Daily Report Monday, 20 July 2020

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 20 July 2020 and the information is correct at the time of publication (06:47 P.M., 20 July 2020). For the latest information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements, please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

CONTENTS ANSWERS 8 Package Holidays 16 BUSINESS, ENERGY AND Parental Leave and Parental INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 8 Pay: Coronavirus 16 Business: Coronavirus 8 Personal Care Services: Companies: Coronavirus 8 Coronavirus 17 Construction Talent Retention Personal Care Services: Scheme 9 Government Assistance 17 Construction: North Wales 9 Small Businesses: EU Grants and Loans 18 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Social Rented Housing: Apprentices 10 Canterbury 18 Digital Markets Taskforce 10 Social Rented Housing: Energy 18 Economic Situation: Coronavirus 11 Tide: Bounce Back Loan Scheme 19 Energy: Meters 11 Vaccination: Research 19 Flexible Working: Coronavirus 12 CABINET OFFICE 19 Fuel Poverty: Kent 12 Agriculture: North Wales 19 Future Fund 13 Animal Housing: Cats and Hospitality Industry: Dogs 20 Coronavirus 13 Cabinet Office: Cybercrime Housing: Insulation 14 and Digital Technology 20 Labelling 14 Economic Situation: United Manufacturing Industries: Kingdom 20 Government Assistance 14 UK Relations with EU: Clinical Nottingham University: Trails and Drugs 21 Coronavirus 15 UK Trade with EU: Northern Nuclear Fusion: Research 15 Ireland 21 Waheed Saleem 22 Higher Education: Coronavirus 36 DEFENCE 22 Members: Correspondence 38 Armed Forces: Civil Parents: Advisory Services 38 Proceedings 22 Schools: Coronavirus 38 Ministry of Defence: Schools: Discrimination 39 Apprentices 22 Special Educational Needs: DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND Young People 40 SPORT 23 Sports: Coronavirus 40 Broadband: Costs 23 Students: Coronavirus 41 Dance: Coronavirus 24 Teachers: Coronavirus 42 Data Protection 25 Teachers: Ethnic Groups 42 Huawei: Equipment 25 Universities: Coronavirus 43 ICT: Huawei 26 ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND Internet: Education 26 RURAL AFFAIRS 44 Internet: Pornography 27 Agriculture: Seasonal Workers 44 Leisure and Tourism: Bus Air Pollution: Pollution Control 45 Services 29 Air Pollution: Schools 45 Music: Coronavirus 29 Animal Products and Outdoor Recreation: Livestock: UK Trade with EU 46 Coronavirus 30 Animal Products: Imports 46 Telecommunications: Russia 31 Animal Welfare: Coronavirus 47 EDUCATION 31 Coastal Erosion and Flood After School Clubs: Control: Finance 47 Coronavirus 31 Dangerous Dogs 47 Department for Education: Energy 32 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Air Disability and Special Pollution 48 Educational Needs: Young People 32 Flood Control: Oxfordshire 48 Disabled Students' Giant Hogweed 49 Allowances: Wirral 33 Nature Conservation 49 Erasmus+ Programme 33 Recycling 50 Free School Meals: Voucher Sewage: Standards 51 Schemes 34 UN Convention on Biological GCE A-Level: Ethnic Groups 34 Diversity 51 GCSE 36 Water Companies: Pay 52 Water: Standards 52 Exercise Cygnus 64 FOREIGN AND Gender Recognition: West COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 53 Midlands 64 Anoosheh Ashoori 53 Health Professions: Vetting 65 Bahrain: Capital Punishment 53 Hospices: Coronavirus 65 British Nationals Abroad: Hospitals: Coronavirus 66 Coronavirus 55 Hyperactivity: Mental Health British Nationals Abroad: EU Services 66 Countries 55 Ipswich Hospital: Surgery 67 Colombia: Coronavirus 56 LGBT People: Coronavirus 68 Colombia: Politics and Mental Health Services: Government 56 Children and Young People 68 Foreign, Commonwealth and Mental Health Services: Development Office: Coronavirus 68 Departmental Responsibilities 57 Mental Health Services: LGBT India: British Nationals Abroad 58 People 69 India: Human Rights 58 Mental Health Services: Young Integrated Security, Defence, People 69 Development and Foreign NHS: Hearing Impaired 70 Policy Review 58 Protective Clothing: Hearing Middle East 59 Impaired 70 Middle East: Peace Public Health: Finance 70 Negotiations 59 Serco 71 Nepal: Diplomatic Relations 59 Serco: Contact Tracing 71 Nigeria: Armed Conflict 60 Social Services: Disability 72 Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade 60 Stem Cells: Transplant HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 61 Surgery 72 Cardiovascular System: Surgical Mesh Implants 73 Diseases 61 HOME OFFICE 73 Clinical Trials: Standards 61 Coronavirus: Quarantine 73 Contact Tracing: Hospitality Industry 62 Domestic Abuse: Immigrants 73 Coronavirus: Screening 63 Factories: Leicester 75 Disability: Coronavirus 63 Home Office: Apprentices 76 Eating Disorders: Children and Home Office: Overseas Aid 76 Young People 64 Immigration 77 Immigration: EEA Nationals 77 Firstport and A2dominion 93 Immigration: EU Nationals 78 Help to Buy Scheme: Immigration: Social Services 78 Coronavirus 93 Law and Order: Protective Homelessness: LGBT People 94 Clothing 79 Housing: Construction 95 Migrant Workers: Self- Landlords: Licensing 95 employed 79 Local Government Finance: Migrant Workers: Shipping 80 Coronavirus 95 Modern Slavery Act 2015 Local Government: Independent Review 81 Coronavirus 96 Offences against Children: Materials Handling Equipment: Coronavirus 81 Industrial Accidents 97 Prevent Independent Review 82 Planning Permission 98 Proscribed Organisations 83 Private Rented Housing: Public Spaces Protection Coronavirus 99 Orders 83 Property Development 100 Slavery 84 Rough Sleeping: Coronavirus 101 Slavery: Manufacturing Sleeping Rough 101 Industries 85 Sleeping Rough: Coronavirus 101 Slavery: Victim Support Temporary accommodation: Schemes 86 Coronavirus 102 Stalking: Registration 86 Vulnerable Adults: Stop and Search: Ethnic Coronavirus 103 Groups 87 INTERNATIONAL Visas: Coronavirus 88 DEVELOPMENT 104 Visas: Travel Restrictions 88 Agriculture: Antibiotics 104 Visas: Turkey 88 British Indian Ocean Territory: HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND English Language 105 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 89 Department for International [Subject Heading to be Development: Public Assigned] 89 Expenditure 105 Affordable Housing: Department for International Construction 91 Trade: Annual Reports 105 Council Tax: Coronavirus 92 Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure 106 First Time Buyers: Government Assistance 92 Developing Countries: International Assistance 106 Developing Countries: Courts: Working Hours 117 Sustainable Development 106 Crime: Young People 117 Equality: Females 107 Female Genital Mutilation Females: Equality 107 Protection Orders 118 Israel: Palestinians 108 ICT 119 Non-governmental Magistrates' Courts: Costs 119 Organisations: Overseas Aid 108 Prison Visitors: Coronavirus 120 Overseas Aid 108 Wills: Registration 120 Overseas Aid: Cost LEADER OF THE HOUSE 121 Effectiveness 109 Coronavirus: Disease Control 121 UNRWA: Finance 109 PRIME MINISTER 146 Yemen: Humanitarian Aid 110 Care Homes 146 INTERNATIONAL TRADE 110 TRANSPORT 147 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Aircraft 147 Trans-pacific Partnership 110 Airports: Coronavirus 147 Department for International Aviation: Exhaust Emissions 148 Trade: Apprentices 111 Bus Service Operators Grant: Developing Countries: Dispute Hydrogen 148 Resolution 111 Buses: Hydrogen 148 Foreign Investment in UK: Department for Transport: North East 112 Apprentices 148 Iron and Steel: Imports 112 High Speed Two: Directors 149 Liquefied Natural Gas: Jet Skis: Wales 150 Mozambique 113 Large Goods Vehicles: Saudi Arabia: Human Rights 114 Coronavirus 150 Trade Agreements 114 Public Transport: Coronavirus 150 Trade Agreements: Dispute Public Transport: Information Resolution 115 Services 151 Trade and Agriculture Railway Stations: Visual Commission: Public Impairment 152 Appointments 115 Railways: Coronavirus 152 JUSTICE 116 Railways: Exhaust Emissions 154 Court of Protection 116 Railways: Season Tickets 154 Courts 116 Railways: Technology 154 Courts: Costs 116 Roads: Capital Investment 155 Rolling Stock: Procurement 155 Self-employed: Coronavirus 168 Taxis: Coronavirus 156 Self-employment Income Transport: Coronavirus 156 Support Scheme 168 Travel: Coronavirus 157 Soft Drinks: Taxation 169 TREASURY 157 Treasury: Correspondence 170 Animal Housing: VAT 157 WALES 170 Blood Cancer: Coronavirus 157 Agriculture: Coronavirus 170 Catering: VAT 158 Manufacturing Industries: Coronavirus 171 Charities: Tax Allowances 158 Mass Media: Employment 171 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 158 Tourism: Coronavirus 172 Coronavirus Job Retention Welsh Water 172 Scheme: Travel 160 WORK AND PENSIONS 173 Coronavirus: Protective Habitual Residence Test 173 Clothing 161 Jobcentres: Staff 174 Customs: Contracts 161 Kickstart Scheme 175 Customs: Kent 161 Materials Handling Equipment: Cycling and Walking 161 Industrial Accidents 176 Economic Growth: Carbon Personal Independence Emissions 162 Payment 177 Employment 162 Social Security Benefits: Employment: Coronavirus 163 Medical Assessments 178 Food: VAT 163 Universal Credit 179 Fuels: Excise Duties 164 Universal Credit: Disability 180 Income Tax 164 Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses 180 Kickstart Scheme 165 WRITTEN STATEMENTS 181 Killing Kittens: Finance 165 BUSINESS, ENERGY AND Local Government Finance: INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 181 Coronavirus 166 Business update 181 Offshore Industry: Income 166 Contingencies Fund Advance 181 Personal Care Services: VAT 166 Unified Patent Court 182 Retail Trade: Government Assistance 167 DEFENCE 183 Revenue and Customs: Service Complaints Cleaning Services 168 Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019 183 DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND SPORT 183 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 188 Community Match Challenge 183 Building Safety update 188 EDUCATION 184 TRANSPORT 191 School Funding Update 184 Crossrail Annual Update 191 FOREIGN AND Transport for London COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 186 Extraordinary funding and Report on Regulations Made financing update 194 under Section 32 of the Transport Update 195 Sanctions and Anti-Money TREASURY 196 Laundering Act 2018 186 Public service pensions, The UK’s future relationship survivor benefits for opposite– with the EEA EFTA states sex widowers and surviving (Iceland, Liechtenstein and male civil partners. 196 Norway) and Switzerland 187

Notes: Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared. Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an oral question and has since been unstarred. ANSWERS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Business: Coronavirus Scott Benton: [73123] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide further business support grants to businesses in (a) Blackpool and (b) the UK that do not know when they can reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Paul Scully: The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package of support includes the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF). In addition, on 1 May, the Government announced that up to £617 million is being made available to Local Authorities in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants. These funds have supported many thousands of small businesses with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. As of 13 July, local authorities have made grant payments to over 872,520 business premises, totalling £10.7 billion, under the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). As of 13 July, Blackpool Council have made payments to 3,860 business premises, totalling £43,835,000, under the SBGF and the RHLGF. Officials are keeping in close contact with Local Authorities to understand how the schemes are rolling out and advising ministers on any additional support which could be offered to help businesses and support local economies.

Companies: Coronavirus Stella Creasy: [74551] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2020 to Question 70388 on Companies: Coronavirus, what steps the Government plans to take to monitor whether companies borrowing through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme are (a) engaged in trading activity in the UK at the Initial Drawdown Date and (b) using that finance facility to support their trading activity in the UK. Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme (CLBILS) guidance makes it clear that the British Business Bank is not responsible for monitoring or verifying the use of any money advanced by accredited lenders to borrowers. It is the lenders responsibility to ensure that CLBILS facilities comply with the CLBILS eligibility criteria, which include (amongst others): • That the relevant Applicant or Applicant’s Group is or will be engaged in Trading Activity in the United Kingdom at the Initial Drawdown Date • That the Proposed Scheme Facility will be used for an Eligible Purpose (which may include the refinancing of an existing Borrowing Facility used for an Eligible Purpose) and to support trading in the United Kingdom. If the facility was not eligible at the offer date then the lender would not be able to claim against the guarantee. The British Business Bank retains the rights to request information from accredited lenders in order to verify whether a facility was eligible on the offer date. Lenders undergo a review to test a sample of CLBILS facilities to ensure that processes are being followed in accordance with the agreement.

Construction Talent Retention Scheme Wes Streeting: [74677] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 2.47 of the Plan for Jobs, published July 2020, how much funding he has allocated to the Construction Talent Retention Scheme. Nadhim Zahawi: The Construction Talent Retention Scheme will support the redeployment of staff that are at risk of redundancy across the construction sector, while also enabling temporary employee loans between businesses. The Scheme will give displaced workers from other sectors a route to find new employment in construction. This not-for-profit Scheme will be funded by the Department until the end of the current financial year, with £1.164 million having been secured. The construction industry will provide funding to support the Scheme post-March 2021.

Construction: North Wales Simon Baynes: [71918] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support he is providing to small builders in North Wales. Nadhim Zahawi: Whilst policy relating to construction is a devolved matter, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced a £330 billion support package of Government-backed and guaranteed loans so as to help businesses to access finance, including those in Wales. Measures include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), which enables small and medium-sized enterprises, with a turnover of up to £45 million, to access vital financial support. This is available to businesses in Wales via high street banks and the Development Bank of Wales. The Chancellor has extended the CBILS so that all viable businesses affected by COVID-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time. In addition, we announced the Bounce Back Loans Scheme, which provides loans of up to £50,000 to benefit small businesses with a 100% Government-backed guarantee for lenders. The Welsh Government has announced a new £500 million Welsh fund which will support firms of all sizes, including social enterprises.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Apprentices Robert Halfon: [74507] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target. Nadhim Zahawi: The Department gives full regard to the public sector apprenticeship target. The Department, and each of the Executive Agencies that contributes to the Department’s target, have apprenticeship plans that focus on their specific capability needs and skills. Together, we are promoting apprenticeships as a means of recruiting new and diverse talent. This includes exploring which roles are suitable for apprentices, and broadening our reach by advertising apprentice vacancies on the Government’s ‘Recruit an Apprentice’ service. The Department also promotes and encourages apprenticeships as a route for existing staff to build capability and develop new skills. The Department, our Executive Agencies, and our wider public sector Partner Organisations, share our ideas and experience of delivering against the apprenticeship agenda, to build our apprentice numbers. The Department offers a wide range of apprenticeships from Level 3 to Level 7. This week, our Permanent Secretary held a virtual “Meet and Greet” with apprentices, celebrating the great work that they do for the Department. We also celebrate the work of our apprentices and promote further use of apprenticeships through an annual Apprenticeship Awards ceremony.

Digital Markets Taskforce Chi Onwurah: [72903] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the membership of the Digital Markets Taskforce is; how often the taskforce meets; and whether the minutes of those meetings are published. Paul Scully: The Digital Markets Taskforce (the taskforce) was set up alongside the Budget in 2020. It will provide advice to the Government on the potential design and implementation of pro-competitive measures for digital platform markets. The taskforce is a team based in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and is led by a senior CMA official. It is independent of the Government and is made up of officials from: • the CMA • the Office of Communications (Ofcom) • the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) The work of the taskforce is ongoing and therefore there are no substantive meetings from which minutes should be published. The taskforce will provide written advice to the Government before the end of the year.

Economic Situation: Coronavirus Tracy Brabin: [74705] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department conducts equality impact assessments when making decisions on reopening sections of the economy as covid-19 restrictions are eased. Paul Scully: Our work continues to be led by the science, so we do not put lives at risk. The Department has considered how decisions on reopening sections of the economy may affect people who are protected under the Equality Act, in fulfilment of its duty under the Public Sector Equality Duty. Our guidance emphasises that employers have a duty under UK law to protect the health and safety of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. This includes considering the risks that COVID-19 represents. Nothing in this guidance affects employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation.

Energy: Meters Olivia Blake: [73999] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of Ofgem’s consultation entitled, Review of smart metering costs in the default tariff cap: May 2020 statutory consultation on the number of smart meters energy suppliers that can be installed; and how many Engineers would be required to undertake that work. Kwasi Kwarteng: It is Ofgem’s legal duty to determine the methodology for calculating the price cap. In setting the cap, Ofgem’s duty is, among other things, to have regard to the need to ensure that suppliers who operate efficiently are able to finance activities authorised by their supply licence, such as smart meter installations. Olivia Blake: [74781] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that energy suppliers have adequate funding to support his Department’s ambition to install a smart meter in every (a) home and (b) small business. Olivia Blake: [74782] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of any reduction by Ofgem in the smart metering programme allowances under the default tariff cap on the (a) pace of the roll-out and (b) number of workers undertaking that work. Kwasi Kwarteng: Since 2013, energy suppliers have been required to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters in homes and small businesses. How they plan for, manage and fund the activity needed to meet this obligation is a matter for individual energy suppliers. It is Ofgem’s legal duty to determine the methodology for calculating the price cap. In setting the cap Ofgem’s duty is, among other things, to have regard to the need to ensure that suppliers who operate efficiently are able to finance activities authorised by their supply licence, such as smart meter installations.

Flexible Working: Coronavirus Stuart Anderson: [72263] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to allow flexible working during the covid- 19 outbreak. Paul Scully: Since Covid-19 measures were introduced many more people have been working from home with many businesses rapidly adapting to remote working, using new technology and finding new ways of working. The Government is keen to do more to promote flexible working in all its forms. All employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working. In our manifesto we said that, subject to consultation, we would introduce measures to make flexible working the default.

Fuel Poverty: Kent Rosie Duffield: [74708] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in (a) Kent and Medway and (b) Canterbury district council area are affected by fuel poverty. Kwasi Kwarteng: The latest sub-national fuel poverty statistics for 2018 show a) 68,000 households in Kent and Medway estimated as fuel poor, and b) 6,600 households in Canterbury. These figures are derived from Fuel Poverty Sub-regional tables at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2020. Future Fund Sarah Champion: [74606] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the criteria for allocating funding from the Future Fund. Paul Scully: The eligibility criteria for the allocating of the Future Fund loans, and indeed all coronavirus loan schemes is freely available on the British Business Bank website: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business- interruption-loan-schemes/future-fund/.

Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus Julian Sturdy: [72892] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department is having with the events and weddings sector on the effect on that industry of covid-19 lockdown restrictions on gathering size. Paul Scully: Ministers and officials from this Department are currently discussing COVID-19 secure guidance, and the effect of the COVID-19 restrictions, with representatives from the weddings industry. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport continues to engage with business events stakeholders to monitor the ongoing impact on exhibitions and events businesses. Naz Shah: [74643] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has made to ensure that (a) banqueting halls and (b) wedding venues can reopen to serve food and entertainment whilst adhering to covid-19 guidelines; and whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional funding from the public purse to businesses in those sectors where adherence to those guidelines is not possible. Paul Scully: The Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to help businesses across the country during the COVID-19 outbreak, including those in the weddings industry. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced that from 1 August celebratory meals or receptions of up to 30 people for weddings and civil partnerships will be allowed to take place. Over time, we will assess whether gatherings of this type for other purposes can be made possible and when larger wedding receptions can take place. We continue to advise against live entertainment performances at weddings, due to the risks of people singing or shouting over loud music, which create risks of transmission.

Housing: Insulation Duncan Baker: [74753] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) wood fibre and (b) other sustainable insulation materials are permitted to be used for home insulation purposes under the terms of the Government's Green Deal scheme. Kwasi Kwarteng: Under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012, installers are required to comply with the Green Deal Code of Practice. This does not proscribe any materials but requires that products and systems installed must comply with all legislation relevant to the testing, performance, certification and quality of the product or system. Installers must be certified by a UKAS-accredited Certification Body as meeting the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 for the measures they install.

Labelling Dr Julian Lewis: [74415] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to bring forward (a) regulations and (b) legislative proposals to ensure that products offered for sale (i) online and (ii) in other markets are adequately labelled with their principal country of origin to enable shoppers to (A) buy British and (B) avoid purchasing from countries of which they disapprove. Paul Scully: Aside from certain specified products (e.g. food), there is no requirement for goods to be labelled with their country of origin. We have no plans to introduce such a requirement. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 bans traders from using misleading statements about the geographical or commercial origin of products.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance Lucy Powell: [73840] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on launching the Brunel challenge to support UK manufacturers in the (a) aerospace sector and (b) other high value manufacturing sectors. Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave my Hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke on 13 July 2020 to Question 71029. The Government recognises the value of British engineering capability and innovation. That is why we have already invested nearly £2 billion in the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme, providing advice on market opportunities and technology. We have also committed with industry around £1 billion through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, to research, develop, and commercialise the next generation of low carbon technologies to keep the UK at the cutting edge of low carbon automotive innovations. We are also supporting the innovation of digital design through the £147 million Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge. At the last Budget, we set out plans for public investment in research and development to reach £22 billion each year by 2024/25, which is a record increase in spending. As part of the upcoming Spending Review we will consider proposals for this investment, of which the Brunel Challenge and slingshot is one of many.

Nottingham University: Coronavirus Chi Onwurah: [72904] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the length of time it has taken Nottingham University's Scancell COVID-19 Vaccine group to receive Government funding in comparison to similar groups in (a) Oxford and (b) Imperial universities. Amanda Solloway: No such assessment has been made on the length of time taken. The government understands the urgency of the response to COVID-19 and set up a rapid response R&D fund, to accelerate research proposals into the disease. All applications to the UKRI-DHSC rapid response call are assessed on their own merits and awards made so far can be found at: https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/ukri-nihr-covid-19/ukri-nihr-covid-19-rolling- call/?_ga=2.186583657.1164498350.1594986614-294529872.1594986614. The funding calls and processes for Scancell, Oxford and Imperial have different requirements and are of different scales, therefore the timings required to make a proper and fair assessment should not be compared.

Nuclear Fusion: Research Charlotte Nichols: [73124] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to research on the use of dense plasma focus technology for nuclear fusion; and if he will make a statement. Amanda Solloway: UK Research and Innovation supports research into fusion across the UK through its grants, with over £2.5 million going into dense plasma focus related research in the period 2017-21. The Government is interested in and is supporting research into all approaches to fusion. The Government champions and supports the role of the private sector in developing innovative technologies for clean energy generation, including fusion energy. We have recently announced £184 million for development of fusion related technology facilities, managed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority. We encourage private sector companies working in fusion and related fields to explore potential opportunities for collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority and how they can benefit from these national assets.

Package Holidays Christine Jardine: [73944] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to ensure that online travel operators will meet ABTA's 31 July 2020 deadline to issue cash refunds to customers for cancelled holidays; and what steps he plans to take to ensure compliance with the package holiday travel regulations by operators that do not issue cash refunds. Paul Scully: Consumers are entitled to a full refund if a package holiday is cancelled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which should be issued within 14 days. The Government is clear that these refunds must be paid when asked for by the consumer. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued guidance to explain to consumers and business the circumstances when refunds are due as a consequence of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. The CMA has a programme of work to ensure refunds arising from the Covid-19 outbreak are paid. If the CMA finds evidence that companies are failing to comply with the law, the CMA will take appropriate enforcement action, which could include taking a firm to court if it does not address its concerns. The CMA has also set up a Covid-19 taskforce for consumers to register complaints, available through: https://www.coronavirus- business-complaint.service.gov.uk/.

Parental Leave and Parental Pay: Coronavirus Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [72851] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to introduce neonatal (a) leave and (b) pay for families affected by covid-19. Paul Scully: We recognise that parents of sick and premature babies are in an extremely difficult and distressing position and that Covid-19 has made it difficult for some parents to spend time with their children. The social distancing measures that we put in place have, however, been necessary to save lives – including those of new parents and their babies – and protect the NHS. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we intend to bring forward an Employment Bill which will include measures to allow parents of children who have spent time in neonatal care to take additional paid leave (subject to qualifying criteria). We intend to legislate as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus Dan Jarvis: [73836] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to review the date for resuming facial treatments in beauty salons as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Paul Scully: In my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement on 17 July, close contact services including treatments to the face are allowed to resume as of 1 August, as long as they operate in a COVID-secure way. Tracy Brabin: [74702] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when covid- 19 restrictions will be lifted to allow beauty salons to carry out facial procedures. Paul Scully: In my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement on 17 July, close contact services including treatments to the face are allowed to resume as of 1 August, as long as they operate in a COVID-secure way.

Personal Care Services: Government Assistance Tracy Brabin: [74703] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to provide support to the aesthetic industry. Paul Scully: Our approach to allowing businesses to resume activity is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open-up the more vigilant we will need to be. Making any changes depends on us continuing to meet the five tests, and the fifth test is informed by the Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer’s opinion. Where a business such as those in the aesthetic industries provides a mix of services, only those services that do not involve work in the highest risk zone – around the face – should be made available to clients. There is a much higher risk of transmission of the virus face-to-face and in very close proximity, such as facial treatments and make up services. The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support for businesses which are facing difficulty as a result of the pandemic, including loan schemes, grant funding and wage packages. Businesses from most sectors including the aesthetic industry are able to access this support, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for the schemes for which they are applying.

Small Businesses: EU Grants and Loans Kevin Hollinrake: [74670] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to bring forward changes to the Undertaking in Difficulty rules. Paul Scully: Although the UK has left the EU, under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement the EU State aid rules continue to apply in the UK until the end of the Transition Period. The rules are an exclusive competence of the European Commission and it is not within the power of the United Kingdom or any EU Member State to unilaterally vary or suspend them. The Government has announced that following the end of the Transition Period, a new domestic subsidy control regime will replace the EU State aid rules. The treatment of firms in difficulty will be considered as part of the work to develop the new regime, which will also take into account, amongst other factors, the arrangements agreed under the Northern Ireland Protocol. Announcements on the new regime will be made in due course.

Social Rented Housing: Canterbury Rosie Duffield: [74710] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many social housing properties in Canterbury district council area have an EPC energy efficiency rating of (a) F and (b) G. Kwasi Kwarteng: Estimates for the total number of homes by tenure and EPC energy efficiency rating for England are made using the English Housing Survey. Due to small sample sizes, these estimates cannot be made for local authorities. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2018-energy-report

Social Rented Housing: Energy Wes Streeting: [73915] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 2.54 of the July 2020 Plan for Jobs CP 261, what estimate he has made of the number of homes that will benefit from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Kwasi Kwarteng: The Summer Economic Update announced £50m to demonstrate innovative approaches to retrofitting social housing at scale, accelerating the delivery of the Social Housing Decarbonisation. This will mean warmer and more energy efficient homes and could reduce annual energy bills by hundreds of pounds for some of the poorest households, as well as lowering carbon emissions. The Programme will be UK wide and will upgrade thousands of poor energy performing social homes, with high levels of energy efficiency (e.g. floor / wall insulation) and low carbon heating (where appropriate).

Tide: Bounce Back Loan Scheme Margaret Ferrier: [74631] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Tide on its decision to suspend lending under the Bounce Back Loan scheme. Paul Scully: The British Business Bank is in regular discussions with Tide and all parties are working to resolve the current situation.

Vaccination: Research Chi Onwurah: [72905] To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 59764 on Vaccination: Research, what progress the Vaccine Taskforce has made in accelerating vaccine development outside of Oxford and London. Amanda Solloway: The Government is taking a portfolio-based approach that monitors the landscape of coronavirus vaccine development, both here in the UK and internationally. Our approach is to develop vaccine candidates across the main potential technologies, including adenoviral vaccines, mRNA and nucleic acid vaccines, adjuvanted protein vaccines and other approaches, including whole inactivated viral vaccines. We cannot comment on negotiations with industry at present because of commercial confidentiality, but will be announcing developments in due course.

