are private, autonomous bodies, the government has no role in the provision of student accommodation, nor a remit to intervene in how it is allocated.

The department has no plans to create a register of student accommodation. Applicants who require student accommodation should take its availability into account when making decisions about where to study. The department expects universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are fair, clear, and promote the interests of students.

The department recognises the importance of the availability of counselling and therapeutic support to adults who were adopted as children. We agree that adult adoptees should be able to access the support that they need, particularly around their mental health needs.

The department has recently consulted on amendments to regulations to simplify arrangements for providers who provide support to adopted adults. One of the proposed changes in the consultation is to remove the requirement that therapists be registered with Ofsted when providing counselling services to adopted adults. One of the aims of this is to increase the availability of counselling for adult adoptees. We are currently analysing the responses.

The government is also improving NHS mental support availability. The NHS Long Term Plan and mental health expansion plans will increase funding for mental health services.

There are a range of just over 200 digital qualifications which are nationally available for funding both those 16 to 19 and adults, and this will include availability in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

These qualifications will be at a range of levels and will include broader qualifications covering a range of IT, digital and computing skills, as well as level 2 and level 3 qualifications in computing which will have a greater focus on aspects of programming.

Three T Levels in Digital are now available in a number of providers across the country, Digital Business Services, Digital Production, Design and Development, and Digital Support Services. They offer a prestigious, high-quality technical option at level 3, supporting progression to occupations such as software development technician. Colleges in Newcastle and its surrounding areas are now offering T Levels in the digital route.

Through the Level 3 Free Courses for Jobs offer, we have made more than 400 level 3 courses free for adults learning below the national living wage and those that haven’t previously obtained a level 3 qualification. Courses are available in a range of digital skills, including: cyber security, coding, network architecture, and systems support. We are also expanding Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses in job specific skills, including in digital areas such as software development, coding and data analytics. A large number of digital Skills Bootcamps are being delivered online and are available to learners across the country, however there are courses being delivered in person, which are available at Gateshead College, Tyne Coast College and Northumbria University.

Newcastle Upon Tyne is a devolved area for the purposes of the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which means that it is responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the AEB in the area including determining what adult provision to fund to meet learner and employer demand.

The department recognises that schools will be facing cost pressures in the coming months, particularly due to the increase in energy prices. We are looking carefully at how this will impact schools and are considering what additional support we could offer.

Cost increases should be seen in the wider context of funding for schools. The government is delivering a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new schools supplementary grant for the 2022/23 financial year. Overall, this represents a 7% cash terms per pupil boost, which will help schools meet the pressures we know they are facing, particularly around energy costs. The department pays close attention to financial health of the sector, and we are closely assessing where energy costs may more significantly impact schools’ financial health.

All schools can access a range of school resource management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources, to help them save on regular purchases and reduce non-teaching costs. Our SRM tools include recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy. The department will also update and strengthen guidance on a regular basis to inform schools of the market and commercial position, with practical advice on exiting existing and entering new contracts, available here: https://www.get-help-buying-for-schools.service.gov.uk/procurement-support. The Get Help Buying for Schools service will also be able to offer support to schools in switching and entering new contracts.

The department recognises that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The department does not collect regular information on the provision of counselling in schools and colleges in England, including the Newcastle upon Tyne East constituency.

Our most recent survey of mental health provision in schools and colleges, published in 2017, found that 61% of schools and colleges (56% of primary schools, 84% of secondary schools and 93% of colleges) reported offering access to counselling services for their pupils and students. The full survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/634726/Supporting_Mental-Health_survey_report.pdf. Recently, findings from the department’s COVID-19 School Snapshot Survey in July 2021, found that 96% of schools were providing support in school for pupils identified as having mental health needs.

We recognise that school and college-based counselling is a valuable provision which can play a particularly effective role as part of a whole-school or college approach to wellbeing and mental health, within which support can come from a number of sources. Our guidance on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling further supports schools who have decided that counselling support is appropriate for their pupils. The guidance outlines a strong expectation that over time, all schools will offer counselling services alongside other interventions. The current guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.

As a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have committed to publishing updated guidance in the 2022/23 academic year, to make sure it reflects the current context.

As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out in a written statement published on 28 October, we will continue to work at pace in order to lay draft statutory instruments as soon as practicable.

