Rachel Hopkins

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Private Parking Code of Practice has been temporarily withdrawn to review the decisions to introduce new levels of private parking charges and to ban additional fees that are currently added on top of the late or unpaid parking charge. My department will continue to work with the industry and consumer groups to reissue the Code as quickly as possible. We are committed to reissuing a Code that provides both the best possible protection for motorists and enables effective management of parking.

A response to the Hon Member will be issued shortly.

The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of net zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with departments to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific functions and professions and will signpost the training and other resources on the transition to net zero, which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government departments.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter. In the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, this work is led by me as Minister for Net Zero, with support from senior officials.

Between January 2011 and December 2017 the Department was known as the Department for Communities and Local Government. In January 2018 it became the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. In September 2021 the Department was re-established as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The table below gives details of the Department’s estate floor area for the years in question, as reported in the Cabinet Office State of the Estate reports.

This data is for the Department's main office space. It excludes our arms-length bodies and land and buildings that are registered with the Land Registry as DLUHC's but are occupied or the responsibility of other Government Departments.

I have seen first-hand how innovatively and resiliently criminal justice agencies have responded to the pandemic to boost court capacity – in June 2020, I observed virtual hearings conducted via the Cloud Video Platform in Bristol Magistrates’ Court.

I have also met with various CPS Areas to discuss their approach, and know that the CPS is committed to working closely with the courts service and judiciary on court recovery work. This is an unprecedented challenge, but I have been impressed with the truly collaborative approach criminal justice partners have taken.

Since being appointed, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency has visited Glass Wharf, Bristol, on Friday 22 April. Travel was provided by the Government Car Service. No accommodation costs were incurred. Costs for printing in support of the visit were not outside that usually provided.

The Minister also regularly attends government offices within London for meetings as part of his duties. Travel is usually provided by the Government Car Service and printing costs did not materially differ from those usually incurred.

Every year, the Civil Service People Survey team publishes the Civil Service benchmark scores and the results for all participating organisations in the annual Civil Service People Survey on GOV.UK. The publication of the results for the Civil Service People Survey 2021 is scheduled for Thursday 28 April 2022.

These savings, £63,602, were generated through the work of the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for private sector utilities companies, rather than government departments, as a result of proactive data analytics using government data. The NFI is a data matching exercise which involves 1200 organisations from across the UK. Since 1996, more than £2bn of fraud or error has been detected or prevented through the NFI.

In this particular case, information provided to the NFI, primarily for the prevention and detection of public sector fraud, has also been utilised to prevent fraudulent losses for private sector utilities companies. Fraudsters operate across the public and private sector. In order to best minimise government and private sector losses, it is important that we also collaborate across organisations and sectors wherever possible. These savings derive from a strategy to work across the public and private sector to deliver counter fraud benefits for the whole of the UK economy. This is aligned to the Government’s Economic Crime Plan that sets out how both sectors will work together to tackle economic crime.

These savings, £340,104, were generated through the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative (NFI) for London Councils rather than a Department. The NFI is a data matching exercise which involves 1200 organisations from across the UK. In this case, the NFI worked with London Councils, an organisation that represents and provides services for London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London, to identify where freedom passes or taxi cards were still live, and could be used, despite the holder having passed them on. This resulted in the cancellation of passes and cards with an associated value of £340,104. Although assigned to London Councils, ultimately these savings are realised by London Boroughs and the taxpayer.

Since its inception in 2015, the Debt Market Integrator has recovered over £2.9bn in debts from over 14 million accounts owed to the public sector. Due to the vast amount of accounts placed with the DMI, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the companies that debt was recovered from or the amount recovered for each private company, or how the debt accrued.

The DMI focuses on ethical collection strategies in line with Financial Conduct Authority Treating Customers Fairly Principles, to ensure that debt is recovered in a sustainable manner, taking individual consumer and business circumstances into account.

The Government efficiency savings technical note sets out the government’s assessment of savings made by cross-cutting government functions in their work with government departments and other central government organisations.

The Government Internal Audit Agency was engaged to audit the £3.4 billion of 2020/21 efficiency savings. We do not intend to publish further details about the efficiency savings relating to the Department of Health & Social Care’s Covid response as there may be associated commercial implications.

As the Levelling Up White Paper set out, departments have committed to moving more than 15,000 Civil Service roles out of Greater London by 2025, and 22,000 by 2030. By the end of 2021, more than 2,000 Civil Service jobs had already been relocated from Greater London under the Places for Growth programme.

Questions relating to the closure of DWP offices should be addressed to my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

As the Levelling Up White Paper set out, departments have committed to moving more than 15,000 Civil Service roles out of Greater London by 2025, and 22,000 by 2030. By the end of 2021, more than 2,000 Civil Service jobs had already been relocated from Greater London under the Places for Growth programme.

Questions relating to the closure of DWP offices should be addressed to my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Any impact of increased home working during the COVID-19 pandemic will be included in the 2020/21 Greening Government Annual Report, which will be published in due course.

The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

Like all government departments, the Cabinet Office has access to relevant learning from the Government Campus (formerly known as Civil Service Learning), which includes:

i) It’s your time to act: Net Zero

ii) Leaders, it’s your time to lead: Net Zero

The Cabinet Office does not have its own specific training programme.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter.

In the Cabinet Office, this is led by the Head of Estates, working closely with the Government Property Agency, as the main provider of the Cabinet Office estate.

A location’s potential to be a Government Hub is assessed against the following: Climate Resilience, Climate Adaptation, Flood Risk, Biodiversity and Sustainability.

The GPA adheres to the Government Buying Standards, which sets minimum acceptable Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ratings, which are applied across the Government Hubs programme. These are summarised as:

• BREEAM New Construction 2018 at 70% or Excellent rating, or

• BREEAM Non-Domestic Refurbishment and Fit-Out 2014 at 55% or Very Good rating.

Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of Net Zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other Departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions, and will signpost the training and other resources on Net Zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government Departments.

The Head of the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit met with the recognised trade unions on Monday 14 March to discuss the aims and progress of the Government Campus programme and they have agreed to meet biannually. Prior to this, discussion of the skills agenda has been part of conversations with union representatives about modernisation and reform, and civil service human resources.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

The Cabinet Office employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the Cabinet Office Communications Directorate staffing budget.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

The Cabinet Office employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the Cabinet Office Communications Directorate staffing budget.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

The Cabinet Office employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the Cabinet Office Communications Directorate staffing budget.

All special advisers make a declaration of interests to their employing department. Steps are then taken to ensure no conflict of interest or mitigate any potential conflict to the satisfaction of the relevant Permanent Secretary; and relevant interests are routinely published on GOV.UK.

On taking up employment with the Civil Service, Mr Harri resigned from Hawthorn Advisors.

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (No.2) Bill are both Private Members’ Bills that are currently progressing through the House of Commons.

The Government remains committed to developing the incorporation of long-term thinking in its policy development and has multiple items of existing legislation that facilitates this, but has reservations about the broad scope of these bills. Consultations or impact assessments are not carried out for Private Members’ Bills that the Government does not intend to support.

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (No.2) Bill are both Private Members’ Bills that are currently progressing through the House of Commons.

The Government remains committed to developing the incorporation of long-term thinking in its policy development and has multiple items of existing legislation that facilitates this, but has reservations about the broad scope of these bills. Consultations or impact assessments are not carried out for Private Members’ Bills that the Government does not intend to support.

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (No.2) Bill are both Private Members’ Bills that are currently progressing through the House of Commons.

The Government remains committed to developing the incorporation of long-term thinking in its policy development and has multiple items of existing legislation that facilitates this, but has reservations about the broad scope of these bills. Consultations or impact assessments are not carried out for Private Members’ Bills that the Government does not intend to support.

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (No.2) Bill are both Private Members’ Bills that are currently progressing through the House of Commons.

The Government remains committed to developing the incorporation of long-term thinking in its policy development and has multiple items of existing legislation that facilitates this, but has reservations about the broad scope of these bills. Consultations or impact assessments are not carried out for Private Members’ Bills that the Government does not intend to support.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a Minister of the Crown and will have all the attendant powers and functions of a Minister of the Crown, including the authority to direct civil servants and special advisers in the normal way.