CABINET OFFICE

Agriculture: North Wales Simon Baynes: [71178] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure business readiness in the agricultural sector in northern Wales at the end of the transition period. Penny Mordaunt: The Government is working to support agricultural businesses right across the country in getting ready for the end of the UK transition period. Further details of our actions and the steps which businesses in northern Wales and across the UK need to take can be found on gov.uk/transition. Animal Housing: Cats and Dogs Sir Mike Penning: [72182] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to include kennels and catteries in the Standard Industrial Classification codes within the Accommodation and Food Service Activities sector. Chloe Smith: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Attachments: 1. UKSA response [PQ72182 (1).pdf]

Cabinet Office: Cybercrime and Digital Technology Chi Onwurah: [72908] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) digital skills and (b) cyber skills; and to whom that funding has been allocated. Penny Mordaunt: Government Digital Service (GDS) leads the Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function. The GDS Academy provides training. Regarding cyber skills, I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQs 53531 and 52225 on 09 June 2020. Details of funding are published in the Cabinet Office annual reports.

Economic Situation: United Kingdom Paul Girvan: [73050] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will meet the hon. Member for South Antrim and investors to discuss (a) strengthening the Union and (b) working together to ensure that the economy recovers in all four nations of the UK. Chloe Smith: As set out in our Manifesto, this Government is fully committed to strengthening the bonds between our four great nations. This includes providing unprecedented economic support, £160 billion to protect people’s jobs, incomes and businesses across every part of the UK, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ministers are always willing to meet with fellow Members to discuss how we can work in the most effective way possible, to realise fully all the associated benefits of being a United Kingdom. Our officials will be in touch with your office to arrange details. UK Relations with EU: Clinical Trails and Drugs Paul Blomfield: [69524] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK- EU future relationship enables UK participation in EU-funded multinational (a) clinical trials and (b) research collaborations on (i) covid-19 treatments and (ii) other medicines after the end of the transition period. Paul Blomfield: [69525] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK- EU future relationship does not introduce delays to the movement of goods and people in relation to the (a) supply of medicines and (b) maintenance of vital machinery and equipment in the event of a future pandemic after the end of the transition period. Paul Blomfield: [69526] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK maintains access the EU’s RescEU stockpile of (a) ventilators (b) protective masks and (c) other related equipment after the end of the transition period. Penny Mordaunt: The Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a global leader in life sciences and continues to collaborate with European and other countries on scientific research. At the end of the UK transition period, clinical trials will continue to be approved at a national level, working to international standards as they are now. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) along with partners in the UK healthcare system, has taken steps to ensure that all trials, including multinational trials, can continue. The UK is collaborating extensively with international partners in the research effort against COVID-19 and we will continue to do so after the end of the UK transition period. The UK’s approach to the future relationship negotiations sets out our ambition to reach an agreement that would facilitate trade in medicinal products. However, any responsible Government has a duty to prepare for all scenarios and have robust contingency plans in place. We continue to hold stockpiles to cope with a range of scenarios. We are doing everything we can to ensure our health and social care staff have the equipment they need to tackle Covid-19 virus. Sourcing sufficient PPE is an international challenge and we are working with many international partners, including the EU. In terms of ventilators, as a result of the Ventilator Challenge the NHS has significantly increased supply.

UK Trade with EU: Northern Ireland Louise Haigh: [74667] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document entitled, The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, CP226, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the reimbursement of tariffs for goods imported into Northern Ireland that remain in the UK customs territory. Penny Mordaunt: Zero cost to the public purse.

Waheed Saleem Gary Sambrook: [48637] To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the suitability of Waheed Saleem for the post of deputy Police and Crime Commissioner; and whether Waheed Saleem is a member of the Community and Voluntary Service Honours Committee. Chloe Smith: The appointment of deputy Police and Crime Commissioners is a matter for democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners. All public office holders are subject to the Nolan Principles of Public Office. Details of the Honours Committee are available on GOV.UK.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Civil Proceedings Jamie Stone: [73939] To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) personal injury claims and (b) claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 were brought against his Department in each of the last five years; what proportion of those claims related to overseas operations; and how many of those claims were brought (i) less than three years, (ii) between three or six years or (iii) six or more years after the date of loss. Johnny Mercer: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. To locate, retrieve and extract the information requested would involve wide- ranging searches of a number of databases and liaison with the Government Legal Department.

Ministry of Defence: Apprentices Robert Halfon: [74509] To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target. Johnny Mercer: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is proud to be one of the largest deliverers of apprenticeships in the UK, with over 20,000 personnel engaged on a nationally recognised apprenticeship programme at any one time and over 90 per cent of our non-commissioned military recruits offered an apprenticeship relating to their trade. Public sector bodies with 250 or more staff have a target to employ an average of at least 2.3 % of their staff as new apprentice starts over the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2021. The Armed Forces are exceeding this target with an average of 8.3% of employees starting an apprenticeship in 2017-2019. The MOD's Civil Service (CS) is contributing towards the CS public sector target. The MOD CS has achieved a total of 2.1% of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3% by March 2021, to date. This has increased from 1.6% in 2019/20. We committed to enrolling 50,000 apprenticeships between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2020 and we exceeded that target in November 2018, over a year ahead of schedule.

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Costs Chi Onwurah: [69557] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support people who have been told by BT OpenReach that the costs for broadband for their properties under the Universal Service Obligation will be £10,00 or more. Matt Warman: As the independent regulator, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring that both of the designated Universal Service Providers, BT and KCOM, comply with the conditions that the regulator has placed upon them. Ofcom expects that quotes should explain the nature of the costs involved and include a clear explanation of the work required to deliver the specific connection. Ofcom has previously estimated that the combination of commercially available services and the USO will reach 99.8% of premises in the UK. If a customer believes that the cost of installing their broadband connection has been calculated incorrectly they can refer their complaint to the Ombudsman Service, free of charge. The government is committed to delivering gigabit capable connectivity across the UK as soon as possible. As part of the 2020 Budget, the government committed to invest a further £5 billion to help support the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the hardest to reach parts of the country, including to premises without a broadband service that meets the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) specification. PCT Checked PS Checked Spad Checked Ministerial Approval The government is working to have the new £5bn delivery programme up and running as soon as possible, and intends to start procuring the first contracts next year. We will publish more information in due course. In the meantime, households with poor broadband connections in rural areas may be able to benefit from the government’s existing Gigabit Voucher Scheme, which provides vouchers worth £1,500 per home and up to £3,500 for each small to medium-sized business (SME) to support the cost of installing faster and more reliable gigabit connections. Communities can also combine vouchers to further reduce the costs of installation.

Dance: Coronavirus Scott Benton: [71169] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from dance industry organisations to enable (a) competitive dancing and (b) commercial dance lessons to restart in (i) Blackpool and (ii) the rest of the UK. Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and ensure appropriate support and guidance is provided. To that end, DCMS has established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group which will be focusing on ensuring that COVID-19 secure guidelines are developed in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions, building on the existing guidance and providing intelligence and sector-specific expert input. These groups specifically include representatives for the dance sector, such as One Dance UK. Full details of the Taskforce can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/culture-secretary-announces-cultural-renewal- taskforce, and the Entertainment and Events Working Group can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cultural-renewal-taskforce-and-supporting- working-groups#entertainment-and-events-members. Furthermore, on 2 July, the Secretary of State met with Shirley Ballas to discuss the specific challenges faced by those within the ballroom dance sector with respect to safe reopening. As the Prime Minister confirmed in his announcement on 23 June, providers who run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children – such as commercial dance lessons for children – can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place. Providers of these settings have been able to open since 4 July, provided that they follow the protective measures set out by government. Protective measures guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after- school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus- covid-19-outbreak Providers who offer indoor sports activities (including dance lessons) for children should also refer to the guidance for Keeping workers / volunteers and customers safe during COVID-19 for providers of grassroots sports and gym / leisure facilities. As announced on the 9 July, indoor gyms, sports courts and fitness and dance studios will be able to open from 25 July and cannot be used for holiday clubs and activities for children until that point. Dame Diana Johnson: [71698] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the different roles and facilities of (a) dance studios and (b) dance schools accredited by OFQAL in guidance issued on the covid-19 outbreak. Caroline Dinenage: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. As announced on 9 July, from 11 July, outdoor swimming pools will be able to open and from 25 July indoor gyms, dance studios, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance. The updated guidance can be found at the GOV.UK website and includes advice for providers of pool, gym and leisure facilities on cleaning, social distancing, and protection for staff to help venues get back up and running safely.

Data Protection Ian Murray: [73791] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish the National Data Strategy for the UK in 2020. Mr John Whittingdale: This government is committed to delivering an ambitious, pro-growth National Data Strategy. In the global recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, data will be more vital than ever, underpinning our future resilience and future economy. We aim to publish the strategy in 2020.

Huawei: Equipment Stephen Kinnock: [73856] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to update the House on the purchase of Huawei equipment between July 2020 and the implementation of the ban on buying new Huawei equipment in January 2021. Matt Warman: The Secretary of State set out in his statement to the House on ‘UK Telecommunications’ on 14 July that the Government will bring forward the Telecoms Security Bill in the Autumn. During the passage of the Bill, the Government will update Parliament on progress made with respect to telecoms security and high risk vendors. The Secretary of State also confirmed that he would report regularly to Parliament to update Members on the progress of the measures outlined in his statement. This includes monthly appearances in the House for DCMS questions.

ICT: Huawei Chi Onwurah: [74572] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential risks to national security of use of Huawei’s (a) smart phone, (b) tablet and (c) other consumer devices operations in the UK. Matt Warman: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) conducts world-leading security analysis into the risks and threats faced by the UK telecoms sector, including consumer devices. In light of US sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC published explanatory guidance regarding their advice to the government on the ongoing security of Huawei’s telecoms equipment: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/huawei-advice-what-you- need-to-know. This included information for Huawei customers detailing the potential impacts on customers in the UK. The NCSC’s security analysis is subject to constant review as the risks and threats change.

Internet: Education Robert Halfon: [71732] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) representatives from telecommunication companies on whitelisting educational websites for children from lower income households. Robert Halfon: [71733] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) telecommunication companies on improving digital access to online education resources, such as the Oak Academy, for children from low income households. Robert Halfon: [71734] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) telecommunication companies on reducing the cost of mobile data for families and children accessing online education resources, such as the Oak Academy. Matt Warman: It is essential that all children, regardless of their family circumstances, have the opportunity to continue to access high quality education throughout the COVID19 pandemic. Let me reassure you that the Government recognises the importance of both ensuring broadband connectivity and supporting children’s access to online learning during this time. My Department is working closely with the Department for Education to ensure vulnerable children have access to online educational resources. Furthermore my Department has previously agreed measures with telecoms providers to support vulnerable consumers more generally. These measures will also indirectly benefit children’s education. For example, as part of the voluntary commitments, the major telecoms providers committed to remove all data allowance caps on all current fixed broadband services. The Department for Education has worked with major telecoms companies to zero rate (otherwise known as whitelisting) the Hungry Little Minds and EdenRed school meal voucher website. Zero-rating is a helpful way to provide families with support to access critical resources where the majority of content is held on one website. Most educational resources including Oak Academy, however, use content that is hosted elsewhere (such as on Youtube or Vimeo) meaning that they will still incur data charges. The Department for Education is therefore working with the major telecommunications companies to improve internet connectivity for disadvantaged and vulnerable families more widely than selected websites. For families who rely on a mobile internet connection, mobile network operators are working to provide access to free additional data offering them more flexibility to access the resources that they need the most. The Department for Education has also delivered or dispatched over 200,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts who are best placed to prioritise children and young people who need devices. The Department for Education has also launched a service to provide children and young people free access to BT wifi hotspots. 10,000 families will initially be able to access the scheme. This offer is currently being piloted and will be rolled out across England in the coming months. The Department for Education is currently working with BT to expand this offer to allow more children to access the internet through their network of BT wifi hotspots.

Internet: Pornography Fiona Bruce: [74496] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on child safety in respect of exposure to pornographic websites of its decision to delay the introduction of statutory age verification for such websites by bringing forward further legislation rather than implementing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. Fiona Bruce: [74497] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government made of the (a) potential number of additional viewing incidences by children in of online pornography and (b) effect on child wellbeing of such viewing in its decision to delay the requirement for statutory age verification checks by bringing forward new legislative proposals rather than implementing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. Fiona Bruce: [74498] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government make of the child safety implications of delaying the provision of statutory age verification by bringing forward new legislative proposals rather than implementing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. Fiona Bruce: [74499] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the length of time it will take to introduce age verification for pornographic websites through an alternative option instead of implementing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. Fiona Bruce: [74500] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he had with children's charities ahead of the decision to delay the introduction of statutory age verification for pornographic websites by bringing forward new legislative proposals rather than implementing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017. Caroline Dinenage: The government is committed to ensuring children are protected from accessing inappropriate content online. As we announced on 16 October last year, the government has decided that the policy objective of protecting children online from age inappropriate content can be best delivered through our wider online harms proposals. Our Online Harms proposals will deliver a higher level of protection for children and we expect companies to use a proportionate range of tools, including age assurance and age verification technologies, to prevent children accessing age- inappropriate content such as online pornography. This approach will achieve a more consistent and comprehensive approach to harmful content across different sites and go further than the Digital Economy Act’s focus on online pornography on commercial adult sites. We will publish a Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year. We will follow the full Government Response with legislation, which we are working on at pace, and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. The British Board of Film Classification, while designated as the age verification regulator under the Digital Economy Act, commissioned research on children’s access to pornographic content online. The research, published in early 2020, explored young people’s interactions with, and attitudes towards, online pornography and age verification. We will continue to develop our evidence base on online harms ahead of the implementation of the new online harms regulatory framework. As a result of Covid-19 lockdown measures we expect more people, including children, to be spending more time online. Although it is too early to confidently analyse patterns from this period, there is universal concern about child online safety. We are working closely with technology companies, law enforcement and civil society to monitor trends, and to support users to understand and manage the risks and benefits of being online during this period. Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including children’s charities, on a variety of issues. We engaged with a number of children’s charities on our proposals to protect children through the new online harms regulatory framework, as part of our wider public consultation on the Online Harms White Paper last year. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

Leisure and Tourism: Bus Services Grahame Morris: [71730] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will have discussions with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Transport on the importance of coach operators in supporting the UK leisure and tourism sector. Nigel Huddleston: Coach tour operators play a vital role in the UK tourism sector, connecting holidaymakers with our country’s vibrant seaside resorts and areas of natural beauty. We recognise that these remain extremely difficult conditions for tourism businesses, and we are alert to the specific pressures that coach tour operators face. My officials and I regularly speak with the Association of British Travel Agents through the Visitor Economy Working Group, as well as the Coach Tourism Association through the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group. I will continue to engage with my colleagues in the Treasury and the Department for Transport on the importance of all aspects of the tourism sector, including coach operators.

Music: Coronavirus Alberto Costa: [66903] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department will provide to independent music venues during the covid-19 outbreak. Caroline Dinenage: On Sunday 5 July 2020, the Secretary of State announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. We continue to speak with HM Treasury colleagues to ensure that the full spectrum of government support reaches the UK's world-leading music industry. Our recovery work for this sector is being delivered via the ministerially-chaired Events and Entertainment Working Group, which was established to support the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce. The Music Venue Trust is an active and valued member of the Working Group, the focus of which is to produce sector-led guidance for the safe reopening of a range of creative industries sectors, including live music venues.

Outdoor Recreation: Coronavirus Tim Loughton: [74416] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with organisers of commercial metal-detecting rallies in relation to (a) public safety and (b) protection of archaeology as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Tim Loughton: [74417] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has issued to organisers of commercial metal-detecting rallies in relation to the protection of in-situ archaeology as social distancing rules are relaxed as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Tim Loughton: [74418] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what in-situ (a) hoards and (b) other archaeological finds found on metal-detecting rallies and club events have been excavated without archaeological support in 2020; what assessment his Department has made of the level of loss to knowledge of those excavations. Tim Loughton: [74419] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what requirements are placed on organisers of commercial rallies to (a) report Treasure, (b) follow best practice, (c) ensure that in-situ archaeology is protected and (d) ensure that archaeological finds made on their events are lawfully exported. Caroline Dinenage: Guidance for both individual metal detectorists and organisers of events operating during the covid-19 lockdown was published on the gov.uk page Guidance on searching for archaeological finds in England during COVID-19 on 9 July 2020. The guidance points organisers to directions on operating inside and outside events and also advises organisers and finders what to do if they discover a new archaeological site. The page also directs finders and organisers to the National Council for Metal Detecting guidance on best practice when detecting. Rallies and club events are legally permitted and take place on private property with the landowner’s consent, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not currently monitor or record activities at these events. Responsibility for reporting possible treasure finds and arranging for an export licence lies with the finder and owner of the cultural object. Guidance on reporting treasure and applying for an export licence during the present situation is included on the gov.uk pages Guidance on searching for archaeological finds in England during COVID-19 and Export art, antiques and cultural goods: special rules. Anyone not reporting a potential treasure find or not obtaining an export licence where necessary can be subject to legal sanctions.

Telecommunications: Russia Chi Onwurah: [73828] To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has he made of the level of threat posed by Russia to the integrity and security of the UK's communications networks. Matt Warman: The government’s approach to securing the UK’s telecommunications networks is underpinned by world-leading security analysis from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the risks and threats faced by the UK telecoms sector, and is informed by, inter alia, details of previous attacks on the UK telecoms networks, and the NCSC’s knowledge of global attacks on telecoms systems, regardless of the attacker. The NCSC’s security analysis is subject to constant review as the risks and threats change, and their advice to the government is updated accordingly. The Telecoms Security Bill will ensure we have the powers we need to drive up security standards and control the presence of High Risk Vendors. The new security framework will be one of the strongest regimes for telecoms security in the world, which will look to address the vulnerabilities exploited by cyber attackers, including those from Russia.

EDUCATION

After School Clubs: Coronavirus Tulip Siddiq: [73922] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, whether out-of-school clubs not based on school premises will be permitted to (a) operate and (b) look after children from different schools from September 2020. Nick Gibb: As of 4 July, those offering out-of-school activities to children, including those not based on school premises, have been able to open for both indoor and outdoor provision with safety measures in place. The Department has published guidance for providers of these activities on the measures they should put in place to ensure they are operating as safely as possible, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing- protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19- implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings. Out-of-school provision will continue to be permitted to operate during the autumn, and we will provide further guidance on the protective measures they should put in place in the autumn as soon as possible.

Department for Education: Energy Sir Edward Davey: [59350] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much energy his departmental buildings have used in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2020 to date. Nick Gibb: The information on energy used by the Department for Education for the years 2015- 16 to 2018-19 is available in the attached table. Information for 2019-20 is not available.

Attachments: 1. 59350_PDF [59350_table.pdf]

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Young People Munira Wilson: [73973] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children’s Services Development Group’s report entitled Destination Unknown: Improving transitions for care leavers and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, published February 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of that report on supporting vulnerable young people to successfully move into adulthood. Munira Wilson: [73974] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support available to young people with special educational needs and disabilities to ensure they make a successful transition into adulthood; and whether he will include an assessment of that support in his Department's review of support for children with special educational needs. Vicky Ford: It is a priority for the department to improve the outcomes of care leavers and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The SEND Code of Practice explicitly states that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood and that this preparation should start early. For those with an education, health and care plan, there must be a focus from year 9 onwards on this preparation as part of their plan’s annual review. Planning for the transition to adulthood should result in clear outcomes being agreed that are ambitious and stretching. The SEND Review is considering how the support system operates to prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment. Since launching the cross-government Care Leaver Strategy, we have implemented a wide range of measures to improve care leavers’ outcomes, including ones which address the concerns highlighted by the Children’s Services Development Group’s report. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has established a ministerial board, co-chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The board met for the first time on 13 July and brought together ministers from across the government to consider what more their departments can do to support care leavers. The next meeting of the board will be in the early autumn.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Wirral Ms Angela Eagle: [73718] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students are in receipt of assistive (a) hardware and (b) software technology through the Disabled Students' Allowance in (i) Wirral and (ii) Wallasey. Michelle Donelan: The Student Loans Company does not distinguish between hardware and software within Disabled Student’s Allowance (DSA). These would both be grouped under the DSA equipment allowance. Therefore, it is not possible to separately identify the number of students who are in receipt of assistive hardware and assistive software technology through the DSA. The number of students who were in receipt of assistive technology through the DSA equipment allowance in the 2018-19 academic year are: i. 92 students whose home address is registered as Wirral; and ii. 35 students whose home address is registered as Wallasey. Figures are not yet available for the 2019-20 academic year.

Erasmus+ Programme Emma Hardy: [73947] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 12 June 2020 to Questions 56134 and 56135 on Erasmus+ programme, what progress her Department has made on the development of a domestic alternative to Erasmus+. Emma Hardy: [73948] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 12 June 2020 to Questions 56134 and 56135 on the Erasmus+ Programme, what steps he has taken to consult on the development of a domestic alternative to Erasmus+ scheme; and with whom he has held those consultations with. Vicky Ford: In the event that the UK does not participate in the next Erasmus+ programme (2021- 27), departmental officials have been preparing a UK-wide domestic alternative scheme should we need to have a contingency measure. As this scheme is still being developed and negotiations with the EU on UK participation in the Erasmus+ programme are ongoing, it is too early to set out the exact details of the scheme. However, I have discussed the development of the domestic alternative with my ministerial counterparts in the devolved administrations and hosted a roundtable in March with a range of higher education and further education stakeholders including representative and mission groups and Vice-Chancellors. Departmental officials have also been engaging with officials in the devolved administrations as well as sector bodies and institutions through a series of roundtables and interviews so far, speaking to representatives from across the education sector in all 4 nations to understand their views and ensure that this scheme can deliver a world-leading exchange programme.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [74468] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of profit made by Edenred through its delivery of the free school meals voucher scheme since the start of that scheme. Vicky Ford: The department made an award of a contract to Edenred pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(c) Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to provide extremely urgent deliverables as part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The contract was let as a direct award using the terms of an existing Crown Commercial Service framework. The department do not comment on the commercial arrangements of third parties but can confirm that we are only paying for the face value of goods delivered, which in this case is vouchers.

GCE A-Level: Ethnic Groups Helen Hayes: [74685] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the difference between (a) predicted and (b) achieved A-level grades by ethnicity in each year since 2015. Helen Hayes: [74686] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of published data collection on achieved grades against predicted grades for (a) GCSEs and (b) A-Levels by demographic group; and what steps his Department is taking to improve such data collection increase transparency to combat unconscious bias. Helen Hayes: [74687] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with UCAS on the publication of historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. Helen Hayes: [74688] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with UCAS on the (a) role of unconscious bias in predicted A-Level grades and (b) potential effect of unconscious bias in those grades on trends in admissions statistics in relation to (i) socio-economic background, (ii) race, (iii) gender and (iv) disability. Michelle Donelan: The data that has been collected by UCAS on the relationship between predicted and achieved grades relates only to those who apply to higher education using UCAS. There is no published data on predictions for GCSEs. UCAS published a report on the factors that are associated with the differences in predicted and achieved A level attainment in 2016 examining the predictions and results for 600,000 English 18 year old applicants between 2010 and 2015 with three or more A levels. The report is available here: www.ucas.com/file/71796/download?token=D4uuSzur. Black applicants were proportionally 19% more likely to be overpredicted compared with White applicants. Disadvantaged applicants (measured using POLAR) were 5% more likely to be overpredicted compared with the most advantaged applicants. We have not had discussions with UCAS about historic data tables of achieved grades against predicted grades by demographic group. UCAS have published data on the differences in predicted and achieved A level points for 18 year old UK applicants with at least three predicted A level grades. The data is available from 2010 and by gender, domicile, disadvantage and ethnicity. In the 2019 application cycle, of UK 18 year old applicants with at least three predicted A levels who were accepted onto a place, 79% of predicted grades were overpredicted and 8% underpredicted. The data is available here: www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate- statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources- 2019 We have had no recent discussions with UCAS about the potential role of unconscious bias in predicted A level grades, as this would not be a matter they could control. We have had extensive discussions with Ofqual about this matter and Ofqual publications set out how it has been taken into account in the development of the calculated grades being awarded this summer. GCSE Stephen Morgan: [74718] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has he made of the effect on the mental well-being of home-schooled children of those children being unable to receive predicted grades for GCSE’s. Vicky Ford: We appreciate that many private candidates will be concerned about their GCSE results. We know that the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to affect the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, including in the longer term. We have been working with health partners such as Public Health England and Health Education England to provide resources and guidance to support and promote the mental health of children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have signposted resources on supporting and promoting mental wellbeing in the list of resources to help children who are learning at home. The government has also provided additional funding to mental health charities to adapt, expand and reach out to those children who are most vulnerable. The list of resources is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education- resources#mental-wellbeing. The Ofqual guidance for teachers, students, parents and carers explains the options available for private candidates to be awarded grades this year. Ofqual has asked organisations that represent further education providers to consider steps that they could take when making admissions decisions this summer for any private candidates who do not receive a grade. We understand that institutions will consider a range of other evidence and information for these students to allow them to progress wherever possible. The Ofqual guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2020. There will be an opportunity for students to sit exams in the autumn term, if they feel their calculated grade does not reflect their ability.

Higher Education: Coronavirus Dave Doogan: [74728] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support the higher education sector in England during the covid-19 outbreak; and what consequential effect that support has on the Scottish higher education sector. Michelle Donelan: On 4 May 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to protect students and higher education providers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This package was designed to stabilise university finances, including tuition fee income resulting from admissions, and to support our world-class higher education system to continue to deliver for all students and the wider economy. Details of the package can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities- and-students. Furthermore, building on the stabilisation package and access to business support schemes, the government has also announced a further package of support to research within universities, including universities across Scotland. This includes £280 million of government funding as well as a package of low-interest loans with long pay-back periods, supplemented by a small amount of government grants. In sharing responsibility for the future of science and research with our world-leading university system, the government will cover up to 80% of a university’s income losses from international students for the academic year 2020/21, up to the value of their non-publicly funded research activity. On 16 July, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced the higher education restructuring regime, of which details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime. This will be deployed as a last resort, if a decision has been made to support a provider in England facing severe financial difficulties related to the COVID-19 outbreak, when other steps to preserve a provider’s viability and mitigate the risks of provider failure have not proved sufficient. The UK government has invited ministers in the the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland Executive to opt into the regime on behalf of higher education providers in their respective territories. Throughout the development of the higher education stabilisation package, we have shared our approach and thinking with the devolved administrations through regular engagement at a ministerial and official level. There are several elements to the higher education stabilisation package which are applicable in Scotland, including temporary student number controls which apply to English-domiciled students studying at higher education providers in all devolved administrations; Clearing Plus, which applies to all UK higher education providers using UCAS; the International Education Strategy, including communications to prospective international students; and the Ministerial Taskforce on university research sustainability, which includes representation from the Scottish government. This is in addition to the UK-wide government support schemes such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CIBLS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, so England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own education system. The UK government is responsible for England, whilst the Scottish government, the Welsh government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. Members: Correspondence Mr John Baron: [72169] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 2 April, 1 May, 28 May and 25 June 2020 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on Sunnymede Pre-school. Nick Gibb: A response has been sent to the letters dated 2 April, 1 May, 28 May and 25 June 2020, from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay. A response was sent via email to the hon. Member on 16 July 2020.

Parents: Advisory Services Layla Moran: [74720] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department taken to ensure greater accessibility to support and guidance for parents with children under five years old. Vicky Ford: It is vitally important that we do all we can to help parents to support their children’s learning at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. We know that the Home Learning Environment is crucial for child development. There are a wealth of resources available for parents which can be accessed through the government’s Hungry Little Minds website which can be found at: https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/. We are working with our partners to ensure that we give parents the best support we can to help their children’s learning at home. We have also published guidance for parents about how to support their child’s development at home during the COVID-19 outbreak which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-children-aged-2- to-4-to-learn-at-home-during-coronavirus-covid-19. Guidance for parents and carers on the opening of early years settings is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to- know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus- covid-19-outbreak.