Water quality in the River Tyne is influenced significantly by historical metal mines in the region. Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) are working in partnership with the Coal Authority on the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme. The River Tyne is a priority for action. The Nent Haggs mine water treatment scheme, expected to start operating in summer 2023, will capture up to 3 tonnes of zinc and cadmium each year and improve water quality in 60km of rivers. The similar scale Nenthead mine water treatment scheme is also being developed. This year, contaminated sediment containing about 0.3 tonnes of zinc, lead and cadmium was removed from two check-weirs, in the River Nent and River West Allen, decreasing the amount of metals accumulating in the Tyne Estuary sediments.

In August, we also launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows of any government. Our new strict targets will see the toughest ever crack down on sewage spills and will require water companies to secure the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.  Our Plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come.

The EA will not hesitate to take the strongest enforcement action against polluters – up to and including prosecution, when this is required. The EA is currently conducting 2 investigations into pollution entering the River Tyne and both investigations have the potential to result in a prosecution.

Defra officials are currently considering the feedback and information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to the Proposed Changes in Cefas Action Levels for Sea Disposal of Dredged Sediment. Officials will continue to engage with the Port of Tyne and other local stakeholders to review and understand all evidence, to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region.

Zinc and lead are known to induce adverse effects on marine life. River Tyne sediments exhibit higher levels of these metals compared with other parts of the UK, due to the historical industrial and mining activities associated with the river. There is currently insufficient evidence as to whether concentrations of zinc and lead in the form found in River Tyne sediments are having an impact on marine life.

However, in recognition of wider evidence of the impacts of mining pollution more generally, we are currently consulting on a target to reduce the length of rivers pollution by metals from abandoned metal mines by 50% by 2037 in the Environment Act Targets consultation. This will include lead and zinc metal pollution.

This will drive action across the country and builds on work by the Environment Agency, in partnership with the Coal Authority and Defra, to implement measures to control inputs of metals in the Tyne headwaters as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme.

Metals from abandoned mines impact water quality and aquatic wildlife in more than 150 kilometres of the South Tyne catchment, and these metals ultimately accumulate in the Tyne estuary sediments.

The Environment Agency (EA) has investigated the environmental impacts of zinc and lead from historic mine activity in the upper reaches of the River Tyne, particularly in the Rivers Nent and West Allen, which are two of the most metal-polluted rivers in England.

EA surveys in 2017 and 2018 showed populations of brown trout in the River Nent were about half that of a similar, unpolluted, control catchment. EA studies of river-flies (invertebrates) in the Nent and West Allen catchments also found decreased abundance and variety. The concentrations of zinc in the River Nent are high enough to be acutely toxic to fish but the brown trout appear to have adapted after two centuries of exposure.

The EA is working in partnership with the Coal Authority and Defra to implement measures to control inputs of metals in the Tyne headwaters as part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme. In 2022/23, construction of the Nent Haggs mine water treatment scheme will be completed; once fully operational in 2023, this should capture up to 3 tonnes of zinc and cadmium each year and improve water quality in 60km of rivers. Other measures are being developed to stop metals polluting the River South Tyne and decrease the amount of metals that accumulate in Tyne estuary sediments.

We are currently consulting on a target to reduce the length of rivers pollution by metals from Abandoned Metal Mines by 50% by 2037 in the Environment Act Targets consultation. This will include zinc and lead pollution.

The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will facilitate the recognition of professional qualifications in professional services, such as legal services, including through supporting regulators’ work towards mutual recognition arrangements.

Specifically in relation to legal services, the FTA sets up a legal services regulatory dialogue. The dialogue establishes structured engagement between the UK and Australian legal professions with the aim of addressing remaining barriers to practising law locally in each market such as those relating to requalification.

It is our intention to ratify the FTA at the earliest opportunity so that businesses can reap the benefits.

The scoping assessment published in June 2020 assessed the potential impacts of a deal, in advance of negotiations, under various illustrative scenarios. This included a more detailed look at the impacts on the agri-food sectors. This assessment was not based on the actual deal, but on broad assumptions about what a trade agreement could look like.

Following the conclusion of negotiations, the Government will be updating the analysis and publishing a full impact assessment prior to implementation of the agreement.