Appointments will be made in accordance with the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

The Cabinet Office does not hold metrics that specifically identify Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of workplace bullying or harassment. The department has not received or maintained any formal diagnosis of civil servants with PTSD.

Counselling provision through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider is completely confidential and anonymised. Cabinet Office does not, therefore, hold data or details relating to the counselling that Civil Servants may receive.

Furthermore, there are no metrics for onward referral or utilisation of counselling services following workplace bullying or harassment as this would break GDPR and employee confidentiality.

A ‘Respect and Inclusion review’ for the Cabinet Office is currently underway. In the recent Declaration on Government reform, Ministers and Permanent Secretaries committed to set a new standard for diversity and inclusion, including guaranteeing fairness at work and zero tolerance for Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination. Our position at the centre of government - delivering against an ambitious agenda - means we have a responsibility to get this right. The review will have a particular focus on race and disability where our data shows scope for improvement.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by Cabinet Office, and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment tribunal decisions are published on GOV.UK. Whether an employment tribunal case followed an internal procedure is not held centrally by Cabinet Office and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment tribunal decisions are published on GOV.UK. Whether an employment tribunal case followed an internal procedure is not held centrally by Cabinet Office and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment tribunal decisions are published on GOV.UK. Whether an employment tribunal case followed an internal procedure is not held centrally by Cabinet Office and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment tribunal decisions are published on GOV.UK. Whether an employment tribunal case followed an internal procedure is not held centrally by Cabinet Office and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

As with other Government departments, Cabinet Office (CO) utilises the Civil Service Learning (CSL) offer for all of its mandatory learning. This includes the training package, ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’, which all Cabinet Office staff are expected to complete on an annual basis.

In early 2021, ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ replaced the CSL’s previous package, ‘Diversity and Inclusion 2019’, following the Chief People Officer Rupert McNeil’s instructions in late 2020 for all Civil Service departments to withdraw any learning that included reference to unconscious bias training. As such, we can advise that around 25% of CO colleagues completed ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ in the year 2021.

It is worth noting that as part of the CO’s move to continue to improve and enhance the department’s L&D offer across 2022/2023, we will be working closely with colleagues in Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) to review all CO mandatory learning, as well as introducing a new process to help capture completion rates of mandatory learning, as the current CSL system does not allow for this.

As with other Government departments, Cabinet Office (CO) utilises the Civil Service Learning (CSL) offer for all of its mandatory learning. This includes the training package, ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’, which all Cabinet Office staff are expected to complete on an annual basis.

In early 2021, ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ replaced the CSL’s previous package, ‘Diversity and Inclusion 2019’, following the Chief People Officer Rupert McNeil’s instructions in late 2020 for all Civil Service departments to withdraw any learning that included reference to unconscious bias training. As such, we can advise that around 25% of CO colleagues completed ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ in the year 2021.

It is worth noting that as part of the CO’s move to continue to improve and enhance the department’s L&D offer across 2022/2023, we will be working closely with colleagues in Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) to review all CO mandatory learning, as well as introducing a new process to help capture completion rates of mandatory learning, as the current CSL system does not allow for this.

In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), equality impact assessments are carried out for all new and reviewed Cabinet Office HR Policies and guidance. Most Cabinet Office HR policies are updated in line with cross government CSHR model policy which undergoes rigorous equality impact assessments.

Cabinet Office HR policies are continuously under review and generally updated in line with the Department’s strategic priorities, changes to legislation, user feedback and changes to cross government model policy from CSHR.

In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), equality impact assessments are carried out for all new and reviewed Cabinet Office HR Policies and guidance. Most Cabinet Office HR policies are updated in line with cross government CSHR model policy which undergoes rigorous equality impact assessments.

Cabinet Office HR policies are continuously under review and generally updated in line with the Department’s strategic priorities, changes to legislation, user feedback and changes to cross government model policy from CSHR.

In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), equality impact assessments are carried out for all new and reviewed Cabinet Office HR Policies and guidance. Most Cabinet Office HR policies are updated in line with cross government CSHR model policy which undergoes rigorous equality impact assessments.

Cabinet Office HR policies are continuously under review and generally updated in line with the Department’s strategic priorities, changes to legislation, user feedback and changes to cross government model policy from CSHR.

Turnover is calculated using Headcount on the basis of staff leaving CO over a 12 month period and includes planned and unplanned leavers. The information requested, as recorded on Cabinet Office systems on 31 January 2022, is outlined in the tables below.

Job Grade

Race

Gender

Disability

Special Advisers have been excluded, all Parliamentary Council and Commercial Grades have been grouped together, Faststream numbers have been grouped with HEO grade.

The Cabinet Office supports a number of Civil Service initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Civil Service Fast Stream, Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme. In addition, the Cabinet Office runs an internal Senior Sponsorship Scheme - a bespoke progression offer for the G6/7 talent pipeline, including SCS application support and SCS sponsorship.

The 2021 cohort of the Future Leaders Scheme had nearly a quarter of delegates from a lower socio economic background, over a fifth were from an ethnic minority background and more than half of successful candidates for the FLS were women. The 2020 Sponsorship Scheme was entirely made of ethnic minority colleagues. Over a third of the 2022 Sponsorship Scheme cohort identify as being from a lower socio-economic background.

The Cabinet Office supports a number of Civil Service initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Civil Service Fast Stream, Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme. In addition, the Cabinet Office runs an internal Senior Sponsorship Scheme - a bespoke progression offer for the G6/7 talent pipeline, including SCS application support and SCS sponsorship.

The 2021 cohort of the Future Leaders Scheme had nearly a quarter of delegates from a lower socio economic background, over a fifth were from an ethnic minority background and more than half of successful candidates for the FLS were women. The 2020 Sponsorship Scheme was entirely made of ethnic minority colleagues. Over a third of the 2022 Sponsorship Scheme cohort identify as being from a lower socio-economic background.

The Cabinet Office supports a number of Civil Service initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Civil Service Fast Stream, Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme. In addition, the Cabinet Office runs an internal Senior Sponsorship Scheme - a bespoke progression offer for the G6/7 talent pipeline, including SCS application support and SCS sponsorship.

The 2021 cohort of the Future Leaders Scheme had nearly a quarter of delegates from a lower socio economic background, over a fifth were from an ethnic minority background and more than half of successful candidates for the FLS were women. The 2020 Sponsorship Scheme was entirely made of ethnic minority colleagues. Over a third of the 2022 Sponsorship Scheme cohort identify as being from a lower socio-economic background.

The Declaration on Government Reform commits the Government to drawing on talent from all backgrounds. There are a number of initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Civil Service Fast Stream, Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme.

As an example of representation, the proportion of ethnic minority civil servants has risen from 9.2% in 2011 to 14.3% in 2021 (up from 13.2% in 2020). This exceeds 13.6%, the proportion of the UK’s economically active population who are from an ethnic minority. Since 2011, the proportion of civil servants with a declared disability has increased across all grades and is now 13.6%.

The positive increase in representation has been a steady incremental change over the last four years, underpinned by a programme of work including:

• interventions to support internal career progression to SCS,

• accelerating work on the external SCS talent pool - by creating a Task and Finish group to oversee development of the pool and improve representation of disabled and ethnic minority senior leaders,

• mandated sponsorship of ethnic minority talent by Civil Service Senior Leadership,

• a bespoke career progression offer for the G6/7 talent pipeline, including SCS application support, mentoring and sponsorship,

• greater promotion of internal talent schemes such as the Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme, supporting events organised by participants and

• regular engagement with cross-Government Employee Networks to promote talent development at all levels.

Representation is increasing and whilst this trend is positive, we remain committed to improving representation across the broadest range of diversity as outlined in the Declaration on Government Reform across our workforce and in particular at our most senior grades. To build on the progress made over recent years and target where improvement is still needed, the Government will take a holistic approach to SCS recruitment to identify and remove barriers to underrepresented groups entering and progressing in the SCS.

The Cabinet Office participated in the 2021 Social Mobility Employment Index. The organisation was ranked 23rd in the most recent index - this is the highest ranking in the Cabinet Office’s history. The organisation works on the feedback from the Social Mobility employment index to help it become a more socio diverse organisation.