Schools: Coronavirus Fleur Anderson: [73983] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2020 to Question 70510 on Schools: Coronavirus, if he will make emergency funding available to schools that have been affected financially by the covid-19 outbreak. Nick Gibb: We are providing additional funding to schools, on top of existing budgets, to cover unavoidable costs incurred between March and July due to the COVID-19 outbreak that cannot be met from their existing resources. Schools are eligible to claim for: increased premises related costs associated with keeping schools open over the Easter and summer half term holidays; support for free school meals for eligible children who are not in school, where schools are not using the national voucher scheme; and additional cleaning costs required due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, over and above the cost of existing cleaning arrangements. Schools are able to claim online until 21 July, and a second claims window will run in the autumn. Where schools have members of staff delivering services funded from self-generated income, we have advised that they should first look to redeploy these staff or use existing budgets to absorb the cost. After having looked at all other options, schools have been able to consider using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year, as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. That will ensure that they are able to continue to pay their staff, and meet their other regular financial commitments.

Schools: Discrimination Abena Oppong-Asare: [74777] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance to schools (a) recommending that the six thinking hats technique is not used in schools and (b) noting the potential effect of identifying a black hat on unconscious negative bias relating to the use of the word black. Nick Gibb: All state-funded schools in England have a duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of later life. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must also not discriminate against a pupil in a number of respects because of a characteristic protected by the Act. The Department trusts teachers to choose curriculum resources that are appropriate for their pupils and to ensure that how they deliver the curriculum does not discriminate. The Department has already published guidance to help schools fulfil their duties under the Act, which can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools. This includes advice on the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies, including state-funded schools, to have due regard to the need to: foster good relations across all protected characteristics; advance equality of opportunity for people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Act. Additionally, the Independent Schools Standards requires independent schools to encourage respect for others, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Act. Special Educational Needs: Young People Munira Wilson: [73975] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of 19 to 25 year-old students with an education, health and care plan were provided with a further education place in the academic years (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20. Vicky Ford: The number of 19 to 25 year olds with an education, health and care (EHC) plan participating in further education at any point in the given academic year is presented in the table attached. This is collected in the individualised learner record. The proportion of all 19 to 25 year olds with EHC plans is not available as comparable age bands are not available. The number of young people aged 16-19 and 20-25 with an EHC plan is available in the ‘Education, health and care plans’ publication at: https://explore-education- statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. Figures presented are as at January in the academic year.

Attachments: 1. 73975_table [73975_FE_EHCP.pdf]

Sports: Coronavirus Dan Jarvis: [74588] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools and venues with shared sports facilities are able to reopen safely as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Nick Gibb: As announced on the 9 July, indoor gyms, tennis courts and fitness and dance studios will be able to reopen from 25 July. This includes facilities shared with schools. Out-of-school settings which run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place. Providers of these settings have been able to open from 4 July, provided that they follow the protective measures set out by Government. Out-of-school settings should check the latest government guidelines ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to- close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance ) on which businesses and venues can open and for which purposes as some premises may only be able to open for certain limited purposes. Out-of-school provision cannot use indoor gyms, tennis courts and fitness and dance studios until they reopen on 25 July. Protective measures guidance for out-of-school settings, to enable them to operate as safely as possible, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after- school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus- covid-19-outbreak. Providers who offer indoor sports activities for children should also refer to the guidance on Keeping workers / volunteers and customers safe during COVID-19 for providers of grassroots sports and gym / leisure facilities. Guidance to support schools to deliver safe physical education lessons, sport and physical activity is included within the guidance for full opening ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the- coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools ). Schools have the flexibility to decide how physical education, sport and physical activity will be provided whilst following the measures in their system of controls. The Association for Physical Education has published guidance ( https://www.afpe.org.uk/physical-education/wp- content/uploads/COVID-19-Interpreting-the-Government-Guidance-in-a-PESSPA- Context-FINAL.pdf ) for the education-based workforce and Youth Sport Trust has published resources ( https://www.youthsporttrust.org/coronavirus-support-schools ) on the principles of teaching PE in response to COVID-19.

Students: Coronavirus Mr Virendra Sharma: [74481] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to help protect older and more vulnerable students at greater risk from covid-19 infection when attending reopened further education colleges in September 2020. Gillian Keegan: The guidance published on the 2 July and updated on 15 July sets how Further Education colleges can reopen safely for all learners, including those that are older or vulnerable, in September 2020. It has been developed in close consultation with the sector and medical experts from Public Health England. It sets out in detail the steps colleges should take to protect their staff and learners with a requirement to undertake full health and safety COVID-19 risk assessments and implement the September reopening protective measures. These risk assessments must consider groups that are most at risk, including learners with protected characteristics. The guidance also provides advice on supporting young vulnerable learners and recognises that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may need careful preparation for a return to full time attendance. We have also produced guidance for specialist education settings including special post-16 institutions. This sets out the actions special education setting leaders should take to minimise the risk of transmission in their setting, highlighting additional or different considerations for special education settings. We are doing everything we can to make sure colleges and other providers are as safe as possible for learners and staff, and will continue to work closely with the country’s best scientific and medical experts to ensure that is the case. We will keep guidance under review as we continue to monitor the situation over the summer and we will adjust and adapt our approach as necessary if more evidence becomes available to us. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining- further-education-provision/what-fe-colleges-and-providers-will-need-to-do-from-the- start-of-the-2020-autumn-term. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-full-opening-special- schools-and-other-specialist-settings/guidance-for-full-opening-special-schools-and- other-specialist-settings.

Teachers: Coronavirus Rachael Maskell: [73897] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teachers will be given access to weekly covid-19 diagnostic testing from September 2020. Rachael Maskell: [73898] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether teachers will be given access to covid-19 antibody tests from September 2020. Daisy Cooper: [73969] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing anti-body tests to all staff working in schools. Nick Gibb: Testing for COVID-19 is most effective for those who are experiencing symptoms. The test is less likely to pick up a positive case in someone who is not displaying symptoms, meaning that there is a risk of providing false reassurance. Routine asymptomatic testing is in place in environments where the risk of transmission is higher, such as hospitals and adult care homes. There are no plans to extend this to schools. As essential workers, teachers and all staff working in education or childcare have priority access to a test if they display symptoms of COVID-19. In order to determine the role that antibody tests could play in the response to the outbreak, we need a greater understanding of how the immune system responds to the virus. For example, it is not currently known how long an antibody response to the virus lasts, nor whether having antibodies means a person cannot be re-infected or transmit the virus to others. The Government will make decisions about any expansion of antibody testing based on the science as it becomes clear.

Teachers: Ethnic Groups Ms Harriet Harman: [74421] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to recruit more teachers from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Nick Gibb: In October 2018, the Department set out its commitment to increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce across all protected characteristics when it launched the Statement of Intent. This commitment to increasing teacher diversity was made alongside 10 co- signatories from the sector (including unions and grassroots organisations) who set out their own individual commitments. The Department has been making progress against its commitments, including: • Providing £2m of funding to nationwide Equality and Diversity regional ‘hubs’ to support aspiring leaders into headship. The hubs focus on providing coaching and mentoring to increase representation across all protected characteristics in senior leadership roles. • Reflecting the importance of diversity in the Department’s Recruitment and Retention Strategy published in January 2019 to ensure people from all backgrounds are supported and that barriers to their progression are removed. • Ensuring that recruitment for National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) is representative through key performance indicators • Continuing to engage with signatories of the statement, including through holding a roundtable to gather progress updates and showcase best practice in July 2019. We have made significant progress in improving the diversity of postgraduate initial teacher training participants. Those belonging to a BAME group (i.e. any non-White ethnicity) made up 19% of all postgraduate entrants in 2019/20, up from 18% last year and 14% in 2015/16.

Universities: Coronavirus Sir Edward Davey: [72152] To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Institute for Fiscal Studies report entitled, Will universities need a bailout to survive the COVID-19 crisis, published 6 July 2020; and if he will make a statement. Vicky Ford: The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak has brought significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector, with losses of income across teaching, research, commercial and other activities, as published in the Institute for Fiscal Studies report on 6 July 2020. The government has already provided significant support to help providers through the financial challenges that COVID-19 has brought upon the sector. The HE package that we announced on 4 May, with its reprofiling of public funding and measures on admissions, has acted to stabilise the situation in England. In June, we announced further UK-wide support in the form of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s research stabilisation package. Alongside this, eligible HE providers can apply for the range of business support measures that the government has put in place to support our whole economy. We recognise, however, that a high level of uncertainty remains around the scale of problems that HE providers, as a whole and individually, may face in the coming academic year. We need to be able to intervene, where there is a case to do so, to support providers whose future is at risk because of the financial impacts of COVID- 19. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced further information about the higher education restructuring regime on 16 July. This will be deployed as a last resort, if a decision has been made to support a provider in England, when other steps to preserve a provider’s viability and to mitigate the risks of market exit have not proved sufficient. The overarching objectives that will guide the department’s assessment of cases will be protecting the welfare of current students, preserving the sector’s internationally outstanding science base and supporting the role that higher education providers play in regional and local economies through the provision of high quality courses aligned with economic and societal needs. Financial support in the form of repayable loans will only be offered as a last resort measure, and with specific conditions, such as tackling low quality courses and reducing excessive Vice-Chancellor pay. Details on the higher education restructuring regime can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers Bell Ribeiro-Addy: [73095] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of a potential shortfall in seasonal workers on the agricultural workforce. Victoria Prentis: We are aware of the impact that restrictions on travel from other countries, as a result of Covid-19, is having on the number of seasonal workers coming to work in the UK. We are working closely with industry to help our world-leading farmers and growers access the labour they need over the busy harvest months. We are monitoring labour needs over the remainder of the 2020 harvest season. We understand from industry feedback that labour needs are currently being met and that the majority of businesses have sourced sufficient workers for the remainder of the season. The expanded Seasonal Worker Pilot in 2020 will enable us to carry out a more extensive evaluation of the systems and processes in place to access labour from non-EEA countries, ahead of any decisions being taken on how future needs of the sector might be addressed.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control Olivia Blake: [73998] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a statutory target to meet World Health Organisation standards for fine particle air pollution by 2030. Rebecca Pow:

The Environment Bill establishes a legally binding duty to set a target for PM2.5, in addition to a long-term air quality target. As part of that work we have explored

progress that will be made towards WHO PM2.5 guidelines on a national level under a range of scenarios, and a report on this was published in July 2019. We are committed to setting challenging targets and following an evidence-based process, seeking advice from a range of experts, in addition to giving consideration to the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines. The targets will be set in secondary legislation at the end of this process. It would not be an effective approach to policy making to commit in primary legislation to achieving a target, without giving due consideration to its achievability and the measures required to meet that target. Stakeholders, Parliament and the public will have the opportunity to comment on, and input into, the process of developing this target.

Air Pollution: Schools Geraint Davies: [72762] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to plant protective hedges around schools to reduce air pollution in schools. Rebecca Pow: To support local authorities in their work to tackle air pollution hotspots, this Government has given a great deal of thought to the role that vegetation might play in improving air quality. The Air Quality Expert Group published a report named Impacts of Vegetation on Urban Air Pollution which is available to read here: https://uk- air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1807251306_180509_Effects_of_ve getation_on_urban_air_pollution_v12_final.pdf The key conclusion is that while vegetation might bring some highly localised benefits to air quality, it will not be a solution at a city scale. In the context of a school perimeter, there is little evidence to support vegetation reducing nitrogen oxides from exhausts and while significant amounts of foliage might provide a localised barrier effect to reduce particulate levels from the roadside, the effectiveness of these measures is unclear. This is why the emphasis of our Clean Air Strategy is to tackle the sources of pollution levels as the most effective way to improve air quality for all.

Animal Products and Livestock: UK Trade with EU Louise Haigh: [72990] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is seeking an agreement with the EU on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products. Victoria Prentis: The Government is seeking agreement with the EU on a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) chapter as part of the Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement that would cover sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products. The chapter should build on the WTO SPS Agreement, in line with recent EU agreements such as CETA and the EU-NZ Veterinary Agreement. It should protect human, animal and plant life and health, and the environment while facilitating access to each party’s market. It should ensure parties’ SPS measures do not create unjustified barriers to trade in agri-food goods between the UK and EU. Finally, it should reflect SPS chapters in other EU preferential trade agreements, including preserving each party’s autonomy over their own SPS regimes.

Animal Products: Imports Mr Andrew Mitchell: [72165] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ban the import of trophy-hunted animals and if he will list which animals will be banned. Mr Andrew Mitchell: [72166] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the proposed ban on the import of animal parts as trophies will include lions. Victoria Prentis: The Government is committed to doing all we can to support wildlife and the environment, both in the UK and internationally, including by delivering on our manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered species. Our consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies, which closed in February 2020, provided an opportunity for respondents to provide views on which species they considered needed further restrictions. No decisions have been made yet as the pace of this work was impacted by the Government’s need to focus on addressing the urgent issue of COVID 19. We will publish the summary of responses to the consultation and call for evidence in due course. The outcome will inform our next steps. Animal Welfare: Coronavirus Rosie Cooper: [74478] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he take steps with representatives of the animal welfare sector to help prevent increases in demand for animal rescue services as covid-19 restrictions are eased. Victoria Prentis: Defra is in regular contact with the companion animal rescue and rehoming sector. The Minister for Animal Welfare, Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, has met the CEOs of the main companion animal welfare charities to discuss the effects of Covid- 19 on the sector. Defra has worked closely with stakeholders to ensure that there has been helpful and effective guidance available to enable animal rescue and rehoming and charitable activities to continue operating as far as possible, during the various phases of Coronavirus restrictions. As we ease the restrictions, we are conscious that this may have an impact on animal rescue and rehoming. We will continue to work closely with the sector to understand their needs.

Coastal Erosion and Flood Control: Finance Dan Jarvis: [R] [73837] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the criteria his Department used to allocate the flooding and coastal erosion funding announced on 14 July 2020. Rebecca Pow: On 14 July 2020 the Government announced it will invest up to £170 million to bring forward work on flood defence schemes which will drive economic growth and better protect thousands of homes, businesses and jobs from the devastating effects of flooding. The additional economic recovery funding will enable work to start on 22 new flood defence projects in 2020 or 2021, in addition to those schemes which were already planned to commence in the final year of the current six-year programme to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding. The schemes identified were shortlisted and approved based on their economic growth/recovery potential, specifically including numbers of businesses and jobs protected. They are also all projects that were “shovel-ready” to begin construction in the financial years 20/21 or 21/22.

Dangerous Dogs Andrew Rosindell: [71681] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animals were seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 by each police force in each of the last five years. Victoria Prentis: Details of the number of animals seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are not collated centrally by Defra. This information may be held by each separate police force.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Air Pollution Geraint Davies: [72768] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report of the all-party Parliamentary group on air pollution entitled, Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection, published on 29 May 2020. Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State welcomes the all-party group’s report and has noted its recommendations with interest. Improving air quality is a top priority for this Government and, especially during these unprecedented times, we will continue to take robust and comprehensive action to improve air quality in the UK and minimise public health impacts. Defra’s commitment and the need for cross-Whitehall work on this was recognised in the meeting between the hon Member and myself on 6 July. We recently published the findings from a rapid Call for Evidence to understand more fully the impact that coronavirus is having on changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure and Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG).

Flood Control: Oxfordshire Layla Moran: [74721] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the additional budget for flooding will be spent on flood alleviation in (a) Abingdon, (b) Oxford City and (c) Oxfordshire. Rebecca Pow: The Government is currently investing £2.6 billion across the country to deliver more than 1,000 flood defence projects to better protect 300,000 homes by 2021. Since 2015, £24 million has been spent in Oxfordshire to reduce the risk of flooding. The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is fully funded, and construction is due to begin after the replacement of the A423 Kennington Railway Bridge. We are spending £5.62 million in Oxfordshire this year of which £2.3 million is on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme which, when completed, will protect 1,200 homes. The rest of the money spent this year is towards other schemes, including looking at the early feasibility for schemes that could provide protection in the future if viable In Abingdon, the previously proposed flood storage area to reduce flood risk is not being progressed due to the low number of properties that will have their flood risk reduced. Other options are currently being considered for the town. Government funding is governed by the rules of the Partnership Funding Policy and the formula for allocating the Government’s contribution is weighted towards protecting people’s lives and homes. The Environment Agency will continue to work with Oxfordshire County Council on solutions for flooding across the county.

Giant Hogweed Sir Greg Knight: [73723] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) value and (b) range of support his Department has allocated to each local authority to tackle giant hogweed; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the EU co- funded project to (a) develop a regional approach to tackling invasive non-native species and (b) facilitate the co-ordination of support to local action groups; and if he will make a statement. Rebecca Pow: Defra does not provide any direct support to local authorities specifically in regard to giant hogweed. Local authorities have a suite of powers at their disposal to deal with landowners that allow giant hogweed to become a problem and spread outside of their land. Defra is happy to provide advice to local authorities as and when it is needed. The Reducing and Preventing Invasive Alien Species Dispersal (RAPID) LIFE Project, co-funded by the EU, has received a six-month extension due to the Covid- 19 pandemic. We anticipate the end of project report to be completed in the coming months. This report will include an assessment of the efficacy of the project. In addition to this an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the project and contribution to ecosystem function will be produced. The project is on track to meet four of its five goals, which include helping the invasive non-native species management of local action groups (LAGs) become more coordinated both regionally and nationally. Uptake and engagement has had varying success, often depending on geography and density of LAGs. This will be covered in both reports.

Nature Conservation Bim Afolami: [74715] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the UK is a global leader in policy advocacy for the conservation of nature. Rebecca Pow: We are committed to ensuring that the UK leads the world to promote a green, fair and resilient global recovery from the impacts of Covid-19 and central to that is the importance of resetting the global relationship with nature. We will support the adoption of ambitious and practical targets on nature at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Summit (COP15) in China next May, strengthened by coherent implementation mechanisms that will deliver a new global biodiversity framework that is commensurate with the scale of the challenge. Nature is also a top priority for our upcoming Presidency of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP26) next year and we are pushing for tangible and ambitious commitments from partner governments to champion nature and nature- based solutions. Given this, and the multi-faceted benefits of nature-based solutions, we are working with the Chinese Government, who are hosting COP15, to press for mutually reinforcing outcomes at the two Conferences. In addition, we will continue leading global ambition on conserving endangered species, following our hosting of the international Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in 2018. On marine biodiversity, we are driving forward efforts to protect and enhance the ocean and eliminate harmful fisheries practice as we have done domestically and in 2018 we launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance with Vanuatu, which now convenes 34 Commonwealth countries to tackle plastic pollution. We have also committed to a new, £500 million Blue Planet Fund, and are building on the ‘30by30’ campaign which the UK launched at the UN General Assembly in 2018, leading the Global Ocean Alliance calling to protect 30% of the world’s global ocean by 2030. This ambitious target is underpinned by domestic commitments through the Blue Belt Programme, which is on course to deliver over 4 million square kilometres of protected ocean around the British Overseas Territories by the end of 2020. Our international leadership on nature must be underpinned by credible action at home. In England, our 25 Year Environment Plan marked a step change in ambition for nature and the natural environment. We are taking action to fulfil this ambition by introducing bold new legislation and new funding to support nature’s recovery.

Recycling Olivia Blake: [73995] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of additional resources required to ensure that local authorities are able to make arrangements for recycling additional materials from 2023. Rebecca Pow: In 2019, the Government published its consultation ‘Consistency in Household and Business Recycling Collection in England’ and associated impact assessment. These included assessments of the additional costs arising from measures for greater consistency in recycling collections including the collection of a core set of materials of plastic, glass, paper and card, metal, food and garden waste from households. The Government will be publishing a second consultation in 2021 which will seek views on further details of consistency in recycling. A further impact assessment will be published alongside it and will include updated assessments of costs for these measures. In line with guidance on new burdens, the Government has committed to covering the costs of any additional burdens that local authorities face as a result of new statutory duties that require them to implement consistency and will apply that guidance in assessing these costs.

Sewage: Standards Olivia Blake: [73997] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK complies with its obligations on urban waste water standards; and what funding he has allocated to ensure urban waste water standards are maintained. Rebecca Pow: Water quality is a devolved matter. In England, urban waste water standards are set by the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994. These regulations set standards for the collection, treatment and discharge of waste water and impose duties on water and sewerage companies to meet these standards. Compliance with the standards is regulated by the Environment Agency and any non- compliance is subject to enforcement action. The environmental programme that the water companies will be implementing over the next five years includes around £800 million of investment specifically in relation to urban waste water, as part of a wider package of £4 billion of investment to reduce pollution from waste water.

UN Convention on Biological Diversity Bim Afolami: [74714] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to help ensure that the (a) Convention on Biological Diversity framework and (b) COP 26 are coordinated in (i) work on and (ii) approach to tackling biodiversity loss and climate change. Rebecca Pow: Biodiversity loss and climate change are interlinked crises and cannot be tackled in isolation. This is why nature will be one of the key areas of focus at UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow and why we will be pushing for the agreement of ambitious global targets for biodiversity at CBD COP15 in China. To amplify the linkages between the two agendas, at COP26 we will be encouraging countries to use nature based solutions as a way to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change including mobilising more finance for nature, investing in sustainable and resilient agriculture and protecting important ecosystems such as forests. We will work with China to ensure that the outcomes of both COPs are mutually supportive. Water Companies: Pay Bill Wiggin: [73735] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with representatives from Ofwat on the level of executive pay for water companies. Rebecca Pow: The Government fully supports the expectations on transparency on executive pay as set out by the independent regulator, Ofwat, in its Board Leadership, Transparency and Governance principles published last year. Water companies are responsible for determining pay for executives, and are now required by their licence conditions to meet the objectives of the principles, and to demonstrate the link between performance for customers and performance-pay for executive teams. They must report to Ofwat annually. The department fully supports the regulator’s work to continue to push companies to perform better and improve public trust in the industry.

Water: Standards Olivia Blake: [73996] To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the quality of the 21 bathing waters in the UK that have been classified to be of poor quality. Rebecca Pow: In 2019, the Environment Agency sampled 420 bathing waters in England and seven were classified as “Poor”. 98.3% of bathing waters met the minimum standard of “Sufficient” set by the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (“the Regulations”) and 71.4% met the highest “Excellent” standard. Hundreds of projects have been completed to address poor bathing water quality and successfully drive up standards. Water companies have invested £2.5 billion to reduce pollution, councils and charities have run campaigns to keep beaches clean and advice has been provided to farmers on how to reduce pollution into rivers. The remaining “Poor” bathing waters all have complex problems that require partnership working with stakeholders to rectify issues. Sources of pollution identified include sewer misconnections, sea birds, dogs, run-off from urban and agricultural land, as well as sewage from combined sewer overflows and septic tanks. The Environment Agency is working with partners to look for solutions to these problems. Pollution risk forecasting provides advice against bathing when conditions such as rain or tide or wind increase the risk of reduced water quality. FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Anoosheh Ashoori Lisa Nandy: [74548] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2020 to Question 59445, what additional recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on the return of the detained British national Anoosheh Ashoori to the UK. James Cleverly: The Government remains concerned about the welfare of British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, including Anoosheh Ashoori. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does not permit access to British-Iranian detainees. We continue to urge the Iranian Government to immediately release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran - to enable them to return to their families in the UK. We continue to raise their cases at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran consistently raises all of our dual national detainees cases with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our Embassy in Tehran continues to request consular access to Mr Ashoori and we have been supporting his family since being made aware of his detention.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment Andy Slaughter: [73748] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the decision by Bahrain’s Court of Cassation to uphold death sentences against Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa on 13 July 2020, if he will suspend Government support for (a) the Bahraini Special Investigations Unit, (b) the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and (c) other Bahraini institutions accused of complicity in the torture of both men. James Cleverly: We are deeply concerned that the death penalty verdicts imposed on Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa by Bahrain's Court of Cassation have been upheld. Lord Ahmad, who is the Minister of State responsible for human rights, reinforced this position in his tweet of 14 July. We have raised both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. The Bahraini Government is fully aware that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The UK welcomed the investigation by the Ombudsman and Special Investigation Unit into the cases of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, ultimately leading to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice ordering a retrial - a first in Bahrain. The UK is committed to supporting Bahrain's oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the independent Special Investigations Unit. We continue to believe that Bahrain is taking steps in the right direction to improve its record on justice and security issues. The support we provide to these bodies, including in partnership with the UN Development Programme contributing to their work to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16 (strengthening institutions and increasing access to justice), contributes to the ongoing development of both their capacity and capabilities. Andy Slaughter: [73749] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the decision by Bahrain’s Court of Cassation to uphold death sentences against Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa on 13 July 2020, if the Government will take steps to increase transparency on the use of UK funding allocated to Bahrain under the Integrated Activity Fund. James Cleverly: We are deeply concerned that the death penalty verdicts imposed on Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa by Bahrain's Court of Cassation have been upheld. Lord Ahmad, who is the Minister of State responsible for human rights, reinforced this position in his tweet of 14 July. We have raised both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. The Bahraini Government is fully aware that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. Our assistance is designed to support Bahrain-led reform in areas including human rights. It is provided in line with international standards and fully complies with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process. Programmes are routinely monitored by officials and evaluated, by officials, on a regular basis to ensure that they are on track for delivery. Zarah Sultana: [73982] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether British Embassy officials attended the trial of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa in Bahrain on 13 July 2020; and what their assessment was of the decision to uphold their death sentences amid allegations of torture and due process violations. James Cleverly: Due to public health precautions in place for COVID-19, British Embassy officials were unable to attend the Court of Cassation. We are deeply concerned that the death penalty verdicts imposed on Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa by Bahrain's Court of Cassation have been upheld. Lord Ahmad, who is the Minister of State responsible for human rights, reinforced this position in his tweet of 14 July. We have raised both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. The Bahraini Government is fully aware that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. Patricia Gibson: [74647] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Bahrain Government on the death sentences of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husian Moos; and if the Government will cease to provide financial support to Bahrain in response to that country's breaches of human rights. James Cleverly: We are deeply concerned that the death penalty verdicts imposed on Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa by Bahrain's Court of Cassation have been upheld. Lord Ahmad, who is the Minister of State responsible for human rights, reinforced this position in his tweet of 14 July. We have raised both cases at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. The Bahraini Government is fully aware that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. Our assistance is designed to support Bahrain-led reform in areas including human rights. It is provided in line with international standards and fully complies with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus Hilary Benn: [73709] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations on the Australian Border Agency and the ability of UK citizens with residency to leave that country; and if he will make a statement. James Duddridge: The Foreign Secretary spoke to Australian Foreign Minister Payne on 21 May and 15 July to discuss our COVID-19 response, travel advice and other international issues. They agreed to work together to keep international routes open, as part of our wider efforts to help our respective nationals return home. The Government of Australia has set out guidance for residents wishing to leave including where exemptions are available. The British High Commission in Canberra and our network of consulates across Australia continue to support British nationals, seeking to come to the UK, including those with residency in Australia.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries Andrew Rosindell: [72827] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK citizens visiting the EU will be able to (a) stay in the EU for 180 consecutive days a year and (b) receive equal treatment to EU nationals visiting the UK for the same period of time. Wendy Morton: The Government has discussed mobility arrangements across a number of areas as part of negotiations on our future relationship with the EU, and these discussions are ongoing. The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This will apply from the end of the transition period to all UK nationals travelling to and within the Schengen area for purposes such as tourism. This is the standard length of stay that the EU provides to the nationals of eligible third countries that offer visa-free travel access for EU citizens, in line with existing EU legislation. As things stand, stays beyond the EU's 90/180 day visa-free allocation from 1 January 2021 onwards will be for individual Member States to decide and implement through domestic entry rules and visa arrangements for non-EU citizens. UK nationals will need to discuss the specifics of their situation with the relevant Member State authorities and should be prepared to provide any extra documentation that may be required.

Colombia: Coronavirus Dame Diana Johnson: [72853] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 quarantine in Colombia on the safety and security of human rights defenders in that country; and if he will make a statement. Wendy Morton: The UK remains concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights defenders in Colombia and we have noted indications that this may have worsened during the COVID-19 lockdown. We regularly raise this issue, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. We have also called on the Colombian Government to prioritise tackling and preventing this violence. Most recently, our Permanent Representative to the UN expressed our deep concern at the UN Security Council on 14 July. I also raised the issue during a phone call with Colombian Foreign Minister Claudia Blum on 2 June. Colombia is a UK Government "Human Rights Priority Country" and as such our Embassy in Bogota has provided significant programming to help at-risk human rights defenders. We will continue to raise our concerns with the relevant state actors in Colombia.