The Australia-UK free trade agreement (FTA) will bring new export opportunities to British farmers and benefit the industry by removing tariffs whilst protecting UK agricultural sensitivities, upholding the UK’s high food and animal welfare standards, and facilitating movement of people. The UK produces high quality, premium produce that is globally sought after, and all the new FTAs will create new export opportunities for British farming.

We recognise that overhead line issues on the East Coast Main Line have a huge impact on passengers and freight operators. Network Rail has put in place a programme of work to replace overhead line components that have historically caused a high number of failures and are working with train operators to ensure their trains interact as sympathetically as possible with the infrastructure. Network Rail is also designing a series of specific upgrades for tunnels, where overhead line failures can be extremely disruptive, so that the infrastructure is as resilient as it possibly can be. Finally, Network Rail is working to improve the speed of its response when incidents do happen, making sure its teams get trains moving again as quickly as possible.

The Department, which manages the TPE contract in partnership with Transport for the North, has been in regular dialogue with the operator to manage the provision of services in the face of prolonged national and local industrial action and a backlog of training caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. The actions that have been agreed and continue to be discussed include:

• Ongoing review of timetables to establish a stable and reliable base in the short term;
• Introduction of additional drivers and conductors (currently being trained); and
• Widespread advertising to recruit more drivers to reduce TPE’s reliance on rest day working and overtime.

UK based airlines use ACMI to provide additional capacity, often during peak periods, and have done so for many years. The flexibility to bring in additional capacity for limited periods is welcomed by the UK’s largest carriers to manage seasonal changes or when aircraft and crew are otherwise unavailable.

This summer has seen an increase in this type of activity for several reasons, including a shortage of aircraft and of cabin crew. The Government will keep the use of ACMI, from UK and foreign providers, under review as the market recovers and evolves following the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is for Newcastle City Council to identify the most effective electric vehicle chargepoint strategy for their residents.

It is for Newcastle City Council to identify the number of chargepoints needed and the most effective electric vehicle chargepoint strategy for their residents.

The Infected Blood Inquiry is ongoing, and it is only reasonable that the inquiry concludes and provides its final recommendations before the Government responds. The Government is undertaking the necessary work to enable a swift response to the full report, when it is published.

People affected by the infected blood issue can already use independent benefit calculators that can be accessed via the Government website at www.gov.uk, by searching for 'benefit calculators'. These calculators allow a person to enter details of their own financial position and receive instant advice as to whether they may be entitled to any benefits. Capital disregard rules in means-tested benefits mean that recipients of infected blood compensation payments can receive these without it affecting their means-tested benefit entitlement.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise from needs related to a long-term health condition or disability. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is an income-replacement benefit for individuals who have a health condition or disability that limits their capability to work.

Eligibility to these benefits is not based on the diagnosis of a health condition or disability. Instead, both the Work Capability Assessment, which determines entitlement to ESA and the additional health-related amount of Universal Credit, and the PIP assessment, assess the impact of a person’s health condition or disability on doing everyday tasks to determine eligibility for the benefit.

The department works closely with stakeholders, jobcentres and local authorities to understand the impact of its policies. The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is kept under regular review and rates are reviewed annually by the Secretary of State.

LHA determines the maximum housing support for tenants claiming the housing element of Universal Credit in the private rented sector. It ensures that claimants in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.

In 2020 we spent almost £1 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This significant investment has been maintained ensuring that everyone who benefited continues to do so. Over 2022/23 and 2023/24 the Government is providing support in excess of £94 billion to help households with the rising cost of living.

The 30^th percentile levels of local market weekly rents for the Tyneside Broad Rental Market Area for each year from 2020 can be found here. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publish 30^th percentile rental data alongside weekly LHA rates. This is not available as a monthly equivalent for Universal Credit.

A claimant’s income will vary according to their individual circumstances. Therefore, an assessment of a claimant’s income which could include wages and other benefits cannot be estimated without incurring disproportionate costs and would not be representative of all Local Housing Allowance (LHA) claimants.

The 30^th percentile levels of local market weekly rents for the Tyneside Broad Rental Market Area for each year from 2020 can be found here. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publish 30^th percentile rental data alongside weekly LHA rates. This is not available as a monthly equivalent for Universal Credit.