As committed in the Declaration on Government Reform and in order to better serve the public, the government must ensure it draws on the talent of people from the widest possible range of geographical, social and career backgrounds. We will make sure that citizens who have experienced disadvantages in their early lives are able to flourish in public service.

The hon. Member should direct their question to HM Treasury and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to request statements on the socio-economic diversity of Civil Servants in those respective departments.

Success rates for lower socio-economic applicants in Fast Stream have been increasing annually since 2017, with 2021 success rates approximately three times the 2016 figure.

73% of Fast Stream appointments in 2021 were outside London (against 69.5% in 2019). Regional appointments are achieved through the widest possible spread of school and college work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, internships and Fast Stream roles. Attraction activity for roles is delivered both country-wide and through online sites to deliver geographic diversity and meet our levelling up ambitions.

Steps to support both diverse socio-economic and ethnic minority applicants are broadly similar except that partners and the target audiences differ, according to these groups. Outreach, attraction and marketing is designed to encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds and locations via early stage schools, college and apprenticeship engagement, along with industrial placements. We have developed an inclusive website, and social media strategy, refreshed the target university list, and are undertaking outreach with diverse universities and engaging with diversity partners to support events. Activity also encompasses expanding the range of internships, undertaking cultural bias reviews of our selection processes, increasing assessor diversity, and continually improving our fair and inclusive selection processes, for example, incorporating more regional/virtual assessment.

Historical barriers to Fast Stream employment for applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were highlighted in the 2016 Bridge Group analysis, suggesting applications were more likely to come from less diverse universities and courses, and from higher socio-economic students, along with there being less awareness of Fast Stream amongst lower socio-economic graduates. There was also, amongst lower socio-economic students, a perception of a slow recruitment process, less geographic diversity in terms of selection and lower performance at selection stage. Significant improvements have been made against these areas, with socio-economic diversity improving consistently for appointments in the last 5 years.

Success rates for lower socio-economic applicants in Fast Stream have been increasing annually since 2017, with 2021 success rates approximately three times the 2016 figure.

73% of Fast Stream appointments in 2021 were outside London (against 69.5% in 2019). Regional appointments are achieved through the widest possible spread of school and college work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, internships and Fast Stream roles. Attraction activity for roles is delivered both country-wide and through online sites to deliver geographic diversity and meet our levelling up ambitions.

Steps to support both diverse socio-economic and ethnic minority applicants are broadly similar except that partners and the target audiences differ, according to these groups. Outreach, attraction and marketing is designed to encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds and locations via early stage schools, college and apprenticeship engagement, along with industrial placements. We have developed an inclusive website, and social media strategy, refreshed the target university list, and are undertaking outreach with diverse universities and engaging with diversity partners to support events. Activity also encompasses expanding the range of internships, undertaking cultural bias reviews of our selection processes, increasing assessor diversity, and continually improving our fair and inclusive selection processes, for example, incorporating more regional/virtual assessment.

Historical barriers to Fast Stream employment for applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were highlighted in the 2016 Bridge Group analysis, suggesting applications were more likely to come from less diverse universities and courses, and from higher socio-economic students, along with there being less awareness of Fast Stream amongst lower socio-economic graduates. There was also, amongst lower socio-economic students, a perception of a slow recruitment process, less geographic diversity in terms of selection and lower performance at selection stage. Significant improvements have been made against these areas, with socio-economic diversity improving consistently for appointments in the last 5 years.

Success rates for lower socio-economic applicants in Fast Stream have been increasing annually since 2017, with 2021 success rates approximately three times the 2016 figure.

73% of Fast Stream appointments in 2021 were outside London (against 69.5% in 2019). Regional appointments are achieved through the widest possible spread of school and college work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, internships and Fast Stream roles. Attraction activity for roles is delivered both country-wide and through online sites to deliver geographic diversity and meet our levelling up ambitions.

Steps to support both diverse socio-economic and ethnic minority applicants are broadly similar except that partners and the target audiences differ, according to these groups. Outreach, attraction and marketing is designed to encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds and locations via early stage schools, college and apprenticeship engagement, along with industrial placements. We have developed an inclusive website, and social media strategy, refreshed the target university list, and are undertaking outreach with diverse universities and engaging with diversity partners to support events. Activity also encompasses expanding the range of internships, undertaking cultural bias reviews of our selection processes, increasing assessor diversity, and continually improving our fair and inclusive selection processes, for example, incorporating more regional/virtual assessment.

Historical barriers to Fast Stream employment for applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were highlighted in the 2016 Bridge Group analysis, suggesting applications were more likely to come from less diverse universities and courses, and from higher socio-economic students, along with there being less awareness of Fast Stream amongst lower socio-economic graduates. There was also, amongst lower socio-economic students, a perception of a slow recruitment process, less geographic diversity in terms of selection and lower performance at selection stage. Significant improvements have been made against these areas, with socio-economic diversity improving consistently for appointments in the last 5 years.

Success rates for lower socio-economic applicants in Fast Stream have been increasing annually since 2017, with 2021 success rates approximately three times the 2016 figure.

73% of Fast Stream appointments in 2021 were outside London (against 69.5% in 2019). Regional appointments are achieved through the widest possible spread of school and college work experience opportunities, apprenticeships, internships and Fast Stream roles. Attraction activity for roles is delivered both country-wide and through online sites to deliver geographic diversity and meet our levelling up ambitions.

Steps to support both diverse socio-economic and ethnic minority applicants are broadly similar except that partners and the target audiences differ, according to these groups. Outreach, attraction and marketing is designed to encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds and locations via early stage schools, college and apprenticeship engagement, along with industrial placements. We have developed an inclusive website, and social media strategy, refreshed the target university list, and are undertaking outreach with diverse universities and engaging with diversity partners to support events. Activity also encompasses expanding the range of internships, undertaking cultural bias reviews of our selection processes, increasing assessor diversity, and continually improving our fair and inclusive selection processes, for example, incorporating more regional/virtual assessment.

Historical barriers to Fast Stream employment for applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were highlighted in the 2016 Bridge Group analysis, suggesting applications were more likely to come from less diverse universities and courses, and from higher socio-economic students, along with there being less awareness of Fast Stream amongst lower socio-economic graduates. There was also, amongst lower socio-economic students, a perception of a slow recruitment process, less geographic diversity in terms of selection and lower performance at selection stage. Significant improvements have been made against these areas, with socio-economic diversity improving consistently for appointments in the last 5 years.

National Statistics on employment numbers in the public sector are published each quarter by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are available at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable.

These statistics provide quarterly estimates and time-series data of UK public sector employment by central government (including Civil Service), local government and public corporations.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions including the award of contracts.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions including the award of contracts.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions including the award of contracts.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

The number of buildings or land plots disposed of is not held centrally by Cabinet Office.

The disposal value for 2020-21 was £473.5m.

The Cabinet Office total owned estate for 2020-21 was 726,917m² (In addition to this, 707,769m² is managed by the Government Property Agency, which is a part of the Cabinet Office, on behalf of departments). For all previous years, the total estate is published in the State of the Estate report on GOV.UK.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions including the award of contracts.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

The number of built assets in 2020-21 was 136,844m², and covers central government estate general and specialist estate, including hospitals and schools. Equivalent figures for previous years are not held centrally by Cabinet Office.

The total floor area for government bodies is published in the State of the Estate report on GOV.UK for 2020-21. The total floor area of the government general purpose estate was published in prior years.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions including the award of contracts.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

The office portfolio was reduced by 2%, from 3.5m m² to 3.4m m² from 2019-20 to 2020-21. Reductions were driven by a combination of departmental estate strategies and collaboration between departments to share space - for example - HMRC exiting 12 PFI properties led to a 25,000 m² reduction in floor area and relocation into government hubs.

The number of central Government buildings in 2021 and 2020 is given in the below table. Equivalent data for 2019 is not held centrally by Cabinet Office.

Departmental annual reports and accounts, including financial statements, are laid before Parliament and published on GOV.UK.

Gross Resource Expenditure by Arms Length Bodies is published on GOV.UK.

The Treasury publishes Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA) which presents statistics on public expenditure, including government departmental administrative expenditure. Table 1.7 breaks down administration budgets by department and Table 2.1 by economic category (e.g. staff costs).