Colombia: Politics and Government Dame Diana Johnson: [72854] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart on potential undermining of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace in Colombia. Wendy Morton: President Duque's government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety. In meetings with the President in London last year, the then-Foreign Secretary made it clear that the UK sees the transitional justice system, including the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, and the involvement of victims as vital elements of the 2016 accords. President Duque's signing of the transitional justice law last June was welcome, and we are pleased that the institutions established under that law have since begun their work. We continue to emphasise our support for transitional justice both with the Colombian government and in multilateral fora, including most recently at the UN Security Council on 14 July, where our Permanent Representative commended the institutions' quick adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic by moving their work online. We are aware that the parties to the Peace Accord would like the UN Verification Mission to take on a role verifying compliance with the sanctions handed down by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. The UK has been publicly supportive of this. The UK Government has contributed over £26 million towards transitional justice mechanisms and victims of the conflict in Colombia since 2016. Dame Diana Johnson: [72855] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the he will make representations to the UN Security Council Mission of Verification to Colombia on the need for further support, resourcing and reporting to monitor the progress of Colombia’s National Commission of Security Guarantees. Wendy Morton: President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety. The UK will continue to support the Colombian peace process and to emphasise the importance of pressing ahead with work to consolidate peace and build stability. The UK remains concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights defenders, social leaders and former combatants in Colombia, and regularly presses the Colombian government to take further action to tackle this violence. We have consistently highlighted the need for an overarching public policy in Colombia to prevent this violence from taking place. This has included regularly highlighting the work of the National Commission on Security Guarantees, including most recently at the UN Security Council on 14 July, and calling on the government and civil society to make fuller use of it for this purpose. We will continue to work closely with the Colombian Government and civil society on the peace process and related matters.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Departmental Responsibilities Dr Lisa Cameron: [71811] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps plans to take to ensure that (a) development and (b) humanitarian issues are represented at Cabinet level. James Duddridge: Once the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is formally established in early September, the Foreign Secretary will represent the FCDO at Cabinet. Foreign and development policy will be fully integrated in all Ministers' portfolios in the new Department. India: British Nationals Abroad Lisa Nandy: [74547] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2020 to Question 63329 on India: British Nationals Abroad, what further recent consular support has been provided to UK nationals detained in India following their attendance at an event held in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi in March 2020. Nigel Adams: [Holding answer 20 July 2020]: We have maintained regular contact with the individuals, their families and lawyers, and with the Indian authorities on these cases. Some have now been released on bail and some have been authorised to return to the UK. As their legal cases progress we are tailoring our assistance to their needs, including liaising with the local authorities to arrange their repatriation to the UK.

India: Human Rights Afzal Khan: [73953] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2019 to Question 7221 on Kashmir: telecommunications, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of his Department sponsoring the India Global 2020 Week conference as a result of recent human rights violations. Nigel Adams: [Holding answer 20 July 2020]: The UK and India have a deep, mature and wide- ranging relationship. Our trade and investment partnership is thriving; we collaborate on defence and security and we have a shared commitment to tackling climate change. The Foreign Secretary was pleased to participate in India Global Week with many Ministerial colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues. We regard human rights as an important part of our broad relationship with India, and raise our concerns with the Government of India where we have them.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review Wendy Chamberlain: [73967] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to undertake a consultation with (a) civil society and (b) development partners on the development of the Integrated Review. James Cleverly: The Government paused its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy in April due to the pressing need to focus on COVID-19. We have formally recommenced the Review, building on the work done since February. Our aim continues to be for an ambitious and bold Integrated Review that is guided by the UK's foreign policy and national security objectives. We will be engaging with Parliament, the Devolved Administrations, external experts and wider stakeholders with an interest in our nation's security and prosperity. This includes our allies and partners, building on our ongoing dialogue on COVID-19 response and recovery. The Government will conduct targeted engagement that will bring crucial external voices and expertise to bear in defining our ambition for the UK's role in the world and setting the country on the best possible trajectory to recovery from COVID-19.

Middle East Theresa Villiers: [74464] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2020 to Question 69487, if he will make it his policy to refer to the 1949 Armistice Line as the pre-1967 lines and not the 1967 borders. James Cleverly: The UK's longstanding position on the Middle East Peace Process is clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. We are clear that the borders should be based on the lines as they stood on June 4 1967 - the eve of the Six Day War - with equal land swaps reflecting the national, security, and religious interests of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. The UK supports UN Security Council Resolution 2334 which paved the way for agreed changes to the 1967 lines as part of a final status deal and as agreed by the parties.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations Steve McCabe: [73705] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the passing of The Middle East Partnership for Peace Act 2020 by the US House Committee on Appropriations on peace in the Middle East. James Cleverly: Peace will only come through negotiations between the parties, but international action has a role in facilitating progress. We welcome all efforts towards peace. The UK remains committed to the objective of to making progress towards a two-state solution. We support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees.

Nepal: Diplomatic Relations Dan Jarvis: [74585] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to maintain the UK’s diplomatic relationship with Nepal. Nigel Adams: [Holding answer 20 July 2020]: The UK and Nepal enjoy a warm and historic relationship that has been in place for over 200 years, underpinned by deep people- to-people connections through the important role of Gurkhas in the British Army and the contribution of the Nepalese diaspora in the UK. Building on the 2019 visit of PM Oli to the UK, recent months have seen significant levels of senior bilateral engagement on some of the most pressing international issues, including several Ministerial calls throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the return of over 525 British Nationals stranded in Nepal by lockdown. In 2018/19 the UK invested over £80m in Nepal's development, including support to the healthcare sector, post- earthquake reconstruction, and security and justice reform. We were also honoured by the participation of Her Excellency President Bandhari in the Global Vaccine Summit last month. Finally, Nepal continues to be an important regional partner on climate issues as we prepare to host COP26.

Nigeria: Armed Conflict Dr Lisa Cameron: [72962] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has plans to make representations to the UN Security Council on the deployment of peacekeeping forces to north-east Nigeria to protect vulnerable local communities in that country. James Duddridge: The UK has no plans to make representations to the UN Security Council on the deployment of peacekeeping forces to North-East Nigeria as we do not assess their deployment to be the most effective way to tackle the conflict and create long term stability. We continue to support the affected nation states of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon to tackle the terrorist threat in North-East Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin. We work closely with the UN to support the nations states' response and to support local communities. This includes support to the UN Development Programme stabilisation facility in North-East Nigeria and support to the work of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel. On 5 June 2020, we led a statement in the Security Council which reiterated our commitment to West Africa and the Sahel, including Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. On 16 June 2020, we led a statement at the Security Council condemning the recent terror attacks in North-East Nigeria.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade Paula Barker: [71927] To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that British Arms exports are not being deployed by the Saudi Government in Yemen. James Cleverly: To address the Court of Appeal's judgement, we have developed a revised methodology against which all existing and new applications for Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen will be assessed to consider whether there is a clear risk the equipment might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. If there is such a risk, we will not issue the export licence.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Cardiovascular System: Diseases Lee Anderson: [64347] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether there is a backlog of appointments for people diagnosed with cardiovascular disease due to the covid-19 outbreak. Lee Anderson: [64348] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the return of specialist lipid clinics after the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make extra resources available to manage the backlog of patient appointments as outlined in the HEART UK response to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into Delivering Core NHS and Care Services during the Pandemic and Beyond. Edward Argar: As we moved into the second phase of the National Health Service response to COVID-19, NHS England wrote to the service on 29 April to ask NHS local systems and organisations to step up non-COVID-19 urgent services as soon as possible. The reset of these services will be gradual, with full attention to infection prevention and control as the guiding principle. NHSE/I are working with regional systems, and have provided national advice on restoration of cardiac services. They will also monitor their capacity going forward through this next stage of restoration and recovery. The full letter to the system can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp- content/uploads/sites/52/2020/04/second-phase-of-nhs-response-to-covid-19-letter- to-chief-execs-29-april-2020.pdf

Clinical Trials: Standards Paul Blomfield: [69522] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) clinical trials and (b) market authorisations from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency comply with European Medicines Agency standards in order to obtain approval for use in the EU market. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 9 July 2020]: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has taken pragmatic steps to ensure that the United Kingdom continues to have innovative and cost-effective treatments that benefit patients and boost growth in the life sciences sector. This includes limiting any additional cost or burden on industry by considering applications for marketing authorisations in the UK on the basis of information consistent with that being submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). As for clinical trials, the MHRA will continue to approve applications at a national level, working to international standards as they are now, using a UK data package whose requirements are consistent with those in the European Union. The UK will still have the ability to participate in multinational trials, as, data generated in a UK clinical trial will continue to be admissible to support regulatory activity in the EU, and indeed globally. This ensures the UK remains an attractive location for trials to take place, with a view to getting medicinal products licensed in the UK and elsewhere.

Contact Tracing: Hospitality Industry Alex Sobel: [65198] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training hospitality staff will be given on (a) GDPR procedures and (b) data collection when collecting names and addresses for covid-19 track and trace purposes. Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS Test and Trace is a key part of the country’s ongoing COVID-19 response. If we can rapidly detect people who have recently come into close contact with a person who is confirmed to have COVID-19, we can take swift action to minimise transmission of the virus. This is important as lockdown measures are eased and will help us return to a more normal way of life and reduce the risk of needing further lockdowns in the future. The Government has published data that needs to be collected for Test and Trace purposes, and how organisations should do this in a way that is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Businesses should collect this information in a way that is manageable for them, and any training that is provided should reflect this – including maintaining compliance with GDPR. The guidance is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support- nhs-test-and-trace Daisy Cooper: [65202] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the Data Protection implications of requiring hospitality venues to collect customer information; and when the details of the design of such a data collection system will be set out to enable hospitality businesses to effectively plan their re-opening on 4 July 2020. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 1 July 2020]: NHS Test and Trace is a key part of the country’s ongoing COVID-19 response. If we can rapidly detect people who have recently come into close contact with a person who is confirmed to have COVID-19, we can take swift action to minimise transmission of the virus. This is important as lockdown measures are eased and will help us return to a more normal way of life and reduce the risk of needing further lockdowns in the future. Hospitality businesses should assist this service by keeping a temporary record of their staff, customers and visitors for 21 days and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed. The Government has published guidance setting out the data that needs to be collected for Test and Trace purposes, and how organisations should do this in a way that respects people’s privacy and personal data, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation. The guidance is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support- nhs-test-and-trace

Coronavirus: Screening Ruth Cadbury: [69573] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Public Health England records the number of covid-19 test results that are lost; and if he will make a statement. Ms Nadine Dorries: Public Health England (PHE) does not record data on the number of COVID-19 test results that have been lost under either pillar 1 or the Government’s wider testing programme. PHE laboratories have processes in place to ensure that any results entered onto PHE systems with incorrect details for either the requestor (such as a clinician in a hospital) or the patient are identified and dealt with.

Disability: Coronavirus Daniel Kawczynski: [71707] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when day centres and respite centres will be allowed to reopen to provide support to disabled individuals and their parents as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Helen Whately: We recognise the crucial role unpaid carers play, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak and the important role that day services play to provide care, and respite for carers. Decisions on the running and re-opening of day services are made on a local basis. The Social Care Institute of Excellence has worked with the Department, local government and other key sector partners, to produce guidance which will support local authorities and providers to restart day services. This was published on 10 July. In addition, Public Health England is developing guidance on the use of personal protective equipment in community settings, which will be applicable to day services. Eating Disorders: Children and Young People Scott Benton: [63524] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2020 to Question 58102 on Eating Disorders: Children and Young People, if he will provide further explanatory information on the statistical formulae used to determine the geographic distribution of that funding in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 to 2023-24. Ms Nadine Dorries: The additional funding for children and young people’s eating disorder services was added to the overall clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding and distributed using the main CCG allocation formula. The CCG allocation formula as a whole is based on a number of different components which, together, are intended to take account of the different aspects of healthcare need in a population, including mental health needs. The technical guide to CCG allocations explains how these formulae are developed and used. This can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/technical-guide-to-allocation-formulae-and- pace-of-change-for-2019-20-to-2023-24-revenue-allocations/

Exercise Cygnus Rachel Reeves: [68335] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a Pandemic Concept of Operations was produced following Exercise Cygnus. Jo Churchill: [Holding answer 7 July 2020]: The United Kingdom Government’s Concept of Operations describes how the Government response to civil emergencies will be organised, and the relationship between central, regional and local tiers in England. Following Exercise Cygnus, a cross-Government work programme was established to improve plans for the use of information in a flu pandemic. This work builds upon the current UK Government Concept of Operations, specifically for pandemic influenza. The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by Government, and have been shared with a range of stakeholders, to ensure that the UK remains well-prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.

Gender Recognition: West Midlands Mr Andrew Mitchell: [64081] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health care provision for transgender people in the West Midands. Ms Nadine Dorries: Advancing mental health equalities, is a priority outlined in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 to 2023/24. All local health systems are expected to set out how they will specifically reduce health inequalities by 2023/24. Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning health services which meet the needs of their communities. The majority of CCGs in the West Midlands are part of the Rainbow Badge initiative and actively encourage partners to engage as non-judgemental and inclusive places for people that identify as LGBTQ+. The CCGs are working with general practitioner practices and other partners, to ensure that people who identify as LGBTQ+ feel safe and supported when seeking out general medical care, including mental health support. All providers and commissioners in the West Midlands are committed to undertaking Equality Impact Assessments as part of the service redesign and planning process. CCGs make decisions within a formal commissioning cycle that includes population needs analysis and public engagement.

Health Professions: Vetting Rachael Maskell: [63417] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason staff returning to medical practice and recruited to the track and trace service have to undergo two DBS checks. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 29 June 2020]: Staff returning to medical practice through NHS England and NHS Improvement’s returner programme would have the relevant Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and onboarding checks undertaken, through NHS England’s third-party supplier (Capita). Recruitment of clinical staff to the NHS Test and Trace service is managed by NHS Professionals. NHS Professionals does make use of the DBS Update Service and for some staff joining NHS Test and Trace, the Update Service was used. Upon receipt of a DBS Disclosure, NHS Professionals’ compliance team would have assessed the disclosure and where appropriate, a check with the DBS Update service would have been completed, therefore avoiding the need to complete a repeat check. As NHS England and NHS Improvement is a separate entity from NHS Professionals, there may have been occasions where two DBS checks may have been required, as a DBS check cannot be transferred between organisations.

Hospices: Coronavirus Paul Bristow: [59632] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether hospice (a) staff and (b) patients are eligible for antibody testing for covid-19. Ms Nadine Dorries: We are rolling out millions of antibody tests to help us better understand how COVID- 19 is spreading across the country which will be vital for future decisions about how to best control the virus. We are now testing National Health Service and care staff as well as patients where there is an identified clinical need. We expect that roll out will be expanded to other essential workers in due course.

Hospitals: Coronavirus Andrea Jenkyns: [70453] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using Nightingale hospitals in the winter in the event that further hospital capacity is needed. Edward Argar: Nightingale hospitals have helped the National Health Service to rise to an unprecedented challenge by providing extra capacity to manage surges in demand due to COVID-19. We continue to work closely with the NHS and partners, and guidance has already been issued on restoring urgent non-COVID-19 services safely, whilst ensuring surge capacity can be stood up again if needed, including through the use of Nightingale hospitals.

Hyperactivity: Mental Health Services Nadia Whittome: [68456] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of adult ADHD services. Helen Whately: [Holding answer 7 July 2020]: The Department has been working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Implementation Working Group to look at how the current NICE guidance and quality standard on ADHD are being implemented and to identify and disseminate examples of best practice in respect of care and support for people with ADHD. NHS Digital continue to work with the Department and NHS England on how the collection of ADHD data, including data on diagnosis waiting times can be improved. Consideration is being given as to how collection of data on ADHD can be improved on a national level, including improving consistency and comparability of any data currently collected. Nadia Whittome: [68457] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase access to adult ADHD services. Helen Whately: [Holding answer 7 July 2020]: The Department has been working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Implementation Working Group to look at how the current NICE guidance and quality standard on ADHD are being implemented and to identify and disseminate examples of best practice in respect of care and support for people with ADHD. NHS Digital continue to work with the Department and NHS England on how the collection of ADHD data, including data on diagnosis waiting times can be improved. Consideration is being given as to how collection of data on ADHD can be improved on a national level, including improving consistency and comparability of any data currently collected.

Ipswich Hospital: Surgery Tom Hunt: [67785] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of effect of the proposals to remove elective orthopaedic surgery from Ipswich Hospital on (a) Ipswich patients' ability to get to and from surgery at a new centre in Colchester and (b) the delivery of trauma services remaining at Ipswich Hospital. Edward Argar: It is for local commissioners to determine how to best deliver services to meet local needs. It is right that decisions on local services and service models are made by local commissioners, who can best assess how to meet the needs of people in their area. For any significant system reconfiguration, we expect all local parts of the system to be talking to the public and stakeholders regularly — it is vital that people can shape the future of their local services. Tom Hunt: [67787] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a two-site improvement option which would allow Ipswich Hospital to continue to provide orthopaedic surgery in proposals to remove elective orthopaedic surgery from Ipswich Hospital to a new centre in Colchester. Edward Argar: It is for local commissioners to determine how to best deliver services to meet local needs. It is right that decisions on local services and service models are made by local commissioners, who can best assess how to meet the needs of people in their area. For any significant system reconfiguration, we expect all local parts of the system to be talking to the public and stakeholders regularly — it is vital that people can shape the future of their local services. LGBT People: Coronavirus Florence Eshalomi: [70536] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has undertaken an equalities impact assessment of funding for mental health charities to expand support services during the covid-19 outbreak to ensure it meets the needs of LGBT people, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, disabled people and people with other protected characteristics. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 13 July 2020]: The Department has provided £5 million of grant funding to Mind and the Mental Health Consortia to distribute to mental health charities to support adults and children as part of a Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund. We provided a further £4.2 million of grant funding directly to mental health charities. These investments are supporting a wide range of groups that include LGBTQ+, black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and people with disabilities. In providing grant funding, the Department ensures the Government’s duties under the Equalities Act 2010 are met to ensure we are taking into account the needs of a diverse range of groups. The Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund also has an independently chaired governance group, including officials from the Department, which monitors the allocations from the Fund to ensure fairness and diversity.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People Andrew Gwynne: [68680] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the size of waiting lists for CAMHS services in (a) England and (b) Greater Manchester, and if he will make a statement. Ms Nadine Dorries: Data on waiting list sizes is not available.

Mental Health Services: Coronavirus Layla Moran: [71871] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide mental health support for (a) parents, (b) children aged 0-5, (c) children aged 6- 12 and (d) children aged 13-17 who have spent additional time at home as a result of the covid-19 lockdown. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 14 July 2020]: Mental health services have remained open for business throughout lockdown, and NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked mental health trusts to ensure they have 24 hours a day, seven days a week open access telephone lines in place for urgent National Health Service mental health support, advice and triage for all ages, including all children and young people. We have also taken steps to ensure that children and young people, and their parents and carers, have the tools and knowledge to protect their mental health. We have published guidance to parents and carers on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and we are promoting this through trusted channels like GOV.UK ad Every Mind Matters.

Mental Health Services: LGBT People Mr Andrew Mitchell: [64079] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equality in (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of mental health problems among the LGBT+ community. Ms Nadine Dorries: Advancing mental health equalities is a priority outlined in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 to 2023/24. All local health systems are expected to set out how they will specifically reduce health inequalities by 2023/24. To support local Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and Integrated Care System areas in addressing inequalities in access and outcomes for groups with protected characteristics, including LGBTQ+ communities, within their plans, NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Resource. The resource is a guide for local commissioners and providers to identify and address inequalities in mental health care and is available at the following link: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/amhe/amhe- resource.pdf The NHS Long Term Plan also set out a commitment that local Mental Health Support Teams which will be working with children and young people in schools and colleges will be trained to support the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ people.

Mental Health Services: Young People Catherine West: [68395] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 20 of the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24, whether baselines on access to mental health services for 18 to 25 year olds have been validated and published. Ms Nadine Dorries: [Holding answer 7 July 2020]: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we are committed to increasing access and improving experience of care for 18-25 year olds. All sustainability and transformation partnerships have been asked to cross-validate data on baseline access for 18-25 year olds from the mental health services and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies datasets, against locally held data sources. The validation and analysis is ongoing and a baseline access rate has not yet been published.

NHS: Hearing Impaired Preet Kaur Gill: [61558] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department has made available for NHS staff who are D/deaf and rely on lip-reading, for whom guidance on face masks may be challenging. Helen Whately: It is recognised that the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic can cause particular communication difficulties for d/Deaf staff and others who rely on lipreading and/or facial expressions for communication. Teams who work directly work with d/Deaf colleagues should be prioritised locally for the use of PPE which facilitates effective communication (including clear-fronted masks or hoods). NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working to source clear face masks for those members of staff and clinicians who need them.

Protective Clothing: Hearing Impaired Preet Kaur Gill: [61557] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Government guidance will be issued to clinicians in healthcare settings to ensure that guidance on face masks does not make services inaccessible to D/deaf people who rely on lipreading. Helen Whately: NHS England and NHS Improvement are aware of the issue and are working to provide solutions to address the needs of D/deaf people and people with complex needs including possible procurement of clear fronted masks.

Public Health: Finance Helen Hayes: [66941] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of public health funding. Jo Churchill: [Holding answer 6 July 2020]: The public health grant to local authorities is £3.279 billion in 2020-21. This is in addition to what the National Health Service spends on public health, which included over £1.3 billion in 2019-20 on national public health programmes such as immunisations and screening.

The Government has also provided £3.7 billion of additional funding for local government to help them respond to COVID-19 pressures across the services they deliver. Local authorities will take spending decisions based on local priorities, and the Government is keeping the position under review. Funding beyond 2020-21 will be set out at the next spending review.

Serco Jon Trickett: [69447] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Serco's sharing of 296 email addresses belonging to covid-19 contract tracers, for what reasons Serco was not required to refer itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office for that matter. Ms Nadine Dorries: We understand Serco did report the data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Serco also alerted the NHS Test and Trace service immediately. The breach was caused by including email addresses of new contact tracing recruits in the carbon copy (cc) rather than blind carbon copy (bcc) field. Serco apologised to staff affected and reminded colleagues of the need to always use the ‘bcc’ feature rather than ‘cc’ feature in future. Ensuring the privacy of users and security of their personal data is a priority for the National Health Service and the Government. We follow cyber security best practice to help protect this data and comply with the law around the use of data, including the Data Protection Act 2018.

Serco: Contact Tracing Afzal Khan: [59602] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department undertook a delivery model assessment to determine whether the private sector was best placed to operate test, track and trace services for covid-19. Afzal Khan: [59603] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with (a) NHS officials and (b) local authorities leaders prior to deciding to outsource the operation of covid-19 contact tracing to Serco. Afzal Khan: [59604] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procurement process his Department undertook prior to awarding the contract for operating covid-19 contact tracing services to Serco. Afzal Khan: [59605] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the contract for operating covid-19 contact tracing services was awarded to Serco. Ms Nadine Dorries: A proportionate delivery model assessment was undertaken in the decision to outsource the services to the private sector. This assessment was influenced by the speed to recruit, volume of staff required and timescales in moving back to delivery business as usual public services. Discussions were held with various officials before the decision to outsource was made. It quickly became evident that the public sector could not stand 18,000 contact tracers within the required timescales. There was also a risk that as the country exited lockdown, public servants would need to return to business as usual which would not have been possible with 18,000 people released as contact tracers. The contract to Serco was a direct award under Lot 2 of Crown Commercial Service’s Contact Centre Services framework. All suppliers on Lot 2 were engaged with, in order to ascertain capabilities to meet the contract output specifications.

Social Services: Disability Sarah Olney: [68402] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people have access to safe social care during the covid-19 outbreak. Helen Whately: The Government’s number one priority for adult social care is that everyone who relies on care gets the safe care they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have set out a comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery Mark Tami: [64855] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of stem cell transplant patients on the Shielded Patients List. Jo Churchill: No estimate has been made. People who have had stem cell transplants are not separately identifiable on the Shielded Patients List. Surgical Mesh Implants Emma Hardy: [69654] To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps as a result of the disclosure that a 2012 study published in European Urology which concluded that no patients were suffering thigh pain three years after their transobturator mesh procedures had received undeclared funding of £100,000 from one of the manufacturers of the mesh being analysed; and if he will make a statement. Ms Nadine Dorries: We cannot comment on individual cases and neither can the General Medical Council.

HOME OFFICE

Coronavirus: Quarantine Justin Madders: [74645] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July to Question 69589 on Coronavirus: Quarantine, whether the ad hoc statistical release on Health Measures at the Border has now been published. Kevin Foster: We don’t currently publish statistical data relating to the Health Measures at the Border. However, this is being reviewed and we will be seeking ministerial approval to publish some selected data on compliance with the measures.

Domestic Abuse: Immigrants Jess Phillips: [73862] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that the Everyone In initiative provides temporary accommodation to (a) women survivors of domestic abuse and (b) women survivors with no recourse to public funds. Victoria Atkins: On 24 June the Housing Secretary announced that the Government is providing local authorities with a further £105 million to enable them to best support the c15,000 people placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government has been clear that the offer for each person supported under this approach would need to be made on an individual basis, considering that person’s specific circumstances, support needs and the law. This could include women who have experienced rough sleeping due to domestic abuse. The rules as to eligibility relating to immigration status, including for those with no recourse to public funds, have not changed. Local authorities must use their judgement in assessing what support they may lawfully give to each person on an individual basis, considering that person’s specific circumstances and support needs. Local authorities already regularly make such judgements on accommodating individuals who might otherwise be ineligible, during extreme weather for example, where there is a risk to life. The Government recognises that some migrant victims of domestic abuse are not eligible for existing sources of support, such as the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC). That is why we have committed £1.5 million to the Support for Migrant Victims scheme to support migrant victims of domestic abuse who do not qualify for the DDVC and gather the evidence that is needed to make sustainable decisions for this group over the long-term. This is in addition to over £1.5 million provided so far in Tampon Tax funding, since 2017 and up to 31 March 2021, to fund organisations supporting migrant victims of domestic abuse who do not qualify for the DDVC. We continue to work with our partners across Government to develop the particulars of the scheme, which is due to be launched in the autumn. Jess Phillips: [73864] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government’s draft Statutory Guidance in relation to the Domestic Abuse Bill published 1 July 2020, what steps her Department is taking to help migrant survivors of domestic abuse to regularise their status and provide support in the event that those survivors are not eligible to apply under the Domestic Violence Rule. Victoria Atkins: The Government’s position is clear that all victims of domestic abuse should be treated as victims first and foremost. The Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC) is available to those who have come to the UK on specified partner visas with the reasonable expectation of obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. The DDVC is not available to individuals who enter the UK on other visas, such as visit, student or work visas, or who are here illegally. This is because in order to obtain such visas they have confirmed they are financially independent, and therefore require no recourse to public funds, and their stay will be for a defined time. They do not have a legitimate expectation of securing ILR. As we made clear in parliamentary debates on the Domestic Abuse Bill, this Government is committed to ensuring all victims have adequate support which meets their immediate needs. That is why we have allocated £1.5m towards the Support for Migrant Victims (SMV) scheme, due to be launched later this year, to support migrant victims of domestic abuse who do not have access to public funds to access safe accommodation. This is in addition to over £1.5 million in Tampon Tax funding provided so far, since 2017 and up to 31 March 2021, to support organisations specialising in providing specialist support to migrant victims of domestic abuse who do not qualify for the DDVC. The pilot project will not only support more individuals to find safe accommodation but will help gather the data that is needed to develop sustainable solutions for all migrant victims of domestic abuse over the long-term. Jess Phillips: [73865] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her department has (a) taken steps to (i) regularise the status and (ii) provide support to migrant survivors of domestic abuse who are not eligible to apply under the Domestic Violence Rule; and (b) required a migrant survivor of domestic abuse to leave the UK in each of the last five years. Victoria Atkins: The data requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would require a manual check of individual records which would significantly exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Factories: Leicester Claudia Webbe: [71200] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to investigate Leicester’s garment factories for alleged instances of (a) wage theft, (b) denial of benefits and (c) modern slavery conditions. Claudia Webbe: [71211] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to work with (a) local authorities and (b) other stakeholders in Leicester to establish a helpline for workers reporting instances of exploitation. Victoria Atkins: We are deeply concerned by the appalling reports of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester. The Government will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain and is committed to taking action against those who seek to do so. Investigations of criminal offences are the responsibility of operational law enforcement partners, who have the appropriate powers to do so. Following these allegations, the National Crime Agency have launched an investigation into these serious concerns. This has been taken forward using a partnership approach, using the expertise of several bodies, including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Leicestershire Police. Workers can report information or concerns about suspected labour exploitation in confidence through the telephone to the GLAA or to the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline. For advice on the legal minimum wage, working hours and employment agencies, workers can call the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service helpline for free. We have also committed to going further on state enforcement and establishing a single enforcement body for employment rights to better protect vulnerable workers and create a level playing field for the majority of employers that comply with the law. Home Office: Apprentices Robert Halfon: [74508] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target. James Brokenshire: The Home Office is six months into the implementation of the Apprenticeships Operating Model (AOM) designed to centralise all HR end-to-end processes (including streamlining recruitment activities through to programme onboarding). The growth of a dedicated team has been stood up to increase the quality and quality of apprenticeships for the future. This industry tested model has the capacity and capability to meet the minimum 2.3% statutory target (England workforce) annually. To enable delivery, there are strong governance frameworks in place which are closely connected to the Home Office People Strategy 2018 – 2023. The refreshed AOM and strengthened workforce planning enables the dept. to address the target shortfall and annual ministerial commitments within a two-year period. Key to assessing performance is through the delivery of a robust Assurance Framework to ensure demand and delivery are aligned and reviewed quarterly and RAG status at Director General level. In the coming six months, the Home Office is committed to prioritising apprenticeships recruitment across operational delivery (largest population in the department), policy and digital professions. This demonstrates the Home Office’s pledge to future skills development: attracting the best talent from the external labour market whilst creating opportunities for internal professional capability building.

Home Office: Overseas Aid Yasmin Qureshi: [73770] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63287 on Home Office: Overseas Aid, how much her Department spent on the (a) End Violence against Children Programme, (b) modern slavery Victim Care Contract and (c) Modern Slavery Fund in each of the last three years; and what her Department's planned spending is for those projects in the next year. Victoria Atkins: The Home Office Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend in each of the last three years for the End Violence against Children Programme and Modern Slavery Fund are published to https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/department/HO. The Department spend on the ODA element of the Victim Care Contract (VCC) in 2018/19 was £5.8m and £9.24m in 2019/20 – We began reporting the ODA eligible proportion of VCC expenditure in 2018/19. Home Office planned ODA spend in the next year is dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review. Immigration Neil Coyle: [74615] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to consult with employers on the cost of applications under the proposed new points-based immigration system. Kevin Foster: We recognise the new system will mean changes in the way businesses operate and recruit. That is why we are providing certainty on the new system now, giving us time to work together to understand employer’s needs. Fees for border, immigration and citizenship products and services play a vital role in our country’s ability to run a sustainable system. We believe it is right that those who use the systems should contribute to its cost, thereby reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer. A new programme of engagement is underway to raise awareness of the new system, ensuring those affected by the changes are fully aware of what it means for them and understand how the system will operate. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and since the Policy Statement was published in February 2020, we have facilitated over 50 engagement events and continue to hold regular events across the UK and a wide range of sectors. We have published an introduction to the points-based immigration system for employers and launched a direct email campaign to enable businesses to sign-up to receive updates on the system’s implementation.

Immigration: EEA Nationals Stuart C McDonald: [74642] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of (a) visa fees and (b) the immigration health surcharge on the number of EEA nationals migrating to the UK from 1 January 2021. Kevin Foster: An Impact Assessment on the wider impacts of the ending of free movement for EEA and Swiss citizens was laid alongside the Immigration and Social Security Co- ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill. It can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm ent_data/file/885682/2020-05-18_IA_ImmSSC_Billl_v21_with_Signature.pdf On 19 March 2020 the Home Office published a literature review of the evidence relating to the elasticity of demand for visas in the UK. This evidence is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-review-of-evidence-relating-to- the-elasticity-of-demand-for-visas-in-the-uk The impact of the imposition of both visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge on EEA and Swiss citizens will be published alongside the Immigration Rules and Fee Regulations in the Autumn. Immigration: EU Nationals Neil Coyle: [74617] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the main reasons were for UK Visas and Immigration to refuse 1,400 applications to the EU Settlement Scheme in June 2020. Neil Coyle: [74618] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Pre- Settled Status did UK Visas and Immigration refuse in June 2020; and what the main reasons were for those refusals. Neil Coyle: [74619] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether all 1,400 refused applications to the EU Settlement Scheme in June 2020 were approved by Ministers. Kevin Foster: The majority of applications to the EU Settlement Scheme which have resulted in a refusal were due to there being insufficient evidence of the applicant’s eligibility, as detailed in the Home Office EU Settlement Scheme Statistics User Guide. Eligibility refusals comprise 99 per cent of the total refusals up to 31 May 2020, with the remaining refusals being made on suitability grounds. A breakdown of the refusal decisions made in June 2020 will be published in the next quarterly statistics release, due to be published in August 2020. The published statistics include all refusals of status under the scheme. Ministers agreed a high level of assurance that is applied prior to any application to the EU Settlement Scheme being refused. Cases identified as potential refusals are subject to stringent scrutiny and review and the number of applications refused remains proportionately low in comparison to applications which have been granted. Before refusing an application under the scheme, UK Visas and Immigration will seek to work with the applicant to help them provide the evidence required to demonstrate that they qualify for settled status and, if not, for pre-settled status and, where appropriate, will exercise discretion in their favour in order to minimise administrative burdens on the applicant

Immigration: Social Services Neil Coyle: [74616] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to consult with local authorities on the potential effect of the proposed new points- based immigration system on the social care sector. Kevin Foster: The social care sector is invaluable to our country. Social care workers have shown incredible dedication during this extraordinary time. The Government is working with the sector in a number of ways to help support it during this difficult time and going forward, including extra funding and a national recruitment campaign. However, the independent Migration Advisory Committee has been very clear that immigration is not the answer to the challenges in this sector. As we implement the new immigration system, we want employers to focus on investing in our domestic work force. A programme of engagement is underway to raise awareness of the new points- based system, ensuring those affected by the changes are fully aware of what it means for them and understand how the system will operate.

Law and Order: Protective Clothing Sir Graham Brady: [73715] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the implications of the widespread wearing of face coverings for the (a) incidence of crime and (b) efficacy of law enforcement. Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has not made a recent assessment of the impact of face coverings on the (a) incidence of crime and (b) efficacy of law enforcement. We will continue to engage with our policing partners on the implications of face coverings for crime and investigation.

Migrant Workers: Self-employed Stuart C McDonald: [74640] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protections are in place for self-employed people whose income continues to be affected by the covid-19 outbreak after 31 July 2020, and who are unable to meet the Minimum Income Requirement when sponsoring a non-EEA partner’s UK visa. Kevin Foster: The Home Office has established a range of measures to support those affected by Covid-19. For the purpose of the minimum income requirement, in addition to the range of ways the requirement can already be met through sources of non- employment income: • a temporary loss of annual income due to Covid-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications beyond 31 July. Income received via the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will also be taken into account; • a temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 31 July 2020 due to Covid-19 will be disregarded, provided the requirement was met for at least six months up to March 2020; • an applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary; • evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to Covid-19 restrictions. Guidance for our customers is available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members. These are unprecedented times and as the UK returns to work, we continue to monitor the situation closely and take these exceptional circumstances into account. We may make further adjustments to requirements where necessary and appropriate to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

Migrant Workers: Shipping Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [73852] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the document The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System - Further Details, published 13 July 2020, if she will list the seafarer (a) officer and (b) ratings occupations (i) included and (ii) not included in the skills test accompanying the proposals on the points-based immigration system. Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [73854] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on demand in the shipping industry for seafarers in occupations that require skills below level 3 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework; and if she will make a statement. Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [73855] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to include all seafarer ratings' occupations in the skills test requirements of the proposed points- based immigration system. Kevin Foster: Under our new Skilled Worker route, we will expand the range of jobs which qualify under the current system for non-EU nationals, from graduate level roles (RQF level 6 and above) to those requiring skills equivalent to A-level (RQF level 3 and above). The further details statement we published on 13 July lists all the occupations which qualify, including those in seafaring. This list is based on the advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The details for each occupation are taken from the widely-used SOC code system, developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS publishes a variety of guidance to help employers and individuals find the appropriate SOC code for a particular job. As we set out in our previous policy statement of 19 February, we will not introduce a general route for jobs below the skills threshold. Due to the shorter periods of training required, it is reasonable to ask employers to focus their efforts on the resident workforce, rather than relying on cheap labour from overseas.

Modern Slavery Act 2015 Independent Review Claudia Webbe: [71197] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will adopt the recommendations from the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015: Final report, CP 100, published in May 2019, to strengthen the domestic legal framework for ensuring corporate accountability for modern slavery in supply chains. Victoria Atkins: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. The Government is committed to continuously strengthening our approach to increase transparency in supply chains. In 2018, the Home Office commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act to look at where the Act has worked well and where it could be more effective, including section 54. The Government accepted the majority (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the- independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act)of the Review’s recommendations and on 9 July 2019 the Home Office launched a public consultation seeking views on an ambitious package of measures to strengthen the Act’s transparency legislation. These included requiring organisations to report on specific topics, introducing a single reporting deadline and extending transparency to the public sector. The Government will publish its response to the consultation this summer. We are also developing a new gov.uk registry for statements published under the Modern Slavery Act, to enable greater scrutiny from consumers, investors, civil society and others and drive a “race to the top”.

Offences against Children: Coronavirus Alex Cunningham: [73820] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that children and young people at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation, who may have gone unnoticed during the covid-19 lockdown, are identified and supported as soon as possible. Victoria Atkins: Protecting those at risk from abuse and exploitation is a priority for this Government. We are acutely aware that for some children and young people, the Coronavirus pandemic may have brought with it additional risks and dangers, as well as reducing contact with professionals and trusted adults. This Government is committed to doing everything we can to support and protect those at risk of harm. That is why, following the Chancellor’s announcement of £750m funding for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, the Home Office and Department for Education (DfE) launched a £7.6m joint fund to provide financial hardship relief for national VCSE organisations that support vulnerable children across England and Wales. Further funding will also be dispersed through direct awards due to be finalised imminently, and recipients include organisations working to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. DfE are also funding a £7 million new See, Hear, Respond service led by Barnardo’s . This will support children who are hidden from view, not currently receiving support from statutory agencies and at risk of harm and/or experiencing adverse impacts on their health and wellbeing. The service will develop a dynamic sector response that intervenes early, supports and safeguards these children, mitigating against escalation of need and long-lasting harm to children and families. As part of this the Government made £1.6 million available immediately for the NSPCC to expand and promote its national helpline for adults concerned about the safety of children, alongside disseminating safeguarding messaging to key community partners to raise awareness of how and where they can raise concerns and seek advice about the safety and wellbeing of children. Existing programmes, such as our £13.2m Trusted Relationships Fund, have also pivoted their response to sustain support to vulnerable children and young people during the restrictions. Our 11 local authority-led projects working with 10-17 year olds at risk of sexual exploitation and other harms, have adapted their support by: moving this to virtual platforms; creating 24 hour support helplines; engaging in schools where vulnerable children are still attending; planning diversionary activities to engage young people over the summer; and resuming detached youth work where this can be delivered safely. Building on the Government’s intensive efforts to protect vulnerable people from hidden crimes such as domestic abuse and child sexual abuse during this period, the Prime Minister’s Hidden Harm Summit on 21 May was an opportunity to share emerging best practice at the local and national level and identify areas to go further over the coming months. The Home Office will continue champion and support collaboration across partners, including by continuing to promote a child-centred and trauma-informed policing approach.

Prevent Independent Review Catherine West: [72241] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government is consulting with local authorities on an expansion of the Prevent programme while the independent review of Prevent is ongoing. James Brokenshire: The Home Office regularly engage with local partners to assess and review Prevent delivery to see where improvements can be made. This ongoing process includes obtaining feedback from local authorities on the current model of Prevent local delivery. No decisions have been taken on future delivery models.

Proscribed Organisations Dr Julian Lewis: [73683] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what restrictions are in place on the public display of (a) flags and (b) other symbols of terrorist organisations proscribed in the UK; what steps she is taking to (i) collate data on and (ii) report to Parliament on the numbers of people (A) arrested and (B) prosecuted for the public display of those items; what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of proscribing terrorist organisations in the UK; and if she will make a statement. Kit Malthouse: The Government takes proscription offences seriously. It is an offence under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to carry or display articles supporting a proscribed organisation, or to publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo, in the same circumstances. Data relating to these section 13 offences are grouped with other proscription offences (sections 11 and 12 of the Act) in the publication ‘Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’. The most recent publication, up to year ending March 2020, was published on 11 June on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-the- terrorism-act-2000-financial-year-ending-march-2020. Proscription sends a strong message that terrorist organisations are not tolerated in the UK and deters them from operating here. It is one of the key tools available to the Government, police and Security Service to disrupt terrorist activity. Between 2001 and the end of March 2020, 83 people have been charged with proscription-related offences as a primary offence in Great Britain, and 45 have been convicted. Proscription can also support other disruptive activity including the use of immigration powers such as exclusion, prosecution for other offences, encouraging removal of on-line material, and messaging and EU asset freezes.

Public Spaces Protection Orders Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [71064] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) what estimate he has made of the number of public spaces protection orders used by local authorities; and (b) what purpose those protection orders were issued. Victoria Atkins: The Government introduced Public Spaces Protection Orders through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to enable local authorities to tackle anti- social behaviour in public spaces. The powers in the 2014 Act are local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances as they are best-placed to understand the needs of their community and the most appropriate response. The Government does not centrally collate data on the number of public spaces protection orders issued.

Slavery Claudia Webbe: [71204] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce penalties for companies who fail to (a) publish an annual statement and (b) comply with their obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Claudia Webbe: [71207] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to strengthen the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to require (a) large companies and (b) fashion brands to undertake due diligence checks throughout their supply chains to ensure (i) materials and (ii) products are produced without the use of exploited labour. Claudia Webbe: [71208] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that Government procurement is compliant with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to eliminating modern slavery from our communities and the global economy. The landmark transparency requirement contained in section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 made the UK the first country in the world to require businesses to report on how they are tackling modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Section 54 was designed to empower consumers, investors, civil society and others to scrutinise the action that businesses are taking to identify and address modern slavery in their supply chains. To further increase transparency in supply chains, the Home Office launched a public consultation on a range of measures to strengthen section 54, including requiring organisations to report on specific topics, including due diligence, and introducing civil penalties for non-compliance. The Government will publish its response to the consultation this summer. We are also developing a new gov.uk registry for organisations in scope of the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act to publish their modern slavery statements which will enable greater scrutiny. In March this year, we became the first country to publish a modern slavery statement setting out how we are preventing modern slavery in Government supply chains. Bidders for central Government contracts, above relevant thresholds, are required to confirm that they are compliant with the transparency requirement in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, where the bidder is in scope of the transparency requirement. Bidders for public contracts that have failed to meet their legal obligations in the last three years risk being excluded from public procurements, unless they can demonstrate that they have taken measures to remedy the failures and prevent recurrence. The Home Office has written twice to the CEOs of more than 16,000 businesses in scope with clear information about how to meet their obligations.

Slavery: Manufacturing Industries Gareth Bacon: [71914] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to eradicate modern slavery in the fast fashion industry. Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery in all sectors, including fashion, which is why in 2017 we expanded the remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), giving specially trained officers stronger powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to investigate labour market offences across all sectors of the economy in England and Wales. We have also committed to creating a single enforcement body to crack down on employers abusing the law, to protect vulnerable workers and create a level playing field for the majority of employers that comply with the law. To address risks in the fashion sector specifically, the former Prime Minister launched 'The Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol' in 2018. The protocol is a partnership between enforcement bodies such as the GLAA and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and industry partners, including the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association, and commits its signatories to working together to eradicate slavery and exploitation in textile supply chains. We are also committed to improving transparency in domestic and global supply chains. Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the UK became the first country in the world to require large businesses in all sectors to report on how they are tackling modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. We are committed to continuously strengthening our approach and in July 2019 the Home Office launched a public consultation on an ambitious package of measures designed to enhance the impact of transparency, including mandating specific topics organisations must report on, introducing a single reporting deadline and extending transparency to the public sector. The Government response to the consultation will be published this summer. We are also developing a new gov.uk registry for statements published under the Modern Slavery Act, to enable greater scrutiny from consumers, investors, civil society and others and drive a “race to the top". Slavery: Victim Support Schemes Sarah Champion: [74597] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's News story of 29 June 2020, New contract to deliver improved support for modern slavery victims, whether people provided with accommodation under the Victim Care Contract since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak will be able to remain in that accommodation for another three months. Victoria Atkins: In line with Public Health England guidance in response to COVID-19, the policy change announced on 6 April 2020 meant individuals who were accommodated in the VCC, would have continued access to this accommodation for a three-month period. The policy was reviewed at the end of June, with consideration of government wide COVID-19 advice. The review determined that the policy will remain in place for a further period of one month from 6 July to the 6 August 2020. This is a transitional period, and from 6 August, the move on processes and periods set out in the Modern Slavery Act 2015: statutory guidance for England and Wales will resume as normal. The Government is committed ensuring the safety and security of those supported through the modern slavery Victim Care Contract (VCC). Support workers and decision makers will continue to consider government advice, as well as the impacts of COVID-19 on the availability of services and the safety/security of individuals as part of move-on processes.

Stalking: Registration Sarah Olney: [73030] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that serial stalkers are routinely tracked, managed and supervised. Sarah Olney: [73031] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that domestic violence perpetrators are routinely tracked, managed and supervised. Victoria Atkins: People who have been convicted of one of the offences specified in Schedule 15 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003, including stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and who have been sentenced to 12 months or more of imprisonment or youth detention or who have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, are automatically managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Of those people, those who pose a higher risk of harm - where formal multi-agency meetings are held to inform the shared Risk Management Plan - are included on the ViSOR Dangerous Persons Database. People who do not meet those criteria, but who have been convicted or cautioned for, or reprimanded or warned about, an offence which indicates that they pose a risk of serious harm to the public, and who are considered by the MAPPA agencies to require the active involvement of several agencies via regular multi-agency public protection meetings, are also managed under MAPPA and included on ViSOR. Additionally, a person who has not been convicted of an offence, but whose behaviour gives reasonable grounds for believing that there is a likelihood of them committing an offence which will cause serious harm (known as a Potentially Dangerous Person), may also be included on ViSOR. The College of Policing has issued guidance to police forces on the ‘Identification, assessment and management of serial or potentially dangerous domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators’. The key principles set out that forces should have processes in place to identify serial or potentially dangerous domestic abuse or stalking perpetrators and ensure that information about the perpetrator is recorded on the Police National Computer, the Police National Database or ViSOR as appropriate. HM Prison and Probation Service has published a Domestic Abuse Policy Framework which sets out the arrangements for working with people whose convictions or behaviours include domestic abuse. The framework mandates adherence to the referral pathways for domestic abuse perpetrators and ensures that the expectations for its work in those cases is laid out clearly and comprehensively. In January 2020 the Government introduced Stalking Protection Orders, which allow magistrates’ courts to impose prohibitions and positive requirements on a person if they are necessary to protect another person from a risk associated with stalking. The Domestic Abuse Bill will introduce Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, which will include similar provisions, including specific provision for electronic tagging.

Stop and Search: Ethnic Groups Ms Harriet Harman: [74424] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that stop and search is not disproportionately affecting (a) black men and (b) BAME communities. Kit Malthouse: The Government is clear no one should be stopped and searched based on race or ethnicity and there are safeguards to ensure that this does not happen. These include Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which sets out the statutory requirements for conducting a search, the use of body worn video to increase accountability, and HMICFRS inspections where force level disparities are examined. Last year, the Home Office asked the College of Policing to update its guidance on stop and search to provide better practice to forces on community engagement and scrutiny. The Home Office also publishes extensive data on police powers, including the use of stop and search, which allows Police and Crime Commissioners and others to hold forces to account. The latest publication is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures- england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.

Visas: Coronavirus Gavin Robinson: [74608] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will agree to a further visa extension beyond 31 July 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Kevin Foster: The latest information in respect of advice for visa holders can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and- temporary-uk-residents. This is kept under review. The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak. We recognise that further adjustments are likely to be required to cater for all scenarios, and we are working through these, to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

Visas: Travel Restrictions Bell Ribeiro-Addy: [72264] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to extend the 30-day travel period for the vignette application for people unable to enter the UK due to flight cancellations as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. Kevin Foster: The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. It has been agreed that if an individual’s 30-day visa to travel to the UK for work, study or to join family has expired, or is about to expire, a replacement visa with revised validity dates valid for up to 90 days may be requested free of charge until the end of this year (2020). Affected customers will need to contact the UKVI Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre. Full details of the Help Centre and how to make a request can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and- temporary-uk-residents .

Visas: Turkey Barbara Keeley: [73764] To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to enable people with European Community Association Agreement visas to (a) renew and (b) extend those visas whist outside the UK in the event that they cannot travel back to the UK during the covid-19 outbreak prior to their visa expiring; and if she will make a statement. Kevin Foster: The Government is committed to ensuring that people are not unfairly impacted in terms of their immigration status as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who are outside the UK when their European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) visa expires can apply, free of charge, for entry clearance as an ECAA business person so that they can return to the UK. On their return, they can seek to extend their leave where they are eligible for this. Further guidance for ECAA applicants who have been unable to return to the UK or renew their leave because of illness or travel restrictions due to Covid-19 will be published shortly

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

[Subject Heading to be Assigned] Afzal Khan: [904965] Whether his Department plans to provide financial support to (a) places of worship and (b) faith organisations to help them to reopen safely as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. Robert Jenrick: I am very grateful to faith leaders across the country for the leadership they have shown on behalf of their communities during this crisis. I am also grateful to the Places of Worship Taskforce, which met again last week, and which has been extremely productive. There are still issues we are working through together, including music for services and singing. As of the 4 th of July, places of worship were allowed to re-open with social distancing in place. Today they are able to hold services, or lead communal worship, and important events in the lives of their communities, such as weddings and funerals. Faith organisations have been able to apply for a range of Government-backed financial packages which support charities and businesses. Bambos Charalambous: [904966] What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government funding for local authorities in England. Mr Simon Clarke: We have now made £4.3 billion available to local authorities to address expenditure pressures caused by COVID-19, including £3.7 billion of unringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund. We are using monthly data collections and conversations with councils and the LGA to refine our assessment of costs and develop a good understanding of the pressures local authorities are currently facing. James Cartlidge: [904969] What steps he is taking to reform the planning system in England. Robert Jenrick: Our seven-decade old planning system is in need of an overhaul, and we will shortly be publishing a planning Policy Paper in the summer setting out our proposals for comprehensive reform. These reforms will deliver more high-quality, well-designed homes, and beautiful and greener communities for people to live in. Alongside this we continue to create new planning freedoms to support the high street and create new homes – including new Permitted Development Rights and Use Class Order reform. Wera Hobhouse: [904970] What steps the Government is taking to tackle the risk of local authorities becoming insolvent as a result of the covid-19 outbreak. Mr Simon Clarke: We recognise the additional costs and pressures councils are facing as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. We have made £3.7 billion available to councils through an un- ringfenced grant so they can address these pressures. We will continue to work with local government to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses. Zarah Sultana: [904972] What plans his Department has to prevent tenants who have fallen into arrears as a result of financial hardship caused by the covid-19 outbreak being evicted from privately rented properties. Christopher Pincher: The Government has offered unprecedented support to help prevent people getting into financial hardship or rent arrears. We legislated to delay when landlords can evict tenants and the Master of the Rolls, with the support of the Government, paused eviction proceedings for five months, until 23 August. These measures are helping to ensure no-one loses their home this summer as a result of coronavirus. Paul Howell: [904975] What support he is providing to help local authorities experiencing a reduction in income during the covid-19 outbreak. Mr Simon Clarke: We have announced a sales, fees and charges co-payment scheme to compensate for irrecoverable losses in 2020/21 where those are above the level they could have been expected to plan for. We will also extend the period over which councils must manage shortfalls in local tax income relating to 2020-21. Further details of how we will support councils to manage tax losses will be announced at the spending review. Jo Gideon: [904976] What steps he is taking to support housebuilding on brownfield land. Suzanne Webb: [904977] What steps he is taking to support housebuilding on brownfield land. Christopher Pincher: I’m delighted that the Prime Minister recently announced that seven Mayoral Combined Authorities, including the West Midlands Combined Authority, are each receiving a share of the £400 million Brownfield Housing Fund. This will help unlock 26,000 homes by bringing under-utilised brownfield land back into use and contribute to the levelling-up our country. Tom Randall: [904978] What additional support he is providing to local authorities during the covid-19 outbreak. Mr Simon Clarke: Government recognises the pressures councils face from Covid-19. We are providing councils with an unprecedented package of support, allocating £4.3 billion for spending pressures, including £3.7 billion of unringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund. Overall, Government has committed nearly £28 billion to support councils, their communities and businesses. Michael Fabricant: [904980] What guidance his Department issues to local authorities on their membership of local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement. Mr Simon Clarke: The Department has provided clear guidance on the membership of Local Enterprise Partnerships through our National Local Growth Assurance Framework. Each Local Enterprise Partnership is required to set out the membership requirements of their Board and Sub-Boards in a Local Assurance Framework which should be published on their website.

Affordable Housing: Construction Thangam Debbonaire: [73887] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect on the number of affordable homes for rent or sale which will be built as a result of removing planning requirements for some property development applications as set out by the Prime Minister on 30 June 2020. Christopher Pincher: Our proposals to introduce new permitted development rights to create new homes will mean that more homes to buy or rent will be delivered than would otherwise be the case. We have not made any estimates of how many of these extra homes will be affordable homes.

Council Tax: Coronavirus Yvonne Fovargue: [73805] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect households who cannot pay council tax as a result of covid-19 related financial hardship from the re-imposition of bailiff visits on 23 August 2020. Mr Simon Clarke: Local authorities are responsible for the collection of council tax. Anyone who is concerned about falling behind with their council tax payments should contact their council as soon as possible to discuss the support available. Guidance issued by my Department makes clear that councils should be willing to take account of individuals’ circumstances, and agree affordable and sustainable payment plans to ensure debts are paid off in a reasonable time. Councils will also be able to advise on eligibility for a reduced bill, for example through their local council tax support schemes and any additional help from the £500 million council tax hardship fund. This is part of the Government's response to COVID-19 and enables councils to provide further reductions in bills for economically vulnerable households. Yvonne Fovargue: [73806] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory pre-action protocol to protect households who cannot pay council tax as a result of covid-19 related financial hardship from the re- imposition of bailiff visits on 23 August 2020. Mr Simon Clarke: The Department’s guidance on council tax collection makes clear that local authorities should take all reasonable steps to exhaust the options available to them prior to beginning enforcement action. This includes taking the individual circumstances of each billpayer into account, and agreeing an approach for dealing with vulnerable residents. Authorities should also signpost the availability of free to use debt advisers, and work with advisers to ensure that an affordable and sustainable payment plan is agreed, preventing the need for enforcement action. If enforcement action is considered appropriate after those checks, the guidance is clear that authorities should explore options such as deductions from benefits or an attachment of earnings order, prior to engaging enforcement agents.