Central government space was only separated into owned and occupied space for 2019-20 for the general purpose estate which included offices, warehouses, job centres, courts, laboratories and other such general purpose uses.

In 2019-20, total owned and occupied space was 7,389,377 m² and 6,975,128 m², respectively.

Equivalent figures for other years are not held centrally in the Cabinet Office.

The central government guidance from BEIS to employers, on how to reduce the risk of transmission in the workplace, applied during this period. Across the whole workplace of the government estate, this included undertaking appropriate premises risk assessments and implementing mitigation measures. Meetings with external organisations will have been held virtually as far as possible.

Cabinet Office transparency spending data by month can be found on GOV.UK.

The Terms of Reference for the Cabinet Office’s investigations into staff gatherings have been published on GOV.UK and deposited in the libraries of both Houses.

It would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of an ongoing process. The Government has committed that the findings of the investigations will be made public in due course.

Official receptions in Downing Street are published each quarter as part of the Government’s transparency returns.

The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.

Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.

The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.

Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.

The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.

Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.

The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.

Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.

We work with experts across sectors and provide funding to a number of initiatives to engage citizens in our democracy, make it more accessible and protect everyone's vote.

The introduction of online registration has resulted in record levels of people registering to vote and the Cabinet Office-chaired Accessibility of Elections Working Group works to enhance inclusiveness in our democracy.

The Government’s Shared Services Strategy was published on 9 March 2021. It (a) identifies the groups of departments which will create five Shared Service Centres, (b) confirms that departments, and the commercial function, will work together to deliver value for money, by using central frameworks and national pricing models, driving commercial tension.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

The Shared Services Strategy for Government was published on 9 March 2021. The Strategy sets the framework for groups of departments to form Shared Service Centres to implement the Strategy. Part of Cabinet Office, Government Business Services is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Strategy.

The Strategy will deliver better, streamlined services and lower costs, to offer better value for money for the taxpayer. Each group of departments forming a Shared Service Centre will develop its own business case for implementing the strategy.

The final specification and all bidding documents for the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services (RM6181) framework agreement were published on the government’s Contracts Finder website in April 2021.

It is for Departments to determine their approach to consulting with Civil Service unions. Cabinet Office officials have had two constructive meetings with the National Trade Union Congress since publication of the Strategy, and welcome continuing dialogue.

Information on Cabinet Office’s diversity and inclusion record, and performance against its Equalities Objectives, are set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The Cabinet Office will ensure its departmental Equality Objectives continue to be of the highest standard when updated.

Information on Cabinet Office’s diversity and inclusion record, and performance against its Equalities Objectives, are set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The Cabinet Office will ensure its departmental Equality Objectives continue to be of the highest standard when updated.

Information on Cabinet Office’s diversity and inclusion record, and performance against its Equalities Objectives, are set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The Cabinet Office will ensure its departmental Equality Objectives continue to be of the highest standard when updated.

Information on Cabinet Office’s diversity and inclusion record, and performance against its Equalities Objectives, are set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The Cabinet Office will ensure its departmental Equality Objectives continue to be of the highest standard when updated.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ 102966. May I apologise for the delay in responding to the question.

I apologise for the delay in replying to this question. PPN 02/20 was critical in ensuring departments provided contractual relief to suppliers to maintain delivery of critical public services. This was replaced by PPN 04/20, published in June, which set out how contracting authorities should put in place transition plans with their suppliers to ensure contracts are flexible enough to deal with potential future lockdowns. Departments remain able to provide contractual relief and can seek approval from HM Treasury for spend where there is a strategic business need.

Supporting the Government’s objective to provide great places to work, enabling co-working through the Hub’s agenda and driving efficiencies by minimising vacant accommodation, the Government Property Agency manages a number of multi-let properties on the Whitehall Estate.

Details of multi-hub locations in London occupied by Cabinet Office, together with other Departments and agencies, are provided in the attached schedule.

The Government Property Agency manages a number of multi-let buildings in London on behalf of Government Departments. The Agency supports the Whitehall Campus and Hubs Programme to transform central government’s ageing office estate - creating ‘Great Places to work’ - consolidating to a single interoperable / interconnected campus of shared, flexible, modernised, energy efficient buildings. Building in new capabilities, including technology that supports Smarter Working, the delivery of better public services and driving efficiencies by minimising vacant space. Further details are available online on the Government Property Agency's Business Plan for 2020-2021.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient. Our Greening Government Commitments set out our ambitions for continuous improvement and are reported every quarter.

In the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Greening Government Commitments are led by an appointed minister with support from the Director for Commercial and Operations.

No staff within the Department manage ministerial social media accounts

There has been no money spent externally on producing social media and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020. There has been one full time Ministerial Content Producer employed by the department since July 2021, and creating content for ministerial channels is also part of three other Content Producer's roles. All ministerial content created is to promote departmental policy and sharing through Ministerial accounts increases our audience reach wider than departmental accounts.

The Government has published the Heat and Buildings Strategy, setting out plans to decarbonise homes in the UK.

This includes £4 billion of new funding at the Spending review to start work.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was formed in July 2016.

The table below shows the total floor area of the Department’s Estate as published in the State of the Estate reports for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

The Department’s estates assets were transferred to the Government Property Agency in August 2018, and the Agency will report on the period beyond this.

Ofgem regulations require all energy suppliers to bill their customers based on energy usage, taking all reasonable steps to obtain meter readings, at least annually, and reflect these accurately in bills.

Customers with a smart meter can benefit from accurate and timely billing, as energy consumption data is automatically sent to energy suppliers. The In-Home Display (IHD), which households are offered when they have smart meters installed, also provides easily accessible, near real-time information about energy consumption, costs and credit.

Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. UK steel plays a critical role in the economy as a foundation industry and the Government remains committed to the UK steel industry and a decarbonised future, supporting local economic growth and our levelling-up agenda. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits to work with the newly constituted Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.

The Steel Council offers the forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. In order to support these efforts, the Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The decarbonisation of the steel sector and industry more widely will also be supported through the £1 billion CCUS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) and £240m Net-Zero Hydrogen Fund.

Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. UK steel plays a critical role in the economy as a foundation industry and the Government remains committed to the UK steel industry and a decarbonised future, supporting local economic growth and our levelling-up agenda. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits to work with the newly constituted Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.

The Steel Council offers the forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. In order to support these efforts, the Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The decarbonisation of the steel sector and industry more widely will also be supported through the £1 billion CCUS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) and £240m Net-Zero Hydrogen Fund.

Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. UK steel plays a critical role in the economy as a foundation industry and the Government remains committed to the UK steel industry and a decarbonised future, supporting local economic growth and our levelling-up agenda. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits to work with the newly constituted Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.

The Steel Council offers the forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. In order to support these efforts, the Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The decarbonisation of the steel sector and industry more widely will also be supported through the £1 billion CCUS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) and £240m Net-Zero Hydrogen Fund.

Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. UK steel plays a critical role in the economy as a foundation industry and the Government remains committed to the UK steel industry and a decarbonised future, supporting local economic growth and our levelling-up agenda. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits to work with the newly constituted Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.

The Steel Council offers the forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work in partnership on the shared objective of creating an achievable, long-term plan to support the sector’s transition to a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future. In order to support these efforts, the Government has announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes. The decarbonisation of the steel sector and industry more widely will also be supported through the £1 billion CCUS Infrastructure Fund (CIF) and £240m Net-Zero Hydrogen Fund.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given today to Question UIN 54314.

The Government has worked with industry to produce guidance for those who work in or run outdoor working environments, including construction sites. This guidance will help to ensure that workplaces are as safe as possible and give workers the confidence to return to work. The guidance is published at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/construction-and-other-outdoor-work.

The Government has also worked with the Construction Leadership Council to develop Site Operating Procedures, which provide practical advice to those seeking to implement Public Health England’s guidance.

Organisations must have effective arrangements in place for monitoring and reviewing their compliance with Government and industry guidance.

As of 29 April, in total over £4.1 billion worth of loans have been issued under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to over 25,262 businesses.

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 regular and transparent data publication going forward.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter. In DCMS, the Director General for Strategy and Operations is responsible for this work.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

DCMS employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

DCMS employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

This is shown in the table below, taken from the State of the Estate Reports.

The 2020-21 figure is significantly higher as it includes museums. These were not included in previous years.

DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s length from government. The Imperial War Museum’s review of its security operations is an operational matter. As such, Ministers and officials have not assessed or discussed it.

DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s length from government. The Imperial War Museum’s review of its security operations is an operational matter. As such, Ministers and officials have not assessed or discussed it.

DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s length from government. The Imperial War Museum’s review of its security operations is an operational matter. As such, Ministers and officials have not assessed or discussed it.

DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s length from government. The Imperial War Museum’s review of its security operations is an operational matter. As such, Ministers and officials have not assessed or discussed it.

We remain disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe the BBC must look at how it uses its substantial licence fee income to support older people.

The government remains committed to working with partners across society to tackle loneliness. During Covid-19 we’ve provided £18 million for loneliness charities, updated our awareness campaign and launched a new Tackling Loneliness Network.

It is against the law to gather in groups of more than six, where people are from different households or support bubbles. Some activities - such as those organised for under-18s - are exempt. In a COVID-19 Secure venue or public outdoor place, non-professional performing arts activity, including choirs, orchestras or drama groups can continue to rehearse or perform together where this is planned activity in line with the performing arts guidance and if they can do so in a way that ensures that there is no interaction between groups of more than six at any time.

If an amateur group is not able to ensure that no mingling takes place between these sub-groups of no more than six (including when arriving at or leaving activity or in any breaks or socialising) then such non-professional activity should not take place.

Football clubs are the heart of local communities and many have a great history.

The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses throughout this period, including a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for
business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Many football clubs have benefited from these measures.

The Government is in regular dialogue with the football authorities, including the English Football League, to understand their financial position - but has been absolutely clear that it expects football to look first at how it can support itself through these difficult times.I therefore welcomed the Premier League announcement to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National League to help clubs throughout the football pyramid.The EFL has also announced a £50m relief fund to help their clubs enduring immediate cash flow problems because of the coronavirus crisis.

Football clubs are the heart of local communities and many have a great history.

The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses throughout this period, including a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for
business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Many football clubs have benefited from these measures.

The Government is in regular dialogue with the football authorities, including the English Football League, to understand their financial position - but has been absolutely clear that it expects football to look first at how it can support itself through these difficult times.I therefore welcomed the Premier League announcement to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National League to help clubs throughout the football pyramid.The EFL has also announced a £50m relief fund to help their clubs enduring immediate cash flow problems because of the coronavirus crisis.

We currently do not occupy any hub locations managed by GPA.

We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.

In addition to the Civil Service Code, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-code/the-civil-service-code the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers, the guidance can be found here: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/professional-standards/propriety/propriety-in-digital-and-social-media/.

The department employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

The Office for Government Property annually publishes the 'State of the Estate' report. The total floor area of the department’s estate (including Arms Length Bodies) for each of the requested years is available in the relevant reports at GOV.UK, by searching here: https://www.gov.uk/search/all?keywords=%22state%20of%20the%20estate%22&public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=2010&order=relevance.

The Department publishes statistics on school revenue funding annually. The latest publication, from January 2021, covers the financial years 2010/11 through to 2021/22 and is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics#dataBlock-10b3bbd5-58b1-401d-9aaf-9daaa184a6df-tables.

The publication shows the average per pupil funding to schools for 5 to 16 year olds.

Table 2 uses the published 16-19 funding allocations [1] to derive the average funding per student for all types of school and college for the last 5 academic years. Funding allocations for further education colleges of 16 to 19 education for the 2021/22 academic year have yet to be finalised.

5 to 16 year old pupils in schools are funded differently from 16 to 19 students, using two separate systems with different methodologies. The numbers of hours young people spend in learning is also different between the two phases of education, and published data for the 5 to 16 phase is by financial year, and for the 16 to 19 funding by academic year. The figures for 5 to 16 education include high needs funding and additional grants, such as grants to provide help with teacher pay and pension costs, and to support free meals for students, when the equivalents have not been included in the 16 to 19 figures. Therefore, direct comparisons cannot be applied.

[1] The 16 to 19 per student funding calculation only includes institutions that have students receiving total programme funding. Some institutions receive only high needs funding – their students are not included in this calculation. In addition, the Condition of Funding adjustment for English and maths and the Advanced Maths Premium have been incorporated in total programme funding in 2019/20 to make this consistent with the definition in 2020/21. The condition of funding adjustment for English and maths has been incorporated into the total programme funding in 2016/17 to 2018/19 to make this consistent with the definition in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

We have worked extremely closely with scientists and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to understand and model various scenarios to inform our plan to re-open the country without putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS. We have also examined economic and social data to get a balanced understanding of the impacts of carefully easing restrictions. The government has also carefully considered data on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on ethnic minority communities, the vulnerable, the young, and low-income groups.

The government considered all the scientific advice and models that suggested that allowing additional indoor mixing at an earlier stage when prevalence was higher and fewer people had been vaccinated could result in significantly higher numbers of infections and that is why restrictions outdoors were eased before restrictions on most indoor activity. As the number of people vaccinated increased, we have been able to take steps to ease restrictions further.

A wealth of data, papers and evidence is being published at the same time as the roadmap, to ensure transparency on the information the government has had available to it in reaching its decisions. This includes the following information from Public Health England:

• Information on vaccine effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccination
• A surveillance report with a more detailed summary of the findings so far from the Sarscov2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI)-Watch
• A technical paper on the SIREN analysis being published (as a pre-print) by the Lancet

The papers from SAGE include:

• Minutes from the last 4 SAGE meetings
• Children’s Task and Finish Group paper: ‘COVID-19 in higher education settings’, 10 February 2021
• 3 papers from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) with a summary of modelling on scenarios for easing restrictions, together with the supporting papers from modellers at Warwick University and Imperial College London
• A collection of papers from SPI-M on “relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions and the re-opening of schools” and the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) (the behavioural experts’ sub-group of SAGE) on return to campus for the Spring term and the risk of increased transmission from student migration

Additional papers published by SAGE in relation to Step 3 of the roadmap can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sage-meetings-may-2021.

Funding allocations for providers of 16-19 education for the next academic year 2021 to 2022 have yet to be finalised. While we have now issued allocations to individual schools and colleges, we are still considering business cases from providers where their allocation has been impacted by major data errors in their School Census or Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data returns. Until this process is complete, funding allocations are still subject to change. However, funding rates for 2021 to 2022 will be maintained at the same levels as 2020 to 2021, so we expect that average funding per student next year will be similar to this year.

Per pupil funding figures for 5–16-year-olds across England is published annually. The latest publication, from January 2021, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics#dataBlock-10b3bbd5-58b1-401d-9aaf-9daaa184a6df-tables. A breakdown of the published school funding statistics for 11–16-year-olds specifically is not available.

The majority of schools' revenue funding is allocated through the schools national funding formula (NFF). As part of the NFF, a “Secondary Unit of Funding” is calculated for each local authority which determines the amount of funding allocated to local authorities in respect of secondary pupils through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). This is published annually and the most recent was published in July 2020 for the financial year 2021-22, when the average Secondary Unit of Funding was £5,934.86: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2021-to-2022.

The secondary unit of funding does not include premises funding and growth funding that is allocated through the DSG, nor does it include funding through other grants such as the pupil premium. Furthermore, local authorities can set their own local funding formulae, so the amount of funding received by schools in respect of 11-16 pupils in their 2021-22 budgets may be different.

The table below uses the published 16-19 funding allocations to derive the average funding per student for further education (FE) colleges, and all other types of providers, from 2016/17 and the subsequent four academic years.

The Department produces published statistics on school revenue funding annually. The latest publication, from January 2021, is available online and covers the financial years 2010-11 through to 2021-22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics#dataBlock-10b3bbd5-58b1-401d-9aaf-9daaa184a6df-tables.

The publication shows the average per pupil funding, in cash and real terms, to schools for 5 to 16 year olds. There is no separate breakdown available for 11 to 16 year olds.

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

The laptops and tablets are an injection of support to help schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts, and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.

The Department has based allocations on estimates of the need of disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 using data on the number of pupils eligible for Free School Meals data and external estimates of the number of devices that schools already own.

We have extended support to disadvantaged 16-to-19 year olds, including those in further education. Schools with sixth forms, colleges and other further education institutions are being invited to order laptops and tablets to further support disadvantaged students to access remote education.