First Time Buyers: Government Assistance Andy Carter: [904982] What plans he has to help first-time buyers to purchase their own homes. Robert Jenrick: This Government will reset our national homeownership offer – ensuring local people and key workers have the opportunity to build a life in their own community. First Homes, our new homeownership programme, will discount homes by at least 30 per cent for key workers, local people, and first-time buyers – including those who have done so much to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. We recently closed our consultation on First Homes and will publish our response soon. At the same time our new £12 billion investment in affordable homes will create thousands of new homes for Shared Ownership. And all of this adds to other Government-backed schemes, including Help to Buy, which have supported over 627,000 households into homeownership since 2010.

Firstport and A2dominion Seema Malhotra: [74593] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had in the last six months with (a) Firstport and (b) A2Dominion on their level of service charges for leaseholders and the quality of service they provide to them. Luke Hall: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the organisations Firstport or A2Dominion regarding their use of service charges within the last six months. The Government believes very strongly that service charges should be fair, transparent and communicated effectively wherever they are used, and that there should be a clear route to challenge or redress if things go wrong. Seema Malhotra: [74594] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether representatives from (a) Firstport and (b) A2Dominion have participated in departmental (i) committees and (ii) advisory boards on (A) policy development and (B) departmental priorities in the last three years. Luke Hall: Representatives from Firstport and A2Dominion attended an official led technical working group for reviewing leasehold major works consultations (Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985) in 2017/18, last meeting in April 2018. Firstport and A2Dominion have not participated in any further departmental committees or advisory boards on policy development or departmental priorities in the last three years.

Help to Buy Scheme: Coronavirus Grahame Morris: [73793] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 64892 on Help to Buy Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will extend the current Help to Buy scheme for first-time buyers with approved mortgages who do not qualify for the new Help to Buy scheme as a result of its financial cap. Christopher Pincher: Homes England allow extensions to reservations that are at risk of expiring, due to recent site closures by Covid-19, for any Help to Buy customers with valid mortgage offers. Sales must still complete within the contractual deadlines for the current Help to Buy scheme ending on 31 March 2021. Therefore as it is in the interest of all parties to ensure sales complete on time, it is anticipated that developers will prioritise these existing orders accordingly. Meanwhile, we continue to work with HMT on a range of measures to support the housing sector.

Homelessness: LGBT People Dawn Butler: [72178] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department plans to provide to LGBTQ+ youth with no recourse to public funds who are at risk of homelessness during the covid-19 outbreak. Luke Hall: The Government is aware of concerns about those with no recourse to public funds experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. We are ensuring local authorities are supported, with £3.2 million in targeted funding to help support individuals who are sleeping rough off the streets, and an additional £3.7 billion provided to local authorities as part of the wider Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding has been provided to help local authorities to reduce risks to public health and to support individuals on the basis of need. This may include people identifying as LGBTQ+. The legal position on those with no recourse to public funds has not been amended. The Government recognises that these are unprecedented times, and expects local authorities to support people who are sleeping rough, and also to minimise unnecessary risks to public health, acting within the law. We also recognise that LGBTQ+ homelessness is an important issue, particularly among young people, and that LGBTQ+ people who find themselves homeless may have a different experience of homelessness. This Department has provided funds to both charities and local authorities which will enable to them to support their communities, including LGBTQ+ people, whether they are at risk of, or are experiencing, homelessness or rough sleeping. In particular, my Department has provided £6 million of emergency funding to frontline homelessness charitable organisations who were directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Following a successful bidding process, over 130 charities across England are set to benefit from the fund. Successful bids included Stonewall Housing which provides housing advice and support for LGBTQ+ people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness or rough sleeping.

Housing: Construction Sir Greg Knight: [73719] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has put in place to ensure that local authorities fulfill their duties to make sure that new buildings are compliant with building regulations as a result of Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety; and if he will make a statement. Christopher Pincher: In April 2020 the Government published our response to the consultation, Building a Safer Future, which sought views on our proposals for a radically new building safety system, based on the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. We will legislate for these reforms through the Building Safety Bill, which was published today.

Landlords: Licensing Stephen Timms: [73699] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the change in the level of annual revenue accruing to the public purse from a national licensing scheme for residential landlords. Christopher Pincher: The Government has no current plans to introduce a national licensing scheme and as such it is unable to offer any estimate related to such a scheme.

Local Government Finance: Coronavirus Dan Jarvis: [73835] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial effect of covid-19 on (a) town and (b) parish councils; and what support he plans to make available to those authorities. Mr Simon Clarke: The Government is very grateful to all parish and town councils and to their members and clerks for the vital work they are doing to support communities The Department is working to understand the financial pressures that Covid-19 is placing on all local authorities, including parish and town councils. The Department will also continue to work with local government, including with representative bodies for parishes and town councils such as the National Association of Local Councils over the coming weeks to ensure the sector as a whole is managing as the pandemic progresses. The Government does not have powers to offer direct financial support to parish and town councils, which are funded through a precept collected from within the overall council tax paid by the residents of the parish or town. We would encouraging all parish and town councils to speak to their principal authority (district or unitary council) and have encouraged those authorities to facilitate those discussions where parish and towns are performing Covid-19 related services.

Local Government: Coronavirus Rosie Cooper: [73755] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) local resilience forums and (b) local authorities (i) engage and (ii) collaborate with the local voluntary and community sector to ensure coordinated and holistic support is provided to people affected by the covid-19 outbreak as part of (A) Test and Trace, (B) local lockdown policy and (C) as part of the Government's strategy for economic recovery. Mr Simon Clarke: MHCLG is in regular contact with local resilience forums (LRFs) across England, with MHCLG attending both tactical and strategic coordinating groups as necessary. Local authorities, as part of the LRF, will consider the needs of vulnerable individuals as they plan their response, and recovery, from the Covid-19 outbreak. We are working with other Government departments to support local authorities to respond to additional vulnerability created by the Covid-19 outbreak through financial support, engaging civil society and supermarkets to provide further assistance, including access to food and essential supplies. The Government has also confirmed an additional £63 million for local authorities to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of Covid-19. This will allow authorities to step in and provide discretionary financial help to those facing severe hardship due to Covid-19 and help them to pay for food and other necessities. We are working with DHSC to support local authorities to respond to Covid-19 outbreaks by ensuring capacity and accessibility is available for testing vulnerable groups. The Test and Trace scheme ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus, and also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents Meetings of the Economic Recovery Working Group, which brings together local growth partners to discuss emerging themes and concerns across the country, have been held at both official and ministerial level. Officials will also be establishing 5 locally led task and finish groups to bring together local partners on specific recovery challenges, to foster strong collaboration between national and local partners and understand how we can support recovery. Rosie Cooper: [73758] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure local authorities have the (a) responsibility, (b) funding and (c) guidance to provide (i) food, (ii) shelter and (iii) emotional support as part of the Government's (A) programme of response and recovery in response to the covid-19 outbreak and (B) planning for future emergencies. Mr Simon Clarke: My Department has been working closely with local councils and sector representing organisations throughout the response to this crisis to understand the challenges they face. We have a number of established engagement channels in place to help ensure effective communication. We are providing local authorities with an unprecedented package of support, allocating £4.3billion of support for expenditure pressures, including £3.7 billion of un- ringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund. The Government announced up to £16 million to provide food for charities and other organisations supporting those who are struggling financially as a result of coronavirus. £3.2 million in emergency funding for local authorities has also been announced to support vulnerable rough sleepers . Nearly 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the Covid- 19 pandemic. Building on this, we announced that Dame Louise Casey is spearheading a Taskforce to lead the next phase of the Government’s support for rough sleepers during this pandemic. On 24 May, the Secretary of State announced plans for thousands of long-term, safe homes to support many of the vulnerable rough sleepers who have been supported during the Covid-19 pandemic. This unprecedented commitment – the biggest of its kind since the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative began – will be backed by £160 million in 2020/21 to inject 3,300 new units of accommodation into the system over the following 12 months, part of 6,000 in total. On 24 June we announced that we are providing local authorities with a further £105 million to enable them to best support those placed into emergency accommodation during the pandemic.

Materials Handling Equipment: Industrial Accidents Apsana Begum: [72277] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Gateway Housing Association, (b) Tower Hamlets Council and (c) Swan Housing Association on re-housing people who have been displaced as a result of the crane collapse on 9 July 2020 at the Swan Housing Association’s Watts Grove development site in Bow. Christopher Pincher: Tower Hamlets Council, working with its partners, is responsible for the re-housing of residents who have had to be evacuated from their homes following this tragic incident. We understand that all affected residents have temporarily been re-housed. My officials have had no direct contact with any of these organisations to date.

Planning Permission Alex Cunningham: [72897] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the public inquiry planning decisions he has yet to make where a planning inspector’s report has already been submitted to his office; and if he will publish the date on which each of those planning inspectors’ reports were submitted to his office. Christopher Pincher: The requested information is in the table below:

DATE INSPECTOR’S REPORT SUBMITTED TO CASE (LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY) DEPARTMENT

Highthorn (Northumberland) 29/11/17

Whitehouse Farm Belper (Amber Valley) (2 12/9/18 cases)

Crich Lane, Belper (Amber Valley) 4/4/19

Broad Lane Essington & Holyhead Rd Wergs 13/5/19 (South Staffs)

Land north of Barleycastle Lane, Appleton 11/12/19 Thorn (Warrington)

Land Adjacent Dinnington Road, Woodsetts 6/1/20 (Rotherham)

Ellesmere Port Wellsite, Portside One 6/1/20 (Cheshire West and Chester)

South-west Sittingbourne/Wises Lane (Swale) 13/2/20

Hulton Park (Bolton) 4/5/20

Anglia Square (Norwich) 8/6/20

Citroen site, Brentford (GLA) 11/6/20

There are a variety of reasons why decisions may be delayed including policy complexities, and changes in local or national policy which require further correspondence with parties. Alan Brown: [72980] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list (a) the public inquiry planning decisions he has still to determine where the planning inspector’s report has been submitted to his Department and (b) the date of receipt of each of those reports from the planning inspector. Christopher Pincher: The requested information is in the table below:

DATE INSPECTOR’S REPORT SUBMITTED TO CASE (LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY) MHCLG

Highthorn (Northumberland) 29/11/17

Whitehouse Farm Belper (Amber Valley) (2 12/9/18 cases)

Crich Lane, Belper (Amber Valley) 4/4/19

Broad Lane Essington & Holyhead Rd Wergs 13/5/19 (South Staffs)

Land north of Barleycastle Lane, Appleton 11/12/19 Thorn (Warrington)

Land Adjacent Dinnington Road, Woodsetts 6/1/20 (Rotherham)

Ellesmere Port Wellsite, Portside One 6/1/20 (Cheshire West and Chester)

South-west Sittingbourne/Wises Lane (Swale) 13/2/20

Hulton Park (Bolton) 4/5/20

Anglia Square (Norwich) 8/6/20

Citroen site, Brentford (GLA) 11/6/20

There are a variety of reasons why decisions may be delayed including policy complexities, and changes in local or national policy which require further correspondence with parties.

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus Thangam Debbonaire: [73883] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2020 to Question 45293 on Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus, what criteria his Department uses to determine the needs of (a) tenants and (b) landlords in relation to the lifting of the temporary ban on evictions from residential properties. Christopher Pincher: On 5 June the Government announced that the current suspension of possession proceedings would be extended by two months until 23 August 2020. This means that no action to evict a tenant will proceed before 24 August 2020. The Government listens to a variety of stakeholders that represent landlords and tenants. As the Government takes steps in the next phase of the COVID-19 response, we will consider how measures should adapt to ensure they reflect public health guidance and the changing nature of this wider context recognising the interests of both tenants and landlords.

Property Development Catherine West: [73927] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of collective enfranchisement rights by property developers; and what steps he is taking to ensure the effective scrutiny of that procedure. Luke Hall: Enfranchisement rights are used by leaseholders to acquire the freehold of their buildings. Part I of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, as amended by the Housing Act 1996 and the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 allows for collective enfranchisement, and lease renewal rights for leaseholders of flats. The Government is looking to standardise the enfranchisement process and asked the Law Commission to review current arrangements to make them easier, quicker and cheaper. The Law Commission published its first report to Government, on the valuation aspects of enfranchisement, on 9 January 2020. The report, which follows a consultation by the Law Commission, sets out a number of options relating to valuation, including purchasing a freehold and extending the lease of a house or flat. Details can be found at https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/leasehold- enfranchisement/. The Law Commission will publish a report on the remaining aspects of enfranchisement shortly. The Government will carefully consider the proposals outlined in the Law Commission’s reports and set out its preferred way forward in due course. Tim Loughton: [74420] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the level of importance of archaeological surveys ahead of developments in his proposals to streamline the planning system. Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to the protection of the historic environment. Heritage considerations, including the need for archaeological surveys, will continue to be taken into account in bringing forward any planning reforms.

Rough Sleeping: Coronavirus Thangam Debbonaire: [73886] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 60812, what data his Department collects from local authorities on the amount they have spent on providing accommodation for rough sleepers under the Everybody In initiative. Luke Hall: The first two rounds of the Covid-19 financial monitoring survey have now been published. These show that between March-May 2020, additional local authority expenditure due to Covid-19 for housing services, including homelessness services, was £63 million. We will publish a summary of the results from the third round in due course. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local- authority-covid-19-financial-impact-monitoring-information.

Sleeping Rough Thangam Debbonaire: [73884] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2020 to Question 40670, how many people were recorded as sleeping rough in the second quarter of 2020. Luke Hall: [Holding answer 20 July 2020]: MHCLG collect an annual official snapshot of rough sleeping which is verified by Homeless Link and provides information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November each year, along with some basic demographic details. This was last released in February 2020 and showed a total figure of 4,266 rough sleepers on any given night, 9% lower than the previous year. The next annual snapshot is due to take place in autumn 2020. Regarding the numbers of people currently rough sleeping, local authorities currently hold the most up to date information.

Sleeping Rough: Coronavirus Andrew Rosindell: [904981] What progress he has made on finding accommodation for rough sleepers during the covid-19 outbreak. Luke Hall: On 26th March I wrote to local authority leaders, asking them to bring ‘Everybody In’. We saw a phenomenal response; due to the hard work of councils, charities and volunteers, 15,000 rough sleepers and vulnerable people have been housed in hotels and other forms of emergency accommodation, since the start of the pandemic. We are also providing £105 million for interim accommodation and £160 million for long term accommodation, which includes funding to make 3,300 new supported homes available in the next 12 months.

Temporary accommodation: Coronavirus Jess Phillips: [73863] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release of 23 June 2020 entitled £105 million to keep rough sleepers safe and off the streets during coronavirus pandemic, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homeless people provided with temporary accommodation through the Everyone In initiative who were (a) women and (b) women with no recourse to public funds. Luke Hall: On 24 June we announced that we are providing local authorities with a further £105 million to enable them to best support the almost 15,000 vulnerable people placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This commitment will help to ensure that as few of these people as possible return to the streets. On 3 June we published the management information that supports the announcements from Secretary of State and Dame Louise Casey regarding the amount of people accommodated. This management information is collected from over 300 local authorities nationally; however, we do not currently hold a breakdown of the gender of all those who have been assisted. We are continuing to work with local authorities to further understand the work they are doing to help the most vulnerable in our society. Local authorities hold the most up to date information regarding the number of people they are currently assisting. The Government is aware of concerns about those with no recourse to public funds experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. We are ensuring local authorities are supported, with £3.2 million of targeted funding previously announced to help support individuals who are sleeping rough off the streets, and an additional £3.7 billion provided to local authorities as part of the wider Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding has been provided to help local authorities to reduce risks to public health and to support individuals on the basis of need. The legal position on those with no recourse to public funds has not been amended. The Government recognises that these are unprecedented times, and expects local authorities to support people who are sleeping rough, and also to minimise unnecessary risks to public health, acting within the law. Vulnerable Adults: Coronavirus Rosie Cooper: [73754] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) local resilience forums and (b) local authorities can meet the needs of vulnerable individuals as part of (i) Test and Trace, (ii) local lockdowns and (iii) local recovery from the covid-19 outbreak. Mr Simon Clarke: MHCLG is in regular contact with local resilience forums (LRFs) across England, with MHCLG attending both tactical and strategic coordinating groups as necessary. Local authorities, as part of the LRF, will consider the needs of vulnerable individuals as they plan their response to, and recovery from the Covid-19 outbreak. We are working with other Government departments to support local authorities to respond to additional vulnerability created by the Covid-19 outbreak through financial support, engaging civil society and supermarkets to provide further assistance, including access to food and essential supplies. The Government has also confirmed an additional £63 million for local authorities to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of Covid-19. This will allow authorities to step in and provide discretionary financial help to those facing severe hardship due to covid-19 and help them to pay for food and other necessities. We are working with DHSC to support local authorities to respond to Covid-19 outbreaks by ensuring capacity and accessibility is available for testing vulnerable groups. The Test and Trace scheme ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus, and also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents. Rosie Cooper: [73756] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to collaborate with Cabinet colleagues to provide (a) food and (b) other humanitarian support for vulnerable people as part of (a) Test and Trace, (b) Local Lockdowns and (c) the Government's programme of economic recovery after the covid1-9 outbreak. Mr Simon Clarke: We are working with other Government departments and supporting local authorities to respond to additional vulnerability created by the COVID-19 outbreak through financial support, as well as engaging civil society and supermarkets to provide further assistance, including access to food and essential supplies. The Government has also confirmed an additional £63 million for local authorities to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19. We have worked with Defra to provide approximately 3.5 million free food parcels in total, and currently around 250,000 each week, to people in England who are shielding and have said they need support getting essential food supplies. The Government has also announced up to £16 million to provide food for charities and other organisations supporting those who are struggling financially as a result of coronavirus. As part of this, Defra has also opened up the £3.5 million Food Charities Grant Fund for front-line food aid charities, offering grants up to £100,000 to support charities to continue to provide food to vulnerable people. We are working with DHSC to support local authorities to respond to Covid-19 outbreaks by ensuring capacity and accessibility is available for testing vulnerable groups. The Test and Trace scheme ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus, and also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Agriculture: Antibiotics Theresa Villiers: [72838] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that UK Official Development Assistance programmes help developing countries reduce the use of antibiotics in farming. James Duddridge: UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) supports developing countries to develop sustainable farming systems which are good for livelihoods, for human and animal health, and the environment, and which are resilient to climate change. This includes fostering the responsible use of antibiotics for animal health and welfare, while monitoring and preventing the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a top UK government priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the interlinkages between the health of humans, animals and the environment. UK ODA promotes the importance of taking a One Health approach that addresses all three in an integrated manner for an effective and sustainable recovery. The Department of Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund has provided over £9 million of funding to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) since 2016 to address AMR and support the appropriate use of antibiotics in farming in 12 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). UK ODA also funds the CGIAR AMR Hub (the global agricultural innovation network) that aims to develop One Health solutions to support LMICs in controlling agriculture-associated AMR risks. British Indian Ocean Territory: English Language Patrick Grady: [73877] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2020 to Question 69595, on British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid, how many Chagossians in Mauritius have participated in English Language Training to date. Wendy Morton: Since the commencement of English Language Training in August 2019, 65 Chagossians have enrolled on training courses offered by the British Council. There have been 157 enrolments in total and with around 4,500 hours of language training provided up to the end of April 2020. Patrick Grady: [73878] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2020 to Question 69595, on British Indian Ocean Territory: Overseas Aid, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of English Language Training on the livelihoods of Chagossians in Mauritius. Wendy Morton: The British Council is still evaluating the impact of the English Language Training programme, a process which has been impeded by the COVID 19 outbreak. However, initial feedback from participants has indicated strong appreciation of the opportunity, including for some participants learning to read and write for the first time.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure Wendy Chamberlain: [74747] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2020 Question 67776 on Department for International Development: Public Expenditure, when her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2019 to 2020 will be published. Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 will be laid in Parliament and published on gov.uk on 21 July 2020.

Department for International Trade: Annual Reports Sarah Champion: [73844] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her annual report will be laid before the House as required by the International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Act 2006. Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 will be laid in Parliament and published on gov.uk on 21 July 2020. Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure Wendy Chamberlain: [73965] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the value of promissory notes her Department planned to issue in 2020-21 was for (a) each institution at the Main Estimate stage in 2020 by date to each institution; and the planned value of promissory note issuance is by institution for the remainder of the calendar year 2020. Wendy Morton: DFID uses promissory notes with organisations such as international development banks. A promissory note allows that organisation to commit to an activity in full, in advance of funding being transferred. DFID’s made no adjustment at Main Estimates 2020-21 to the Net Cash Requirement as a result of Promissory Notes.

Developing Countries: International Assistance Sarah Champion: [73847] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of progress towards meeting Millennium Development Goal 8 and towards the development of an open trading system and debt relief in low income countries. Wendy Morton: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expired in 2015 and were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UK is committed to the SDGs and last year published a Voluntary National Review of progress to date. COVID-19 poses real risks to eroding progress on the SDGs and there is a need to accelerate global action to reach the Goals by 2030. The UK, G20 and Paris Club, will suspend up to $12 billion of debt repayments from the poorest countries due this year under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. The UK has also committed up to £150 million to the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, to fund the poorest countries’ debt repayments to the IMF. The UK is also committed to supporting developing countries to integrate into the rules based international system so as to benefit from free and open trade. Our Trade Advocacy and Investment Fund supports low income countries to participate fully in WTO negotiations. More broadly, our Aid for Trade portfolio supports developing countries to benefit from WTO Agreements and open trade, including our major contribution to the Enhanced Integrated Framework.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development Sarah Champion: [74607] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to Recommendation 12, paragraph 45 of the 12th Report of the International Development Committee of Session 2017-19, on the UK's progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Voluntary National Review, HC 1732, if the Government will take the opportunity of the merger of her Department with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to review the location of responsibility for leading and reporting on the UK’s domestic performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Wendy Morton: The UK remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SDGs will play an important role in collective approaches to post-COVID-19 recovery. Responsibility for the oversight of the SDGs will need to be considered in the round as part of the formation of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Notwithstanding this, all government departments have responsibility for the aspects of the SDGs that relate to their respective policy responsibilities.

Equality: Females Sarah Champion: [73846] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government has taken to (a) embed gender equality and (b) empower women through UK Official Development Assistance in the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Wendy Morton: Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this Government’s mission, and vital to fulfilling every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda. We remain committed to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on development. The UK International Development Act (Gender Equality) 2014 also makes a consideration of gender equality in all UK Overseas Development Assistance a legal requirement. The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy is expected to conclude later in the year. This will define the Government’s ambition for the UK’s role in the world and its outcomes will shape the objectives of the new Department, including on gender equality and women’s rights. Both the review and the merger are evidence of the Prime Minister’s commitment to a unified British foreign and development policy that will maximise our influence around the world.

Females: Equality Yasmin Qureshi: [73774] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that older women are included in the implementation of the Strategic Vision for Gender Equality by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Wendy Morton: The Strategic Vision for Gender Equality is DFID’s guiding document on gender equality and it reflects and responds to the UK Government’s ambitions on this agenda. This includes our commitment to Leave No Girl or Woman Behind, which recognises that older women face multiple exclusions and experience a range of complex barriers to accessing services. COVID-19 has thrown into sharp relief the vulnerability of older people to shocks and brought to the forefront the important roles they play in society. As part of the DFID-FCO merger discussions, we will refresh and build on existing strategies, as well as develop new approaches. Advancing gender equality and women’s rights are a core part of this Government’s mission. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to this agenda.

Israel: Palestinians Mrs Sharon Hodgson: [73751] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to coexistence projects in Israel-Palestine. James Cleverly: Our people to people programme aimed to foster cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians on issues that can have a positive impact on both communities and build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict, helping build support for a peaceful, negotiated resolution. This programme ended in March 2020. The programme’s research component will analyse the impact of people-to-people work, building an evidence base which will inform any future work in this area.

Non-governmental Organisations: Overseas Aid Jim Shannon: [73830] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support NGOs that have experienced a significant decline in private funding as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. Wendy Morton: We are working flexibly with existing civil society partners to respond to the pandemic, maintain delivery of essential programmes and manage the impacts on organisations and staff. DFID is offering support to all suppliers, including civil society, in line with the provisions of the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note and associated guidance for grants. This allows for relief on services and goods provided in the UK, to DFID aid programmes as a last resort and on a case-by-case basis for DFID contracts and grants. UK-based Non-Government Organisations are also eligible for the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Overseas Aid Wendy Chamberlain: [73964] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2020 to Question 67777 on Overseas Aid, what the value is of the allocations that have been made from the £200 million un-allocated component of the ODA Crisis Reserve in 2020-21 so far; to what programmes that funding has been allocated; and whether any of the £300 million re-deployable component of the ODA Crisis Reserve has been redeployed. Wendy Morton: The UK ODA Crisis Reserve is an annual allocation of £500 million. This consists of a £200 million un-allocated reserve and a £300 million re-deployable reserve. We used initial the £200 million to respond to COVID-19. We have now replenished this through using the redeployable element of the reserve. To date DFID Secretary of State has approved a total of £5 million from the 2020/21 ODA Crisis Reserve. The £5 million was approved by DFID SoS in February 2020 to the World Health Organisation to provide resilience to vulnerable countries in response to the global pandemic (£10 million approved from 19/20 crisis reserve and £5 million from 20/21 crisis reserve). Wendy Chamberlain: [73966] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to allocate the match funding to her Department's partners in compliance with the Aid Match agreements that have been agreed. Wendy Morton: All government departments are working through how their plans will need to change in light of the risk of a significant recession this year. DFID is no exception. The Government’s 0.7% GNI target is directly linked to the performance of the UK economy. No decision has been taken, but we are considering the full range of our work. In the short term, we have paused new financial arrangements while we agree our future work in close cooperation with other aid spending Departments.

Overseas Aid: Cost Effectiveness Sarah Champion: [73845] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government will take to ensure that Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office expenditure on Official Development Assistance is subject to independent review as required under the provisions of the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015. Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to parliament for how it spends UK aid. We remain committed to full transparency in our aid spending and there will continue to be parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget – the form this takes following the merger will be set out in due course.

UNRWA: Finance Seema Malhotra: [74592] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's policy is on funding for UNRWA. James Cleverly: The UK is a long-term supporter of UNRWA as a vital humanitarian and stabilising force in the region. We recognise UNRWA’s unique mandate from the UN General Assembly, to protect and provide protection and core services to Palestinian refugees across the Near East. The UK provides multi-year funding to UNRWA. Our contribution to UNWRA will help to provide basic education to more than 533,000 children a year (half of which are girls), access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid Anna McMorrin: [74712] To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the £160 million funding for humanitarian aid pledged by the UK at the United Nation’s Yemen Pledging Conference in Riyadh on 2 June 2020 has been paid to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. James Cleverly: The UK’s £160 million funding will be delivered through a range of UN agencies and aims to provide support to at least 300,000 vulnerable people each month to help them buy food and household essentials, treat 40,000 children for malnutrition and provide 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is one of the UK’s partners in Yemen. We currently support the Cash and Markets Working Group coordinator and stand ready to consider support to the OCHA led Yemen Humanitarian Fund when an allocation round is announced.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-pacific Partnership Bill Esterson: [73812] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to negotiate membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership; and what derogations from its treaties would she seek. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could help Britain increase her trade and investment opportunities, diversify her trading links and supply chains, and secure her future place in the world at the centre of a modern network of Free Trade Agreements with dynamic economies. HM Government continue to have discussions on CPTPP accession with member countries at official and ministerial level, as part of our preparatory engagement. In our engagement, we are clear that any final decision to join CPTPP will consider the progress of bilateral negotiations with member countries and whether accession will be in the British national interest.

Department for International Trade: Apprentices Robert Halfon: [74514] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target. Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and expert department. Apprenticeships play an important role in delivering that commitment and helping our employees to achieve their full potential. DIT offers a range of apprenticeships across different disciplines to build both individual and departmental professional capability. This year, we exceeded our Civil Service target (of 51) with 57 new apprenticeship starts. We have achieved this by: • Putting in place good quality apprenticeships that reflect DIT priorities and with the right level of support for participants. • Offering (where appropriate) an apprenticeship qualification when recruiting to some entry-level roles externally. • Targeting key capability priorities within our current workforce, giving them additional opportunities to retrain and up-skill. We intend to maintain this and have every confidence that we will achieve the target of 2.3% by March 2021 as part of the Civil Service.