Where schools need additional devices, in order to support disadvantaged children, they should contact the Department’s service team at covid.technology@education.gov.uk. They should include the number of children who require support and an explanation of how they’ve gathered this evidence.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 disruption is a key priority for the Government.

The Department has commissioned an independent research agency to analyse catch-up needs and monitor progress over this academic year. This research is based on a large sample of pupils and will identify whether particular groups of pupils have been more affected by time out of school – including the most disadvantaged, those with historically poor outcomes, and those in particular areas.

The Government is providing a £1 billion catch-up programme, including a ‘Catch-up Premium’ of £650 million, to help address lost teaching time and support pupils’ social and emotional needs. Additionally, the £350 million National Tutoring Programme is an ambitious scheme that will provide additional, targeted tuition support for disadvantaged pupils who need the most help to catch-up.

The Department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to understand the impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing. Public Health England is monitoring the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, including on children and young people, and have published a report about population mental health and wellbeing in England during the COVID-19 outbreak: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-surveillance-report.

The Department will also be convening a task force to look at the effects on children, young people and staff in the education system and we will confirm the next steps in due course.

Figures showing numbers of students aged 16-18 participating in T levels and other study programmes (at end 2020), will be published in the June 2021 release 'Participation in Education, Training and Employment 2020'.

44 providers are now teaching the first three T levels. We have been monitoring T level recruitment closely and are confident that a viable cohort of young people will benefit from taking these new, high quality qualifications, leaving them in a great position to move into skilled employment or further training.

The base funding rate for a full time student (band 5) on a non T level study programme is £4,188 in the current academic year.

For this academic year, the first three T levels are funded in the medium T level band (band 7), which attracts a base funding rate of £5,061 per student, per year. T level students attract a higher funding rate as T levels include more teaching hours. In addition, industry placements are a compulsory element of T levels, which we are funding at £275 per student, for each of the two years of the T level.

The overall average funding per student will be determined by the national 16-19 funding formula and will reflect the characteristics of the students, courses, and institutions.

It is our ambition that all pupils and students have the chance to make up for lost education. Where breaks in learning have been required, we want to ensure that learners can resume their ‘classroom’ learning and continue to a successful completion.

For many students in post-16 education, we know that remote learning has been working well. We are currently looking at how we can best support 16-19 providers to help their learners catch up and we will provide more details soon.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, Chloe Smith gave on 12 June 2020 to Question 54314.

We understand that the COVID-19 outbreak and a possible reduction in the number of international students poses significant financial challenges to the sector and are extremely grateful for the work that universities are doing in response.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced an unprecedented package of support. This support includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and a range of business loan schemes to help pay wages, keep staff employed and support businesses whose viability is threatened by the outbreak. We recently confirmed universities’ eligibility for these schemes.

We are also working closely with the sector, the Office for Students and across the government to understand the financial risks that providers are facing and to stabilise the admissions system and help providers to access the support on offer.

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

Higher education (HE) providers take their responsibilities seriously and are best placed to identify the needs of their student body as well as how to develop the services needed to support it. When making changes to the delivery of their courses, HE providers need to consider how they support all students, particularly the most vulnerable, to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes. Where students do not have access to the Internet, a computer at home, or cannot afford to purchase it, the expectation is that HE providers will provide support through their own hardship funds

We have worked closely with the Office for Students to enable providers to draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. As a result, providers will be able to use the funding, worth around £23 million per month for April and May, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment, and mental health support, as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans

The Government is increasing school funding nationally by £14 billion over the next three years. Funding will increase by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, followed by increases of £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20.

The Department will continue to distribute this funding through the National Funding Formula, which ensures that funding is based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. This will ensure that per pupil funding for every school can at least rise in line with inflation next year and faster than inflation for most.

In 2020-21, Luton will attract an additional £5.5 million in total cash funding in its schools block – a 3.1% increase compared to this year. This will take Luton’s total cash funding up to £181.4 million. In addition, Luton will receive £33 million in its high needs block to help support children with complex special educational needs – a cash increase of £4.5 million.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter. In Defra, this is led by an appointed minister with support from senior officials.

The decision to grant an emergency authorisation has not been taken lightly and is based on robust scientific evidence. 63% of the UK’s sugar comes from the domestic production of sugar beet, and the threat from yellows viruses this year is significant. Very strict conditions will minimise the risk to pollinators. Similar action has been taken by 12 other countries across Europe in recent years.

The requested data is set out in the attached table.

The department has been unable to provide data for all years requested, due to changes in the management of the Corporate Estate, changes of categorisation of usage and method of storage over the requested period.

The square meter areas provided are Net Internal Areas.

The Ministerial Taskforce I chaired has helped put in place support for the most vulnerable in our society throughout this pandemic. Whilst initially concerned with physical access to food during lockdown, we quickly shifted focus to tackling economic insecurities. This work carries on across the Government, and will continue to be a priority this year, and we look forward to responding to Henry Dimbleby’s review of our food strategy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 54314 on 12 June 2020.

[https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-06-03/54314/]

While the details?of?free trade agreements?are?reserved?for formal negotiations,?HM Government has been clear that?increased trade does not have to come at the expense of?our high?labour standards.?The United Kingdom?is an active member of the International Labour Organisation and we?will?continue to uphold our world-leading standards and?international?commitments.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 54314 on 12^th June 2020.

The following link provides the total published spend on consultants for the core Department, covering financial years 2018-19 to 2020-21: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dft-annual-reports-and-accounts.

The department is not able to identify the top 10 projects in the time available, however, the main areas of spend over the last 3 years has been on Rail and Aviation related projects.

No assessment has been carried out regarding the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on the Department's carbon footprint

Since all legal restrictions in England have been lifted, all Department for Transport employees are required to return to working in their respective workplaces - with full time home working only permitted on an exceptional basis.

Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

In July 2021 we published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such Plan in the world – which sets the transport sector on the path to net zero by 2050.

In September 2021, the department launched its Carbon Literacy training programme to build capability within DfT staff to enable the delivery of Net Zero. The training is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project (a charitable organisation) and it reflects the department’s commitment to establish a sustainable low carbon culture that will support the transition to Net Zero.

DfT is also now a corporate partner of Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) - the largest professional body for environmental practitioners in the UK and worldwide to equip DfT staff with resources and skills to further support them in their transition to Net Zero.

There is an unprecedented £2 billion of investment in cycling and walking over the rest of this Parliament. Ministers and officials from this Department have regular discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and other Government Departments to ensure that their programmes are fully aligned with the Government’s cycling and walking aims. The Government will continue to make funding available to local transport authorities through a wide range of funding streams, including some administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The Director for Corporate Finance and Property has been given the portfolio for leading on the direct environmental impacts associated with the Department’s operational activities (i.e. running the office and non-office estate). Departmental Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) are responsible for managing sustainability within their own organisations on behalf of DfT.

Below is a table containing the Department’s estate size year-by-year from 2010-11.

Most DfT staff are recorded on payroll as being required to work a standard FTE week of 37 hours, well within the maximum hours permitted by the regulations. Standard DfT contracts do not require staff to work at night.

When staff are required to work unsocial hours or additional hours (overtime), this is reflected in their pay and is likewise recorded through payroll data, which is retained for a minimum of seven years.

The department’s assessment is that staff working from home continue to comply with working time regulations just as they did while working in DfT workplaces. Home and hybrid working offer staff greater autonomy over working time and location, but we will continue to remind staff of their obligation to comply with the regulations (e.g. taking breaks, using annual leave allowances).

Officials are currently involved in collaborative discussions with East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and Luton Airport, covering issues such as service branding, marketing and communications to promote rail travel to Luton Airport and take advantage of the introduction of the Luton Airport DART.

Officials are currently involved in collaborative discussions with East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and Luton Airport, covering issues such as service branding, marketing and communications to promote rail travel to Luton Airport and take advantage of the introduction of the Luton Airport DART.

Officials are currently involved in collaborative discussions with East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and Luton Airport, covering issues such as service branding, marketing and communications to promote rail travel to Luton Airport and take advantage of the introduction of the Luton Airport DART.