Developing Countries: Dispute Resolution Hywel Williams: [73724] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the risk of litigation for developing countries through the Investor-state dispute settlement mechanism as a result of those countries' covid-19 response. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The United Kingdom has investment agreements with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions with over 90 trading partners. HM Government recognises the importance of strengthen-ing international investment in response to COVID-19, and the continuing important role played by both investment protection and ISDS provisions in safeguarding British investors overseas – includ-ing pensioners across the country through their pension funds, and small and medium- sized enter-prises (SMEs). We are clear that HM Government and our treaty partners retain the right to regulate in the public interest, including for public health purposes, that is already recognised under international law. There has never been a successful ISDS claim against the United Kingdom, nor has the threat of potential claims affected our legislation.

Foreign Investment in UK: North East Mr Richard Holden: [73986] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which countries have been the ten largest foreign direct investors in the North East of England in each of the last three years. Graham Stuart: Further to my Department’s publication, DIT Inward Investment Results 2019-20 [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/department-for-international-trade-inward- investment-results-2019-to-2020], the following is a breakdown of the top sources for foreign direct investment projects landing in the UK’s North East of England Region in the three financial years from 2017 to 2020:

COUNTRY OR WORLD REGION 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20

United States 19 15 28

Non-EU 24 19 24

EU 26 25 21

Definitions of the world regions are found in the quoted publication. Please note that the values from the United States are deducted from the Non-EU region. Due to the commercially sensitive information and considerations relating to disclosure of the investing organisations involved, we are unable to provide more granular detail.

Iron and Steel: Imports Gareth Thomas: [72146] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of (a) the existing level of UK demand for steel and (b) the potential merits of reducing the proposed UK tariff free quotas for steel imports from 1 January 2021; and if she will make a statement. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government has been working closely with the British steel industry, including on steel safeguards to protect industry from unforeseen surges in imports. Current data shows that steel demand was down 24 per cent in the United Kingdom during the first four months of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. Our priority is to make sure that, at the end of the transition period, our domestic industry retains appropriate trade remedy protections. That is why we have committed to carrying across existing measures where there is a British interest, including steel safeguards, and are then reviewing them to make them tailored to the needs of the United Kingdom.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique Caroline Lucas: [73782] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether UK Export Finance is contributing to the agreed financing contracts for the Mozambique LNG Project; what the value is of export credits granted to that project; and if she will make a statement. Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance (UKEF) has agreed to provide up to US$1.15bn of export finance support for UK exporters, as part of the design, construction and operation of a liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique. UKEF support is in the form of up to $300m of direct loans, and up to $850m in guarantees to the commercial banks providing lending. The UKEF-supported element will support multiple UK businesses across the UK, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and in excess of 2,000 UK jobs. The Project will generate significant revenue for Mozambique and be transformational for Mozambique’s economic and social development. Anna McMorrin: [74713] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63442 on Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique, if her Department will (a) undertake and (b) publish an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHR) independent of the ESHR published by the private financiers of the Mozambique LNG project. Graham Stuart: In line with its regular policy, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has undertaken an environmental, social and human rights (ESHR) review of the Mozambique LNG Project. This has been conducted alongside other export credit agencies and the African Development Bank, with the support of an independent ESHR consultant. This review considered all the relevant ESHR documentation provided by the Project sponsors such as ESHR impact assessments, strategies, management and monitoring plans, amongst others. UKEF published a Category A notice of its consideration of the Project in August 2019, which includes a link to an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) of the Mozambique LNG project and related information. This notice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-under-consideration- mozambique-lng-project. In undertaking its review, UKEF considered the most up-to- date ESHIA. Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Sir Edward Davey: [72147] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to her Written Statement HC WS339, whether she will publish the assessment that evaluated if Saudi Arabia had broken International Humanitarian Law; and if she will make a statement. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: HM Government have no plans to publish the assessments to which the Rt Hon. Gentleman refers. Such assessments use all available sources of information – including some that are necessarily confidential and sensitive – so we are not able to provide details of the assessments.

Trade Agreements Bill Esterson: [74542] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her objectives are in negotiations on international trade agreements with (a) Turkey, (b) Canada and (c) Mexico. Bill Esterson: [74543] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she plans to conclude international trade agreements with (a) Turkey, (b) Canada and (c) Mexico. Bill Esterson: [74544] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to share negotiating texts with parties who have signed non-disclosure agreements in respect of negotiations of international trade agreements with (a)Turkey, (b) Canada and (c) Mexico. Bill Esterson: [74545] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions her trade negotiators have had on tariff schedules, product conformity, rules of origin and other technical regulations with their counterparts in (a) Turkey, (b) Canada and (c) Mexico in relation to negotiating international trade agreements with those countries. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The United Kingdom’s ambition is to sign continuity trade agreements with (a) Turkey; (b) Canada; and (c) Mexico by the end of the transition period to make sure that existing trade flows are protected, as far as possible. To this end, our trade negotiators have engaged in technical discussions, including on tariffs, rules of origin and regulatory matters. Consistent with the approach taken for all previous continuity trade agreements, agreement texts will be shared publicly after they have been laid before Parliament. My Department organises regular meetings with industry to keep them as informed as possible on our progress in this important work. Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution Caroline Lucas: [74487] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Government's response to the covid-19 pandemic on the number of investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases; what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) co-operating with other countries, especially those in the Global South, to jointly withdraw consent to ISDS arbitration and (b) unilaterally withdrawing consent to ISDS arbitration before the first cases are brought arising from the covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make it her policy to exclude ISDS from all trade and investment negotiations involving the UK and not to sign any new agreements including ISDS. Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The precise details of any future Free Trade Agreement are a matter for formal negotiations, and we would not seek to pre-empt these discussions. HM Government recognises the importance of strengthening international investment in response to COVID-19, and the continuingly important role played by both investment protection and ISDS provisions in safeguarding British investors overseas – including pensioners across the country, through their pension funds, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We are clear that HM Government and our treaty partners retain the right to regulate in the public interest, including for public health purposes, which is already recognised under international law.

Trade and Agriculture Commission: Public Appointments Caroline Lucas: [73783] To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the announcement of the membership of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, if she will make it her policy to add independent (a) consumer interest and (b) public health experts to that membership; and for what reasons experts in those fields are not currently included. Greg Hands: The Trade and Agriculture Commission has a cross-section of representatives covering the interests of the agriculture sector, consumers, animal health, international development, hospitality, food small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and retail. Beyond the membership of the Commission itself, there will be ways for relevant experts to contribute to the work of the Commission. JUSTICE

Court of Protection Chris Bryant: [74457] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for an application for deputyship to be heard by the Court of Protection. Chris Philp: The average waiting time for an application for deputyship to be heard by the Court of Protection is 39 days based on March 2020.

Courts Karl Turner: [R] [74521] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the length of time it will take to clear the backlog in the criminal courts of England and Wales. Chris Philp: COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for the criminal justice system, but we have kept courts open and cases flowing through the system throughout. The UK has been a global leader and we are ahead of comparable systems. HMCTS has now published a Court Recovery Plan, which sets out that court operating hours will be extended, alternative venues will be used as courts to increase capacity and the use of the Cloud Video Platform (CVP) will be rolled out into all Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. Further measures to increase jury trial capacity are also being explored. The Court Recovery Plan can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-and-tribunal- recovery-update-in-response-to-coronavirus Public confidence requires cases to be dealt with in a timely manner and the backlog must be addressed. This goal will require ambition from the whole system. We have recently announced a record investment in court infrastructure and maintenance. We’re recruiting more court staff and we will shortly be making an announcement on use of additional court centres.

Courts: Costs Karl Turner: [R] [74523] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much it costs on average to process each defendant in the Crown Court. Chris Philp: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service currently does not calculate the average cost to process each defendant in the crown court. Historically costs have been calculated around such metrics as the unit cost of a sitting day in the crown court, but we are unable to calculate the average cost of processing a defendant in the crown court. Criminal cases may be multi handed resulting in multiple defendants in one trial. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has been working over the last 12 months to establish a variety of key financial metrics around the unit costs associated with various volumetrics.

Courts: Working Hours Karl Turner: [R] [74522] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has consulted (a) legal practitioners and (b) other stakeholders on plans to reintroduce Flexible Operating Hours in the courts. Chris Philp: The Flexible Operating Hours pilots took place at Manchester Civil Justice Centre and the County Court at Brentford from September 2019 to March 2020. Local Implementation Teams, which include legal representatives and local support groups, were set up in Manchester and Brentford to plan and deliver the pilots. To support a cross-justice system approach to the evaluation of the pilots HMCTS set up an Evaluation Advisory Group which includes representatives from the judiciary, partner government agencies, the Bar Council, the Bar Standards Board, the Law Society and CILEx. HMCTS has appointed a consortium of IFF Research and Frontier Economics to carry out an independent evaluation of the Flexible Operating Hours pilots. The evaluation is being conducted as set out in the evaluation plan, published July 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexible-operating-hours-evaluation-plan- and-summary. The evaluation report will be published following completion, in the autumn and we will consider its findings carefully. Proposals to extend court operating hours are being considered as part of the HMCTS recovery plan. Working groups under the leadership of judiciary have been established to develop these proposals which include members of the legal profession across the jurisdictions.

Crime: Young People Mr Barry Sheerman: [72810] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support those convicted of minor crimes in the event that those so convicted were coerced into committing those crimes at a young age; and what assessment he has made of the effect such convictions have on the long-term employment prospects of those so convicted. Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice recognises that many young perpetrators of crime will often have a range of complex needs, some having themselves experienced victimisation. The Government is committed to intervening early and diverting children away from crime, recognising it is far better to prevent a child committing a crime. We also know the importance of supporting child victims to cope and recover. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 states that children under the age of 18 when they commit certain offences, are not guilty if they were committed as a direct act of exploitation. When deciding whether a prosecution is needed, the Code for Crown Prosecutors is clear that prosecutors must consider the best interests and welfare of the child or young person, amongst other public interest factors. This factor will always carry a special weight in the case of children and young people who are at a very early stage of their offending, and who are suspected of being coerced or exploited, starting from a presumption of diverting them away from the courts where possible. If a child does receive a conviction, then Youth Offending Teams will work with the child to address the underlying causes of their behaviour, including through specialist services. The government has recently laid (in July 2020) secondary legislation to change the rules governing criminal records disclosure for sensitive roles by removing the multiple convictions rule and the disclosure of youth cautions, reprimands and warnings. The orders are subject to the approval of Parliament. We are confident that this change will improve employment opportunities for people who have previously offended and will particularly benefit those with childhood cautions.

Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders Holly Lynch: [72233] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women and girls in the UK have an FGM protection order in place as at July 2020. Holly Lynch: [72234] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many girls under the age of 18 in the UK have an FGM protection order in place as at July 2020. Alex Chalk: The Ministry of Justice collates information on the number of applications and the number of FGM protection orders granted. There is no mandatory requirement to collate statistics on the duration of orders and whether they remain in place at any point in time. The quality of available data can only, therefore, be verified at disproportionate cost. However, following their introduction in July 2015, 584 FGM protection orders have been granted up to 31 March 2020, the latest period for which information is available. Similarly, data relating to the age of the person to be protected by an FGM protection order granted by the court is not collated and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Data relating to age is collated, however, on a person or persons named in any application for a FGM protection order. Following their introduction in July 2015, 405 applicants, aged 17 or under, had been the subject of an application for an FGM protection order up to 31 March 2020, the latest period for which statistics are available. Statistics to the end of June 2020 are scheduled for publication in late September, and statistics for July are scheduled for publication in late December.

ICT Chi Onwurah: [72206] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2020 to Question 69550 on ICT, for what reason his Department determined that the wide application means the presumption in law that computer systems are working properly is unsuitable for review in light of the changes since 1999 in the (a) design, (b) operation and (c) ubiquity of computer systems. Alex Chalk: The common law presumption of correct functioning of a computer is rebuttable if there is evidence to the contrary. In such circumstances it is for the party seeking to produce the computer record in evidence to satisfy the court that the computer was working properly at the material time. We cannot ignore the impact that the dispute over the Horizon Accounting System has had on the postmasters affected and it is vitally important that the Government ensures that lessons are learned from the handling of this case. That is the purpose of the Review announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. However, there is nothing to suggest at this stage that a change is needed in the common law presumption which is relied upon to conduct banking and other financial transactions and legal proceedings in many other cases.

Magistrates' Courts: Costs Karl Turner: [R] [74524] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much it costs on average to process each defendant in the magistrates court. Chris Philp: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service currently does not calculate the average cost to process each defendant in the magistrates’ court. Historically costs have been calculated around such metrics as the unit cost of a sitting day in the magistrates’ court. We are unable to calculate the average cost of processing a defendant in the magistrates’ court. Magistrates operate several sessions across a sitting day, which may be multi handed resulting in multiple defendants in one trial. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has been working over the last 12 months to establish a variety of key financial metrics around the unit cost associated with various volumetrics. Prison Visitors: Coronavirus Cat Smith: [73893] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on children visiting their mothers in prison on a socially distanced basis where it is safe for them to do so. Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) recognises the importance and positive impact that can benefit children and families by visiting offenders in prison. The decision to stop visits was based on public health advice and mirrored the restrictions faced by the whole country, we know the difficult impact this has on mothers in prison and it was not taken lightly. As a result of the success of these measures, we are now formulating plans for how these restrictions can be cautiously rolled back over the coming weeks and months. We have now reintroduced family visits at some establishments housing female offenders and plan to reintroduce them to the remainder of the female estate over the coming weeks. Currently a single adult visiting can be accompanied by up to two children, but if two adults visits only one child may accompany them. All visitors must live together in the same household except for parents of a prisoner who live apart. Guidance on visiting someone in prison during the pandemic is published on GOV.UK at the following link; https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visit-someone-in-prison-during-the-coronavirus-covid- 19-pandemic We are conscious of the impact that these restrictions have on prisoners’ wellbeing and rehabilitation. Taking into consideration the recommendations made in the 2017 Farmer Review and the 2019 Farmer Review for Women, we have invested in various measures to maintain family contact and improve wellbeing. We have provided additional pin credit for phone calls, distributed locked mobile phones for establishments without access to in-cell telephony and deployed new video call technology at all women’s prisons.

Wills: Registration Mr Barry Sheerman: [72809] To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making it a legal necessity to register wills similar to those requirements adopted by other countries. Alex Chalk: There is no statutory requirement for will registration, but is it possible to deposit a will with HM Courts and Tribunals Service, and commercial will registration services are available. The imposition of a legal requirement to register wills may have a deterrent effect in terms of people making wills and lead to an increase in invalidated wills and contentious probate cases. The Law Commission analysed this issue in their 2017 consultation paper on the law of wills, and concluded that ‘the disadvantages of such a system would far outweigh its benefits’. The Government has no plans to reform this area of law at present.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Coronavirus: Disease Control Sir Graham Brady: [73716] To ask the Leader of the House, what covid-19 related provisions the Government has put in place since 1 March 2020; under what statutory powers each provision was put in place; on what date each provision was (a) announced and (b) laid before Parliament; and on what date each provision (i) came into force and (ii) was approved by Parliament. Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Since 1 March 2020, and as of Monday 20 July, the Government has laid 127 statutory instruments in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. This has enabled the Government to swiftly put in place the legislation needed and we will continue to bring forward further SIs for Parliament to consider, as required. The table below provides a list of each SI, outlining the powers it was made under; the date it was laid before Parliament; the date the SI came into force; and, where applicable, the date it was approved by Parliament. The Government continues to make every effort to ensure that announcements are made in good time ahead of the legislation being brought forward, while balancing the need for urgent action to deal with the pandemic. Table of Statutory Instruments laid since 1 March 2020

COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

DHSC The Health Public Negative 06/03/2 05/03/20 N/A Protection Health 0 (Notification) (Control of (Amendment) Disease) Regulations 2020 Act 1984

DWP The Statutory Sick Social Negative 12/03/2 13/03/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus Contribution Amendment) s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act 1992 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

DWP Universal Credit and Social Negative 12/03/2 13/03/20 N/A Employment Support Security 0 Allowance Contribution Amendment s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act and their 1992

DWP Universal Credit and Social Negative 12/03/2 13/03/20 N/A Employment Support Security 0 Allowance Contribution Amendment s and (Northern Ireland) Benefits Act Regulations 2020 1992

DWP The Statutory Sick Social Negative 16/03/2 17/03/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus Contribution Amendment) No.2 s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act 1992

HMT Financial Services Financial Negative 20/03/2 23/03/20 N/A and Markets Act Services 0 2000 (Exemption) and Markets (Amendment) Order Act 2000 2020

Defra Single Use Carrier Climate Negative 20/03/2 21/03/20 N/A Bags Charges Change Act 0 (England) 2008 (Amendment) Order 2020

MHCLG Town and Country Town and Negative 23/03/2 24/03/20 N/A Planning (General Country 0 Permitted Planning Act Development) 1990 (England) (Amendment) Order 2020 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

DHSC The Health Public Made 23/03/2 21/03/20 The Protection Health affirmative 0 regulations (Coronavirus, (Control of were Business Closure) Disease) revoked (England) Act 1984 before they Regulations 2020 could be approved.

DfT Street and Road The New Negative 26/03/2 30/03/20 N/A Works (Amendments Roads and 0 Relating to Electronic Street Communications) Works Act (England) 1991 and (Amendment) The Traffic Regulations 2020 Managemen t Act 2004

DHSC The National Health The Negative 26/03/2 27/03/20 N/A Service National 0 (Amendments Health Relating to the Service Act Provision of Primary 2006 Care Services During a Pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020

DHSC Health Protection The Public Made 26/03/2 26/03/20 14/05/20 (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 Restrictions) (Control of (England) Disease) Regulations 2020 Act 1984

DWP Occupational and The Negative 27/03/2 31/03/20 N/A Personal Pension Pensions 0 Schemes (General Act 2004 Levy) (Revocation) Regulations 2020

BEIS Competition Act 1998 The Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A (Health Services for Competition 0 Patients in England) Act 1998 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(Coronavirus) (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2020

BEIS Competition Act 1998 The Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A (Groceries) Competition 0 (Coronavirus) (Public Act 1998 Policy Exclusion) Order 2020

BEIS Working Time The Negative 27/03/2 26/03/20 N/A (Coronavirus) European 0 (Amendment) Communitie Regulations 2020 s Act 1972

DWP Social Security The Social Negative 27/03/2 30/03/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security 0 (Further Measures) Contribution Regulations 2020 s and Benefits Act 1992; the Jobseekers Act 1995; the Housing Act 1996; The Welfare Reform Act 2012

DWP NI Equivalent The Social Negative 27/03/2 30/03/20 N/A Security 0 Contribution s and Benefits Act 1992; the Jobseekers Act 1995; the Housing Act 1996; The Welfare Reform Act COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

2012

DWP Statutory Sick Pay The Social Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security 0 (Suspension of Contribution Waiting Days and s and General Amendment) Benefits Act Regulations 2020 1992; The Coronavirus Act 2020

DWP NI Equivalent The Social Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A Security 0 Contribution s and Benefits Act 1992; The Coronavirus Act 2020

DWP The Occupational The Pension Negative 27 31/03/20 N/A and Personal Schemes March Pension Schemes Act 1993 (General Levy) (Revocation) Regulations 2020

BEIS Competition Act 1998 The Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A (Solent Maritime Competition 0 Crossings) Act 1998 (Coronavirus) (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2020

HO Police Act 1997 The Police Negative 27/03/2 28/03/20 N/A (Criminal Records) Act 1997 0 (Amendment) Regulations 2020

HO Investigatory Powers The Negative 27 27/03/20 N/A (Temporary Judicial Coronavirus March COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Commissioners and Act 2020 Modification of Time Limits) Regulations 2020

BEIS The Feed-in Tariffs The Energy Negative 30 31/03/20 N/A (Amendment) Act 2008 March (Coronavirus) Order 2020

DfT The Motor Vehicles The Road Negative 30/03/2 31/03/20. N/A (Tests) (Amendment) Traffic Act 0 Regulations 2020 1988

DHSC Nursing and The Nursing Negative 30/03/2 31/03/20 N/A Midwifery Council and 0 (Emergency Midwifery Procedures) Order 2001 (Amendment) Rules 2020 Order of Council 2020

HO Coronavirus Coronavirus Negative 01/04/2 02/04/20 N/A (Retention of Act 2020 0 Fingerprints and DNA Profiles in the Interests of National Security) Regulations 2020

MHCLG The Local Authorities The Police Negative 02/04/2 04/04/20 N/A and Police and Crime Reform and 0 Panels (Coronavirus) Social (Flexibility of Local Responsibili Authority and Police ty Act 2011 and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020

DWP The Social Security The Negative 3 April 06/04/20 N/A COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(Coronavirus) Housing Act (Further Measures) 1996 and Amendment the Welfare Regulations 2020 Reform Act 2012

DWP The Social Security The Welfare Negative 3 April 06/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Reform (Further Measures) (Northern Amendment Ireland) Regulations Order 2015 (Northern Ireland) 2020

MHCLG The Local The Negative 6 April 07/04/20 N/A Government and Coronavirus Police and Crime Act 2020 Commissioner (Coronavirus) (Postponement of Elections and Referendums) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020

MoJ The Prison and The Prison Negative 6 April 06/04/20 N/A Young Offender Act 1952 Institution (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Rules 2020

MoJ The Offender The Negative 6 April 06/04/20 N/A Management Act Offender 2007 (Coronavirus) Managemen (Approved Premises) t Act 2007 Regulations 2020

DWP The Social Security The Social Negative 7 April 08/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security (Prisoners) Contribution COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Regulations 2020 s and Benefits Act 1992 The Jobseekers Act 1995 The State Pension Credit Act 2002 The Welfare Reform Act 2007 The Welfare Reform Act 2012

DWP The Social Security The Social Negative 7 April 08/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security (Prisoners) Contribution Regulations 2020 s and Northern Ireland Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 The Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 The State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 The Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007 The COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015

DWP Social Fund Funeral The Social Negative 7 April 08/04/20 N/A Expenses Payment Security (Coronavirus) Contribution (Amendment) s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act 1992

MHCLG Accounts and Audit The Local Negative 7 April 30/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Audit and (Amendment) Accountabili Regulations 2020 ty Act 2014

MHCLG Town and Country The Town Negative 08/04/2 09/04/20 N/A Planning (General and Country 0 Permitted Planning Act Development) 1990 (Coronavirus) (England) (Amendment) Order 2020

DHSC The National Health The Negative 08/04/2 09/04/20 N/A Service (Performers National 0 List) (England) Health (Coronavirus) Service Act (Amendment) 2006 Regulations 2020

MoJ The Criminal The Courts Negative 09/04/2 14/04/20 N/A Procedure Act 2003 0 (Amendment No. 2) (Coronavirus) Rules 2020

MoJ The Electronic The Negative 09/04/2 10/04/20 N/A COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Monitoring Criminal 0 (Responsible Justice and Persons) Order 2020 Court Services Act 2000

MoJ Tribunal Procedure The Negative 09/04/2 10/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Tribunals, 0 (Amendment) Rules Courts and 2020 Enforcemen t Act 2007

MoJ Employment Appeals The Negative 09/04/2 10/04/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Employment 0 (Amendment) Rules Tribunals 2020 Act 1996

DWP The Statutory Sick The Social Negative 15/04/2 16/04/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus Contribution Amendment) (No. 3) s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act 1992

BEIS Land Registry The Land Negative 15/04/2 16/04/20 N/A Amendment 2020 Registration 0 Act 2002

MHCLG The Local The Negative 16 April 08/04/20 N/A Government Coronavirus (Coronavirus) Act 2020 (Structural Changes) (Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2020.

DHSC The Safeguarding The Negative 17/04/2 17/04/20 N/A Vulnerable Groups Safeguardin 0 Act 2006 (Regulated g Vulnerable Activities) Groups Act COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(Coronavirus) Order 2006 2020

BEIS Competition Act 1998 The Negative 20/04/2 21/04/20 N/A (Health Services for Competition 0 Patients in Wales) Act 1998 (Coronavirus) (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2020

BEIS Offshore Petroleum The Negative 22/04/2 23/04/20 N/A Production and Pipe- European 0 lines (Assessment of Communitie Environmental s Act 1972 Effects) (Coronavirus) (Amendments) 2020

DHSC Health Protection The Public Made 22/04/2 22/04/20 14/05/20 (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 Restrictions) (Control of (England) Disease) (Amendment) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

DfE The Adoption and The Negative 23/04/2 24/04/20 N/A children Children Act 0 (coronavirus) 1989 The (amendment) Care Regulations 2020. Standards Negative Procedure Act 2000 The Adoption and Children Act 2002 The Children Act 2004 The Education and Inspections COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Act 2006

MHCLG The Non-Domestic The Local Negative 23/04/2 1(2)Subje N/A Rating (Transitional Government 0 ct to Protection Payments Finance Act paragraph and Rates Retention) 1988 (3), these (Coronavirus) Regulatio (Amendment) ns come Regulations 2020 into force on 15th May 2020. 1(3)This regulation and regulation 3(1) and (3) come into force on 29th April 2020.

DfE The School The School Negative 23/04/2 24/04/20 N/A Admissions (Appeals Standards 0 Arrangements) and (England) Framework (Amendment) Act 1998 (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020. Negative Procedure

DfE The Early Years The Negative 23/04/2 24/04/20 N/A Foundation Stage Childcare 0 (learning and Act 2006 development requirements) and (Welfare requirements) Miscellaneous provisions) COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(amendment) (coronavirus) Regulations 2020. Negative Procedure

MoJ The Taking Control The Negative 24/04/2 25/04/20 N/A of Goods and Tribunals, 0 Certification of Courts and Enforcement Agents Enforcemen (Amendment) t Act 2007 (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

DWP The Maternity The Social Negative 24/04/2 25/04/20 N/A Allowance, Statutory Security 0 Maternity Pay, Contribution Statutory Adoption s and Pay, Statutory Benefits Act Paternity Pay, 1992 Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (Normal Weekly Earnings etc.) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.