The Department for Transport works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and other government departments on matters related to international travel. Decisions on Red, Amber or Green List assignment and associated border measures are taken by Ministers, who take into account Joint Biosecurity Centre risk assessments of countries and territories, alongside wider public health factors.

These are intended to be temporary measures and the government keeps data for countries and territories under regular review.

The government keeps data for countries and territories under regular review, and country allocations under the traffic light system are reviewed every three weeks, unless concerning evidence means we need to act faster to protect public health. The next review of country allocations will happen before 1 October 2021.

Government stands ready to support companies during this pandemic. Companies can draw upon a package of measures, including the Airport and Ground Operators Support Scheme (AGOSS) which opened for applications on 29 January to provide support to eligible businesses, covering the equivalent of their business rates liabilities or COVID 19 losses – whichever is lower – in financial year 2020/21, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time.

My Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced this week that we are renewing the Airports and Ground Operations Support Scheme for a further six months from the start of 2021-22.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Department for Transport has engaged very regularly with the industry, including through both Ministerial meetings and official led sessions.

As announced on 22^nd February as part of the roadmap for the phased lifting of restrictions in England, the Secretary of State for Transport will also now lead a successor to the Global Travel Taskforce to develop a framework that can facilitate greater international travel when the time is right, while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants.

The government is also developing a forward looking strategic framework on the recovery of the sector, which we will engage with the industry on and will publish later this year.

Before Covid-19, aviation directly contributed at least £22 billion to GDP to the UK economy and supported around half a million jobs. This included the air transport and aerospace sectors, as well as the wider supply chain. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the aviation sector has been one of the worst affected sectors in the UK. Passenger numbers at UK airports fell by 99% at the height of the pandemic. Overall volumes of flight traffic in the UK is currently around 80% below equivalent 2019 levels. The air transport sector’s contribution to the UK economy dropped by 74% in 2020 compared to 2019 and tens of thousands of redundancy notifications have been made. In addition to the direct impact to the UK air transport sector, the wider supply-chain and economy has also been adversely impacted by the severe reduction in air passenger demand, jobs and air connectivity, with impacts on consumer spending and investment across the rest of the economy.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.

DfT has not produced economic forecasts of recovery and growth in the air transport or travel sectors. DfT maintain a capability to produce a range of passenger demand scenarios, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the potential shape of recovery, for internal use.

The Department recognises the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on travel, and work continues to understand how best the industry can be supported at this time. The Government is working on a strategic framework for the recovery of the sector. It will explore the return to growth of the aviation sector, and will include consideration of workforce and skills, regional connectivity, noise, innovation and regulation, and consumer issues.

Aviation businesses have access to the unprecedented economic support package that the Chancellor has put in place to help businesses to manage the challenges they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to this, the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England.

Through the Global Travel Taskforce, the Government will work closely with the industry to find ways to safely and gradually ease restrictions on international travel. We will set out more detail on this soon.

We have agreed a deal with the EU that provides the rights for UK and EU airlines to fly directly between the UK and EU, Covid restrictions allowing. This provides the air connectivity that is so vital for connecting people and businesses, facilitating tourism and trade.

This agreement means that UK and EU contingency measures for air transport are not required.

We continue to deliver ambitious improvements, investing in key priorities including the Transpennine Route Upgrade, restoring lines and stations closed during the Beeching cuts and in HS2, with an unrelenting focus on levelling up our country and ensuring all communities have the connections they need to support growth and prosperity.

In terms of impacts on individual schemes, it remains the case that no schemes have been cancelled nor formal investment decisions taken as a result of the Spending Review. We are currently working with Network Rail to agree a new baseline for the portfolio that fits with the new funding envelope.

We continue to deliver ambitious improvements, investing in key priorities including the Transpennine Route Upgrade, restoring lines and stations closed during the Beeching cuts and in HS2, with an unrelenting focus on levelling up our country and ensuring all communities have the connections they need to support growth and prosperity.

In terms of impacts on individual schemes, it remains the case that no schemes have been cancelled nor formal investment decisions taken as a result of the Spending Review. We are currently working with Network Rail to agree a new baseline for the portfolio that fits with the new funding envelope.

The Spending Review involved a considerable amount of detailed discussions between the Department, Network Rail and HM Treasury. As a consequence, Network Rail were heavily involved throughout the Spending Review negotiations, with both the Department and HM Treasury.

There are no current train services that have been impacted by the outcome of the Spending Review. The Spending Review has not cancelled delivery of any improvement works.

The Spending Review confirmed that the government is supporting the railway and we will continue investing in ambitious improvements to modernise it. We are currently working with Network Rail to agree a new baseline for the portfolio that fits with the new funding envelope. As such we are not yet in a position to fully assess the impact on Network Rail jobs and/ or the wider supply chain.

Furthermore, decarbonisation remains central to investment being made in Rail.

We are committed to building a railway that is greener and fit for the future and that is why we continue to look at ways to decarbonise our network in a way that makes best use of taxpayers funding.

The Department aims to respond to Invitation requests as soon as practicable. The Department responded to your letter on 22^nd September to seek suitable dates for a meeting.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 54314 on 12 June 2020.

The Secretary of State has asked me in my capacity as Rail Minister to meet with the hon. Member to discuss this investment.

My Private Office has contacted the Member for Luton South’s office and has arranged a mutually convenient date for us to meet to discuss this issue.

The Department does not hold information on spending on stations in the East of England. Luton station is due to benefit from a share of the £300million Access for All funding. Subject to a feasible design being identified, the station will receive a step free route from the station entrance, to and between all platforms. Luton station has been in the Access for All programme for a number of years, but Network Rail (NR) have been unable to secure Luton Borough Council (LBC) approval for any of their proposed designs.

Furthermore, as part of GTR’s May 2018 Passenger Benefit Fund, Luton was allocated £80,000. Following the passenger consultation last year, toilet refurbishments have been approved at this station. I look forward to meeting with my honourable Friend later this month to discuss this issue further.

Luton station is due to benefit from a share of the £300m Access for All funding. Subject to a feasible design being identified, the station will receive a step free route from the station entrance, to and between all platforms. The project is due to complete by 2024 at the latest.

Furthermore, as part of GTR’s May 2018 Passenger Benefit Fund, Luton was allocated £80,000. Following the passenger consultation last year, we are assessing the feasibility of the schemes passengers have suggested and will be making a decision on taking these forward shortly.

In this case opinion polling has been taken to mean all quantitative research which measures attitudes, behaviours, and campaign recall.

Spending on focus groups and polling services for financial year 21/22 for communications and social research which informs policy development is as follows:

DWP takes all types of benefit fraud extremely seriously and is committed to the detection and prevention of both fraud and claimant error, along with the use of appropriate penalties where fraud is identified.

I am unable to share details of the variety of counter fraud techniques used by DWP to prevent or detect fraud, as to do so would be prejudicial to our work in this area. The DWP savings cited in the technical note published by Cabinet Office on 28 March 2022, cover the 2020/21 financial year. The savings of £1.1bn relate to the work of DWP’s Enhanced Checking Service (ECS) part of our Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt Directorate.

The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports.

The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.

Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of Net Zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with other Departments (including BEIS, DEFRA and FCDO) to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific Functions and Professions, and will signpost the training and other resources on Net Zero which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government Departments.

Responsibility for sustainability sits with the Director General, People, Capability and Place.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19^th January to question number 104377.

Total DWP Floorspace (NIA m2) Managed Estate including Arm’s Length Bodies’.

Source: Cabinet Office: State of the Estate report (parliamentary report) published on Gov.uk.

Year Area m2

2010 1,856,832

2011 1,788,883

2012 1,799,716

2013 1,720,464

2014 1,646,766

2015 1,592,693

2016 1,563,185

2017 1,561,604

2018 1,577,606

2019 1,399,875

2020 1,380,476

2021 1,379,939

Each employee’s record of daily working times and aggregated hours over four-weekly periods is retained for three years.

A record of any employee’s exceptional decision under the Working Time Regulations 1998 voluntarily to disapply the 48-hour maximum working time is retained as part of their employment record for 85 years.

DWP agreed a Flexible Working Hours Scheme with its trade unions to manage employees’ daily working hours and breaks. This conforms to the Working Time Regulations 1998.

Under the Scheme, all employees are required to keep a daily record of the times they work. This is monitored and checked by their line manager to ensure that on a four-weekly basis the aggregated hours worked are within the limits of the Scheme.

The size and national spread of the DWP’s workforce and current recording method require compliance to be assessed by line managers as a core part of their job.

The Department is in the process of reforming the National insurance number (NINo) process and has developed a digital application service.

From 28^th April 2021 all employment inspired NINo applicants can make their initial request for a NINo online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

For applicants who have been through an Identity verification process with another government department they are no longer required to attend a face to face identity appointment.

The Department is in the process of reforming the National insurance number (NINo) process and has developed a digital application service.

From 28^th April 2021 all employment inspired NINo applicants can make their initial request for a NINo online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

For applicants who have been through an Identity verification process with another government department they are no longer required to attend a face to face identity appointment.

The Department is unable to provide this information, as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

DWP does not occupy any locations in London that are managed by the Government Property Agency.

I refer you to the answer given by my hon. Friend at the Cabinet Office, PQ54314

The information requested is not readily available at constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

From 17th March, we suspended all face-to-face assessments for health and disability benefits for three months. For existing claimants, we have automatically extended awards and suspended any new review or reassessment activity, except where claimants notify us of changes to their needs that may result in an increase to their award. This temporary measure is being taken to ensure the Department’s resources are focused on providing access to financial support for new claimants, and it will also reassure claimants about continuity of their benefit during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Government is committed to delivering a sustainable long-term solution to child poverty, including reforming the benefits system so that it supports employment and higher pay. Tackling child poverty requires an approach that goes beyond targets, which focus on income alone, to one that addresses the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and improves long-term outcomes for families and children.

The approach we are taking goes beyond focus on income alone. We are seeing to address the root causes of poverty and improve long-term outcome from families and children with a particular focus on parental employment and children’s educational attainment – the two areas that we know can make the biggest difference.

Through our network of Jobcentres, the Department is taking a range of action to support disadvantaged groups, working closely with employers and partners in their local community to provide opportunities to help them move closer and into employment. Examples from Luton include employability and confidence building courses for lone parents, a Domestic Abuse forum involving a range of local stakeholders including the Samaritans and Women’s Aid in Luton, hosted by the Jobcentre; and support for people with English as a second language, including a bespoke course specifically aimed at women.

The Department’s greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

The Department is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and is currently developing a sustainability strategy and undertaking surveys of its estate to understand the changes required to achieve net zero. Between 2009/10 and 2019/20 it reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 64%.

The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of net zero, climate change and wider environmental issues. In the first phase, the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with Departments to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific functions and professions and will signpost the training and other resources on net zero, which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels in Government Departments.

The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on Commitments every quarter. In the Department, this is led by senior officials.

Departmental records confirm that a meeting of the COVD-19 Testing Taskforce took place on 8 April 2020 with Randox and Peter Fitzgerald by telephone. The Department holds a record of this call.

The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations. The transparency register will be updated.

Data is not available in the format requested.

The information requested for the number of diagnoses and deaths in England due to pulmonary fibrosis is not held. The information requested for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not collected as this is a devolved matter.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recently undertook a single technology appraisal of nintedanib, an anti-fibrotic drug for use in patients with many different types of progressive lung fibrosis. The drug is being commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and will be available from 17 February 2022. It is expected it will allow treatment for fibrosis to be administered to a wider group of patients and prolong the lives of many. NHS England and NHS Improvement have amended the dashboard overseeing the performance of specialist interstitial lung disease centres in England. This is intended to deliver improved care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, focussing on patient outcomes, involvement in research trials and reducing waits in services. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded £696,932 for research into pulmonary fibrosis in 2020/21. Currently, the NIHR supports 122 studies into pulmonary fibrosis.

The information requested for the number of diagnoses and deaths in England due to pulmonary fibrosis is not held. The information requested for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not collected as this is a devolved matter.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recently undertook a single technology appraisal of nintedanib, an anti-fibrotic drug for use in patients with many different types of progressive lung fibrosis. The drug is being commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and will be available from 17 February 2022. It is expected it will allow treatment for fibrosis to be administered to a wider group of patients and prolong the lives of many. NHS England and NHS Improvement have amended the dashboard overseeing the performance of specialist interstitial lung disease centres in England. This is intended to deliver improved care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, focussing on patient outcomes, involvement in research trials and reducing waits in services. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded £696,932 for research into pulmonary fibrosis in 2020/21. Currently, the NIHR supports 122 studies into pulmonary fibrosis.

The information requested for the number of diagnoses and deaths in England due to pulmonary fibrosis is not held. The information requested for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not collected as this is a devolved matter.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recently undertook a single technology appraisal of nintedanib, an anti-fibrotic drug for use in patients with many different types of progressive lung fibrosis. The drug is being commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and will be available from 17 February 2022. It is expected it will allow treatment for fibrosis to be administered to a wider group of patients and prolong the lives of many. NHS England and NHS Improvement have amended the dashboard overseeing the performance of specialist interstitial lung disease centres in England. This is intended to deliver improved care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, focussing on patient outcomes, involvement in research trials and reducing waits in services. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded £696,932 for research into pulmonary fibrosis in 2020/21. Currently, the NIHR supports 122 studies into pulmonary fibrosis.

The information requested for the number of diagnoses and deaths in England due to pulmonary fibrosis is not held. The information requested for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not collected as this is a devolved matter.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recently undertook a single technology appraisal of nintedanib, an anti-fibrotic drug for use in patients with many different types of progressive lung fibrosis. The drug is being commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement and will be available from 17 February 2022. It is expected it will allow treatment for fibrosis to be administered to a wider group of patients and prolong the lives of many. NHS England and NHS Improvement have amended the dashboard overseeing the performance of specialist interstitial lung disease centres in England. This is intended to deliver improved care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, focussing on patient outcomes, involvement in research trials and reducing waits in services. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded £696,932 for research into pulmonary fibrosis in 2020/21. Currently, the NIHR supports 122 studies into pulmonary fibrosis.

The Department holds a minute of the meeting. The meeting was conducted by telephone, attended by Lord Bethell, his Private Secretary, Departmental and Cabinet Office officials. Lord Feldman of Elstree in an attended in an advisory capacity.

The Department does hold a minute of this meeting, which was attended by the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Bethell), Departmental officials and David Meller.

The Department holds notes of the actions arising from this meeting. Lord Bethell was supported by a private secretary, Departmental officials and officials from the Department for International Trade, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and NHS England. Lord O'Shaughnessy and Bennet Summers, Vivek Madan and Henry Stannard of OC&C Strategy also attended the meeting. Special advisors were not present. Lord O'Shaughnessy attended in an advisory capacity.

The Department holds a minute of this meeting. The meeting was conducted by telephone, attended by Lord Bethell, his Private Secretary and Departmental policy officials. It was also attended by James Kanagasooriam for Hanbury Strategy, Bennet Summers, Vivek Madan, Henry Stannard from OC&C strategy and officials from the Office for Life Sciences, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Trade.

The Department does not hold a formal minute of the meeting. Lord Bethell attended the meeting with a Private Secretary, officials from the Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, Lord Feldman of Elstree and representatives from Abbott. Special advisors did not attend the meeting. Lord Feldman of Elstree attended in an advisory capacity.

The Department holds a minute of the telephone call on 1 April 2020. This was attended by the former the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Bethell), a private secretary, officials from the Department and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) and by Dr Chris Hand and Chris Yates of Abingdon Health.

The Department holds a minute of the telephone call on 29 April 2020. This was attended by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, a private secretary and Departmental and OLS officials. Dr Chris Hand and Chris Yates attended from Abingdon Health.

A telephone call took place on 13 May 2020, attended by the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, a private secretary and Departmental and OLS officials. Chris Yates and Dr Chris Hand attended from Abingdon Health. However, the Department does not hold a note of this telephone call.

In December 2021, we delivered approximately 280 million lateral flow device (LFD) tests and we have now procured new stocks and increased delivery capacity. We expect to deliver 90 million LFD tests a week in the United Kingdom, including seven million tests a day through GOV.UK. In England, this includes approximately 12 million tests per week through pharmacies. We expect therefore that there is sufficient capacity to provide tests for everyone, who requires it including those in Luton South and the East of England.