DWP The State Pension The Social Negative 27/04/2 04/05/20 N/A Credit (Coronavirus) Security 0 (Electronic Claims) Administrati Regulations 2020 on Act 1992

DHSC National Health The Health Negative 28/04/2 29/05/20 N/A Service (Quality Act 2009 0 Accounts) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

HO The Misuse of Drugs The Misuse Negative 29/04/2 29/05/20 N/A (Amendments) of Drugs Act 0 (Pandemic supply) 1971 Regulations 2020

DfE The Special The Negative 30/04/2 01/05/20 N/A Educational Needs Children 0 and Disability and (Coronavirus) Families Act (Amendment) 2014 The Regulations 2020 Education Act 1996

DfE The Education The Negative 30/04/2 21/05/20 N/A (School Teachers' Education 0 Qualifications and Act 2002 Induction Arrangements) (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

MoJ Criminal Legal Aid The Legal Negative 30/04/2 01/05/20 N/A (Coronavirus, Aid, 0 Remuneration) Sentencing (Amendment) and Regulations 2020 Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Defra The Common The Negative 01/05/2 15/05/20 N/A Agricultural Policy European 0 (Control and Communitie Enforcement, Cross- s Act 1972 Compliance, Scrutiny Article 78(b) of Transactions and of Appeals) Regulation (Amendment) (EU) (England) 1306/2013 Regulations 2020. of the COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

European Parliament and of the Council

BEIS Competition Act 1998 Competition Negative 01/05/2 01/05/20 N/A (Dairy Produce) Act 1998 0 (Coronavirus) (Public Policy Exclusion) Order 2020

HMT Financial Services Financial Negative 01/05/2 04/05/20 N/A and Markets Act Services 0 2000 (Regulated and Markets Activities) Act 2000 (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Order 2020

DHSC Health Protection Public Made 13/05/2 13/05/20 15/06/20 (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 Restrictions) (Control of (England) Disease) (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

MHCLG The Town and European Negative 13/05/2 14/05/20 N/A Country Planning Communitie 0 (Development s Act 1972 Management Procedure) (England) (Coronavirus)(Amend ment) Order 2020

HMRC The Individual Finance Act Negative 14/05/2 04/06/20 N/A Savings Account 1993; 0 (Amendment No 3) Income Tax Regulations 2020 (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005; COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Finance Act 2016

Defra The Direct Payments Article Negative 14/05/2 15/05/20 N/A (Application 78(b)(1) of 0 Deadlines) Regulation (Coronavirus) (EU) (Amendment) 1306/2013 (England) of the Regulations 2020 European Parliament and of the Council

MoJ Prison and Young Prison Act Negative 14/05/2 15/05/20 N/A Offender Institution 1952 0 (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2020

DWP Statutory Sick Pay Social Negative 15/05/2 26/05/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security 0 (Funding of Contribution Employers' s and Liabilities) Benefits Act Regulations 2020 1992

DWP Statutory Sick Pay Social Negative 15/05/2 26/05/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Security 0 (Funding of Contribution Employers' s and Liabilities) Northern Benefits Ireland Regulations (Northern 2020 Ireland) Act 1992

MoJ The Civil Legal Aid Legal Aid, Negative 18/05/2 08/06/20 N/A (Remuneration) Sentencing 0 (Amendment) and (Coronavirus) Punishment Regulations 2020 of Offenders COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Act 2012

DWP Universal Credit The Social Negative 20/05/2 21/05/20 N/A (Coronavirus) (Self- Security 0 employed Claimants Administrati and Reclaims) on Act 1992; (Amendment) Welfare Regulations 2020 Reform Act 2012

DWP Universal Credit Social Negative 20/05/2 21/05/20 N/A (Coronavirus) (Self- Security 0 employed Claimants Administrati and Reclaims) on (Northern (Amendment) Ireland) Act Regulations 1992 (Northern Ireland) 2020

BEIS Electricity Capacity Income Tax Draft 20/05/2 N/A 02/07/20 (Amendment etc.) (Earnings affirmative 0 (Coronavirus) and Regulations 2020 Pensions) Act 2003

HMRC The Income Tax Income Tax Negative 21/05/2 11/06/20 N/A (Exemption for (Earnings 0 Coronavirus Related and Home Office Pensions) Expenses) Act 2003 Regulations 2020

HMRC The Social Security Social Negative 21/05/2 11/06/20 N/A Contributions Security 0 (Disregarded Contribution Payments) s and (Coronavirus) Benefits Act Regulations 2020 1992

HMRC The Tax Credits Tax Credits Negative 22/05/2 23/05/20 N/A (Miscellaneous Act 2002 0 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Amendments) Regulations 2020

DfT The Traffic Order Road Traffic Negative 22/05/2 23/05/20 N/A Procedure (England) Regulation 0 (Coronavirus) Act 1984 (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DWP The Statutory Sick Social Negative 27/05/2 28/05/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus Contribution Amendment) (No. 4) s and Regulations 2020 Benefits Act 1992

DfE Independent Schools Education Negative 28/05/2 18/06/20 N/A (DBS Checks) and Skills 0 (Coronavirus) SI Act 2008

DfE The Education (Pupil Education Negative 28/05/2 01/06/20 N/A Registration) Act 1996 0 (England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DfE The School Education Negative 28/05/2 01/06/20 N/A Discipline (England) Act 2002 0 (Coronavirus) (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DfE The Schools Forums School Negative 28/05/2 18/06/20 N/A (England) Standards 0 (Coronavirus) and (Amendment) Framework Regulations 2020 Act 1998

DHSC Health Protection Public Made 01/06/2 01/06/20 25/06/20 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 Restrictions) (Control of (England) Disease) (Amendment) (No. 3) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

AG Prosecution of Prosecution Negative 02/06/2 02/06/20 N/A Offences Act 1985 of Offences 0 (Specified Act 1985 Proceedings) (Amendment) Order 2020

DHSC The Human Human Negative 03/06/2 01/07/20 N/A Fertilisation and Fertilisation 0 Embryology and (Statutory Storage Embryology Period for Embryos Act 1990 and Gametes) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

DHSC Health Protection Public Negative 03/06/2 08/06/20 N/A (Coronavirus, Public Health 0 Health Information (Control of for Passengers Disease) Travelling to Act 1984 England) Regulations 2020

DfT The Health Public Negative 03/06/2 08/06/20 N/A Protection Health 0 (Coronavirus, Public (Control of Health Advice for Disease) Passengers) Act 1984 (England) Regulations 2020

DfE The Higher Higher Draft 04/06/2 N/A 02/07/20 Education (Fee Education affirmative 0 Limits and Student and COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Support) (England) Research (Coronavirus) SI Act 2017; Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998

BEIS Contracts for Energy Act Draft 04/06/2 N/A 02/07/20 Difference (Electricity 2013 affirmative 0 Supplier Obligations)

Defra Direct Payments to Article Negative 09/06/2 30/06/20 N/A Farmers 62(2)(1) of 0 (Inspections) Regulation (Coronavirus) (EU) No (England) 1306/2013 Regulations 2020 of the European Parliament and of the Council

DHSC Health Protection Public Made 12/06/2 13/06/20 The (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 regulations Restrictions) (Control of were (England) Disease) revoked (Amendment) (No. 4) Act 1984 before they Regulations 2020 could be approved.

DfT/DHSC The Health Public Made 15/06/2 15/06/20 08/07/20 Protection Health affirmative 1 (Coronavirus, (Control of Wearing of Face Disease) Coverings on Public Act 1984 Transport) (England) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 592)

DfE The Education (Pupil Education Negative 18/06/2 09/07/20 N/A Information) Act 1996 0 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

(England) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

MHCLG The Business Coronavirus Negative 19/06/2 29/06/20 N/A Tenancies Act 2020 0 (Restriction on Forfeiture: Relevant Period) (Coronavirus) (England) Regulations 2020

MoJ Taking Control of Tribunals, Negative 19/06/2 24/06/20 N/A Goods and Courts and 0 Certification of Enforcemen Enforcement Agents t Act 2007 (Amendment) (No.2) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

MoJ Competition Appeals Crime and Draft 22/06/2 N/A 15/07/20 Tribunal Courts Act affirmative 0 2013

BEIS Enterprise Act 2002 Enterprise Made 22/06/2 23/06/20 15/07/20 (Specification of Act 2002 affirmative 0 Additional Section 58 Consideration) Order 2020

HMRC The Life Assurance Income Tax Negative 22/06/2 13/07/20 N/A Scheme (English and (Earnings 0 Welsh Schemes) and (Excluded Benefits Pensions) for Tax Purposes) Act 2003 Regulations 2020

MHCLG The Town and Town and Negative 24/06/2 25/06/20 N/A Country Planning Country 0 (Permitted Planning Act COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Development and 1990 Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020

BEIS The Limited Liability Limited Negative 26/06/2 26/06/20 N/A Partnerships Liability 0 (Amendment etc.) Partnerships Regulations 2020 Act 2000 Negative Procedure

BEIS The Companies etc. Companies Negative 26/06/2 27/06/20 N/A (Filing Requirements) Act 2006; 0 (Temporary Corporate Modifications) Insolvency Regulations 2020 and Negative Procedure Governance Act 2020

BEIS Patents, Trade Marks Trade Marks Negative 29/06/2 30/07/20 N/A and Registered Act 1994; 0 Designs (Fees) Registered (Coronavirus) Designs Act (Amendment) Rules 1949 2020

DfT Electric Scooter Vehicle Negative 30/06/2 04/07/20 N/A (Trials) Regulations - Excise and 0 (working title) Registration Act 1994; Road Traffic Act 1988; Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

HMRC The Childcare Childcare Negative 30/06/2 21/07/20 N/A Payments Payments 0 (Miscellaneous Act 2014 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Amendments) Regulations 2020

MHCLG Community The Draft 30/06/2 N/A 14/07/20 Infrastructure Levy Planning Act affirmative 020 (Coronavirus) 2008 (Amendment)(Englan d) Regulations 2020

MOJ The Secure Training Prison Act Negative 01/07/2 02/07/20 N/A Centre (Amendment) 1952 020 (Coronavirus) Rules 2020

DWP The Statutory Sick Social Negative 03/07/2 06/07/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus (Incapacity Amendment) (No.2) for Work) Regulations 2020 Act 1994; Coronavirus Act 2020; Social Security Contribution s (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999

DWP The Statutory Sick Social Negative 03/07/2 06/07/20 N/A Pay (General) Security 0 (Coronavirus Contribution Amendment) (No.2) s and (Northern Ireland) Benefits Regulations 2020 (Northern Ireland) Act 1992; Coronavirus Act 2020 COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

DHSC Health Protection 06/07/20 Made 03/07/2 04/07/20 Still going (Coronavirus, affirmative 0 through Restrictions) parliamenta (Leicester) ry process Regulations 2020

DHSC Health Protection Public Made 03/07/2 04/07/20 Still going (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 through Restrictions) (No. 2) (Control of parliamenta (England) Disease) ry process Regulations 2020 Act 1984

DHSC The Health Public Negative 06/07/2 07/07/20 N/A Protection Health 0 (Coronavirus, (Control of International Travel Disease) and Public Health Act 1984 Information) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DWP Pension Protection The Made 06/07/2 07/07/20 Still going Fund (Moratorium Insolvency affirmative 0 through and Arrangements Act 1986; parliamenta and Reconstructions The ry process for Companies in Companies Financial Difficulty) Act 2006; Regulations 2020 Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020

DCMS Charitable Charities Made 08/07/2 06/07/20 Still going Incorporated Act 2011 affirmative 0 through Organisations parliamenta Moratorium ry process Regulations 2020

HMRC The Value Added Value Negative 09/07/2 30/07/20 N/A COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

Tax (Zero Rate for Added Tax 0 Personal Protective Act 1994 Equipment) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Order 2020

HMRC International Tax the Finance Negative 09/07/2 30/07/20 N/A Enforcement Act 2019 0 (Disclosable Arrangements) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DfE The Childcare the Negative 10/07/2 31/07/20 N/A (Coronavirus) Childcare 0 (Miscellaneous) Act 2016 (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Negative Procedure

DHSC Health Protection the Public Made 10/07/2 11/07/20 Still going (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 through Restrictions) (No. 2) (Control of parliamenta (England) Disease) ry process (Amendment) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

DHSC Health Protection the Public Negative 10/07/2 11/07/20 N/A (Coronavirus, Health 0 International Travel) (Control of (England) Disease) (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

HMRC Value Added Tax the Value Negative 14/07/2 15/07/20 N/A (Reduced Rate) Added Tax 0 (Hospitality and Act 1994 Tourism) (Coronavirus) Order COMING APPROVED INTO IN POWER IT IS LAYING FORCE PARLIAMEN DEPARTMENT TITLE MADE UNDER PROCEDURE DATE DATE T

2020

MHCLG Town and Country The Negative 15/07/2 16/07/20 N/A Planning (Local Planning 0 Planning) (England) and (Coronavirus) Compulsory (Amendment) Purchase Regulations 2020 Act 2004

BEIS Environmental European Negative 15/07/2 16/07/20 N/A Assessment of Plans Union 0 and Programmes (Withdrawal) (Coronavirus) Act 2018 (Amendment) Regulations 2020

DHSC Health Protection the Public Made 17/07/2 18/07/20 Still going (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 through Restrictions) (Control of parliamenta (England) (No. 3) Disease) ry process Regulations 2020 Act 1984

DHSC Health Protection the Public Made 20/07/2 18/07/20 Still going (Coronavirus, Health affirmative 0 through Restrictions) (Control of parliamenta (Leicester) Disease) ry process (Amendment) Act 1984 Regulations 2020

PRIME MINISTER

Care Homes Sir Edward Davey: [72151] To ask the Prime Minister, when he last met with care home (a) workers and (b) providers. Boris Johnson: I have engaged with care workers and with NHS staff in recent weeks, where I have been able to thank them for their tireless work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. TRANSPORT

Aircraft Lucy Powell: [73842] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of the UK's civil aviation fleet is (a) under 5 years old, (b) between 5 and 10 years old and (c) over 15 years old. Kelly Tolhurst: The Department for Transport does not routinely collect statistical data on the age of the UK civil aviation fleet. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) maintains a database (https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/) of all UK registered aircraft which can be individually queried to determine the year an aircraft was built.

Airports: Coronavirus Seema Malhotra: [74590] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with airports on developing an international standard for testing of passengers at UK airports as part of the Government's covid-19 recovery plan. Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is working with a range of aviation sector representatives and international partners to drive forward a shared agenda on public health and aviation through regular meetings and correspondence, and remain committed to an open dialogue to actively engage with the sector as we work towards our shared ambition of getting aviation up and running again. Seema Malhotra: [74591] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on the introduction of a common international standard on testing at UK airports. Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the importance of international standards, and the UK has been working with a range of international partners to drive forward a shared agenda on public health and aviation through regular meetings and correspondence, including through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CART published guidance, including on public health measures for aviation, on 2 June. As a member of the governing Council of ICAO, the UK will continue to drive the agenda on public health measures for aviation as the sector’s recovery progresses and as the global health situation evolves, including exploring options for testing air passengers. Aviation: Exhaust Emissions Lucy Powell: [73841] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the Jet zero objective announced in the Prime Minister's Economy speech of 30 June 2020; and what steps he is taking to achieve that objective. Kelly Tolhurst: On 12 June the Transport Secretary announced the creation of the Jet Zero Council. We have been working with the Business Secretary on the aims and objectives of the Council. It is our intention to publish draft membership and terms of reference before summer recess.

Bus Service Operators Grant: Hydrogen Alex Cunningham: [72203] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Bus Service Operator's Grant to include hydrogen. Rachel Maclean: As announced in the ‘Better Deal for Bus Users’ package, the Government remains committed to the reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) in order to support the environment and improved passenger journeys.

Buses: Hydrogen Alex Cunningham: [72204] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce further information on his Department's policy to introduce (a) a hydrogen bus town scheme and (b) a hydrogen hub. Rachel Maclean: The Transport Secretary is exploring options for using hydrogen in transport. Further details will be announced in due course.

Department for Transport: Apprentices Robert Halfon: [74506] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to meet the public sector apprenticeship target. Andrew Stephenson: The Department remains fully committed to the Government’s apprenticeship agenda and is actively encouraging both the recruitment of apprentices externally, through proactive outreach and the utilisation of apprenticeships to develop internal capability and strengthen talent pipelines. Due to the diverse work of the department, DfT core and each of its executive agencies (DfT Group) have developed localised strategies to support ongoing work against public-sector apprenticeship targets, and improve the overall quality of the apprentice experience. For mainstream recruitment, we have embedded a process standard across DfT Group requiring vacancy holders to consider recruiting apprentices as the default resourcing option to fill vacant roles. This is alongside work with the policy, HR, project delivery, finance and other technical operational professions to actively encourage apprenticeship uptake to support skills and capability growth and talent retention. From Autumn 2020 we plan to move to volume-based recruitment and apprenticeship management. Alongside this, we will continue to focus on developing our corporate support offer for apprentices and their line-managers, and strengthening supplier engagement to drive quality of provision.

High Speed Two: Directors Dame Cheryl Gillan: [73677] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the newly appointed non-executive directors of HS2 are; and what their (a) responsibilities and (b) remuneration packages are. Andrew Stephenson: The Secretary of State has appointed Ian King, Elaine Holt and Tom Harris. All non- executive directors are appointed to provide challenge and guidance to the Board, Chair and senior leadership at HS2, though each brings their own specialisms. Ian King has been appointed specifically to represent the government’s interests on the board. Appointees are remunerated at £950 per day, on an assumption of a time commitment of two days per month. Dame Cheryl Gillan: [73678] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people applied to become non- executive directors of HS2; and what the process was by which the successful applicants were selected. Andrew Stephenson: Seventy nine people applied to an open and fair competition overseen by Ministers, which was launched in June 2019. Elaine Holt was appointed via this process. Tom Harris has been directly appointed to his role for a one year term after which an open and fair competition will commence. Ian King has been directly appointed to his role for a three year term, something which is appropriate given his role as a government representative. All appointments have been made in accordance with the Government’s Governance Code for Public Appointments with the agreement of the Prime Minister and the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Jet Skis: Wales Liz Saville Roberts: [74690] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Welsh Government has legislative competence to regulate on the (a) use and (b) ownership of jet skis. Kelly Tolhurst: Regulations on the use and ownership of jet skis and other personal water craft is a reserved matter for the UK Parliament. This is because they are within the scope of shipping, technical and safety standards of vessels that are not ships for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Although the vast majority of personal watercraft users operate their craft responsibly, the Department for Transport are currently considering how to ensure that any who willfully or neglectfully cause accidents or endanger the safety of others can be prosecuted.

Large Goods Vehicles: Coronavirus Mr Laurence Robertson: [74431] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of permitting a twelve month extension to MOT tests for heavy goods vehicles in cases where it can be shown to be safe to do so; and if he will make a statement. Rachel Maclean: The Government is aware of calls from some sectors of the road haulage industry to issue Certificates of Temporary Exemption for periods of up to 12 months, in order to mitigate operational issues. These views are being actively considered at present. Consequent to passage of the Business and Planning Bill, regulations will be made relating to this issue in coming weeks.

Public Transport: Coronavirus Sir Edward Davey: [72149] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that public transport remains accessible for disabled people during the covid-19 outbreak. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government remains as committed to delivering inclusive transport for all passengers as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Our expectation is that transport operators should continue to assist disabled passengers who need assistance. I made this clear in my open letter to the rail industry on 8 April 2020 (www.gov.uk/government/speeches/letter-from-the-rail-minister-to-the-rail-delivery- group-on-maintaining-accessibility-during-the-covid-19-outbreak) . We have also made clear to local authorities that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies and that they must continue to consider the needs of disabled people. An accessible public realm is vital to enabling disabled people to access public transport. On 9 May the Department published statutory guidance to local authorities on reallocating road space which makes clear that authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics when making changes to their transport networks (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to- covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004- network-management-in-response-to-covid-19). Public Sector Equality Duty requirements apply to temporary measures as they do to permanent ones. I am meeting regularly with key disability stakeholders, including Disability Rights UK, Scope, Guide Dogs and Transport for All, to hear directly from them about the experiences of disabled people using transport. This means we will be able to take action quickly if we find that passengers are not receiving the assistance to which they are entitled. Sir Edward Davey: [72150] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to distribute protective masks for disabled extremely vulnerable passengers on services provided by Transport for London; and if he will make a statement. Chris Heaton-Harris: Last month we made it mandatory for passengers to wear a face covering when travelling on public transport in England, unless they are exempt for health, disability or other reasons. We expect people to bring their own coverings and it is not the responsibility of public transport operators to provide them for their passengers. Face coverings are available to purchase at many retailers and public transport hubs, whilst there is advice on the gov.uk website which describes in detail how people can make their own (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make- a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering). To help introduce this policy, we have distributed over two million face coverings which were donated to the Government. These were distributed to local transport providers, National Rail and maritime operators across the country for use by passengers and the transport workforce. In London, TfL has also been helping their customers adjust to the new requirement by temporarily distributing face masks at targeted Tube and bus stations.

Public Transport: Information Services Layla Moran: [73950] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure public access to the Zipabout Passenger Connect service. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Zipabout Passenger Connect service is freely available through the National Rail Enquiries (NRE) Alert Me service for anyone to sign up to via the website link (here: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/208333.aspx). The Department is working with NRE on increasing the visibility and promotion of the messaging service on the website and app. Work is underway currently to consider how we can roll out similar services to users of other public transport.

Railway Stations: Visual Impairment Sarah Olney: [73933] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of operational railways platforms that are (a) owned and (b) managed by Network Rail that do not have tactile warnings installed to warn visually-impaired people of the platform edge. Chris Heaton-Harris: Data on the facilities available at stations is collected and held by the Rail Delivery Group, who you can contact using [email protected]. Sarah Olney: [73934] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date his Department plans for every operational platform that is (a) owned and (b) managed by Network Rail will meet the European Technical Specification for Interoperability covering Persons of Reduced Mobility of the provision of tactile warnings installed to warn visually-impaired people of the platform edge. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department expects the industry to meet current accessibility requirements whenever it installs, renews or replaces station infrastructure. In addition, by 2030, we envisage equal access for disabled people using the transport system, with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier.

Railways: Coronavirus Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: [73945] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to monitor the proportion of customers using face masks on trains. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport receives regular data from Network Rail and operators about the proportion of customers wearing face coverings on trains. The Office for National Statistics also conducts a weekly survey to track the proportion of people declaring they wear a face covering on public transport. Their survey shows significant public support for the measure - of those adults who had used public transport in the past seven days, 89% had worn a face covering while doing so across all of Great Britain. This rate was the same in England. To help encourage enforcement of the requirement, Police and TfL enforcement officers have been deployed across the network to support frontline transport staff. Not everyone can wear a face covering, for various reasons, which is why we would not expect 100% compliance with the policy. Mr Laurence Robertson: [74429] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage passengers to safely use the railways as covid-19 restrictions are eased; and if he will make a statement. Chris Heaton-Harris: Our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. Rail operators are working hard to ensure passengers can travel safely, in line with Public Health England advice. Measures taken thus far include regular station speaker announcements, the installation of clear floor markings and the provision of extra staff to manage passenger flows and provide guidance. As of 15 June, we have also made face coverings compulsory on public transport, to minimise the chances of the virus being spread by asymptomatic patients. In order to support a safe, green recovery and new working patterns, the department is also working with industry to explore already available options for flexible commuters, such as carnets, and what steps could be taken quickly to make these as useful and convenient for passengers as possible. Mr Laurence Robertson: [74430] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies on the potential merits of offering incentives for passengers to safely return to using the railways as covid-19 restrictions are eased; and if he will make a statement. Chris Heaton-Harris: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 17th July and as we now understand the epidemiology of the virus better and can control it through targeted, local action, we are extending our plan to lift the remaining national restrictive measures. Our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. Rail operators are making sure passengers have the confidence to return to the railway, and continue to take all necessary measures to make rail travel safe. These include the installation of clear floor markings and the provision of extra staff to manage passenger flows and provide guidance. On 15 June, we made face coverings compulsory on public transport, to prevent the transmission of the virus by asymptomatic patients. In order to support a safe, green recovery and new working patterns, the department is also working with industry to explore already available options for flexible commuters, such as carnets, and what steps could be taken quickly to make these as useful and convenient for passengers as possible. Grahame Morris: [74502] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the comparative cost of extending (a) rail operators’ Emergency Measures Agreements and (b) the Operator of Last Resort from September 2020. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is reviewing its approach to potential contractual arrangements following the expiry of the Emergency Measures Agreements. Work is underway to consider a range of options and to determine the most appropriate approach. This work will take account of the potential impact of COVID-19 on demand for passenger rail travel in both the short and long term, and the associated economic and financial impacts on the railway, including analysis of Value for Money to taxpayers.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions Grahame Morris: [74501] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on delivering net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 on the rail network. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is developing an ambitious Transport Decarbonisation Plan to achieve net zero emissions across all modes of transport. We will use electrification and alternative technologies such as battery and hydrogen trains to remove diesel trains from the network and decarbonise the railway. Ongoing work led by Network Rail will inform decisions about the pace of rail decarbonisation to achieve net zero and the deployment of different decarbonisation technologies on each part of the network.

Railways: Season Tickets Caroline Lucas: [72195] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require rail franchisees to provide part-time season tickets; what assessment he has made of the increase in demand for part-time season tickets following increases in home working in relation to the covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a fundamental change in working patterns and that this could have long-term effects. The Department is commissioning research and analysis to understand future commuting patterns and potential demand for more flexible commuting fares. More immediately, the Department is working with industry to explore already available options for flexible commuters, such as carnets, and what steps could be taken quickly to make these as useful and convenient for passengers as possible.

Railways: Technology Grahame Morris: [73795] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to increase the level of renewable technology used on the rail network. Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government supports the use of new technology on the railway to deliver our legally binding target of net-zero UK greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Department for Transport is working with Network Rail and the rail industry to determine which parts of the network are best suited to use of hydrogen or battery trains, as well as further electrification. DfT is also supporting the development of hydrogen and battery technology through innovation funding and research to overcome safety and other barriers to their deployment.

Roads: Capital Investment Kerry McCarthy: [73744] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the most recent Appraisal Summary Tables for all the capital enhancement schemes in the Road Investment Strategy 2. Rachel Maclean: The latest approved Appraisal Summary Tables for enhancement schemes included in the second Road Investment Strategy are being published by Highways England on whatdotheyknow.com. Caroline Lucas: [73779] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cumulative effect of its second Roads Investment Strategy on the level of, carbon dioxide emissions from now until the end of the fifth carbon budget period in 2032. Rachel Maclean: Analysis carried out in the preparation of the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) showed that the additional effect of new RIS2 schemes will be around 0.27 megatonne CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) through to the end of the 2032. When compared to the UK’s fifth carbon budget of 1,725 MtCO2e, these schemes represent an extremely small component.

Rolling Stock: Procurement Grahame Morris: [73794] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, will he will make it his policy to establish a criteria that promotes UK manufacturing in procurement contracts for rail rolling stock after the end of the transition period. Chris Heaton-Harris: The end of the transition period presents an important opportunity for wider reform of our public procurement framework to ensure it meets our national needs, drives improved commercial outcomes, removes complex and unnecessary bureaucratic rules, and reduces burdens on business, whilst continuing to comply with the UK's obligations under its international trade agreements. This includes the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement, which the UK will accede to as an independent member at the end of the transition period. We will continue to work closely with industry, including rail businesses, to promote skilled employment and manufacturing in the UK.

Taxis: Coronavirus Dan Jarvis: [74589] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2020 to Question 67659 on Taxis: Coronavirus, what plans he has to review the rules on making face coverings in taxis compulsory, following updated guidance on compulsory face coverings in shops from 24 July 2020. Rachel Maclean: The Government has published safer transport guidance on the safe provision of transport services during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance to passengers says that passengers should wear a face covering when using taxis or private hire vehicles. Taxi drivers are able to refuse carriage to passengers where it is reasonable to do so, and private hire vehicle operators can make wearing a face covering a condition of hiring. We are aware of private hire vehicle operators that are doing this and requiring the driver they work with to do the same. We are continually reviewing the guidance for safer transport in line with scientific advice.

Transport: Coronavirus Emma Hardy: [74717] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of wearing face coverings in (a) taxis,(b) buses and (c) trains on the transmission of covid-19. Rachel Maclean: The decision to make face coverings mandatory on public transport was guided by scientific advice. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advised using cloth face coverings as a precautionary measure in enclosed spaces such as public transport, where social distancing is not possible consistently, creating a risk of close social contact with multiple parties the person does not usually meet, for example, when passing by other passengers. This advice does not replace or change existing advice on other measures – such as good hand hygiene and social distancing – which remain critically important. Operators should also continue to follow the practical steps we have set out in the operator guidance to ensure their services are Covid-19 secure. Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles carry fewer people and are typically unlikely to involve passengers from more than one household travelling together, and passengers and drivers do not travel face-to-face. However, we recognise that taxis are confined, close spaces – our advice on face coverings remains that people should wear them in an enclosed space. Travel: Coronavirus Alberto Costa: [72222] To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses for the establishment of travel corridors between the UK and other countries. Kelly Tolhurst: I refer the honourable member to the Secretary of State for Transport’s Written Ministerial Statement on travel corridors made on 6 July 2020.

TREASURY

Animal Housing: VAT Sir Mike Penning: [72181] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made on extending the eligibility for VAT reductions in the Accommodation and Food Services sector to kennel and cattery businesses. Jesse Norman: In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has introduced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates at a cost of more than £300 billion. The temporary reduced rate of VAT will support the tourism and hospitality sectors and will help over 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs. There are currently no plans to expand the scope of the temporary VAT reduction to include kennel and cattery businesses. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Blood Cancer: Coronavirus Layla Moran: [74722] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to people with blood cancer that are advised to continue shielding by their treating team. Jesse Norman: From 1 August the Government will relax national advice to those shielding, bringing it in line with the advice to those who are clinically vulnerable. The advice for those shielding is still to stay at home as much as possible. However, if they are unable to work from home, they will be able to return to their workplace, provided their workplace is COVID-safe. The Government has announced an unprecedented package of financial support through this period, all of which is available to those who have been asked to shield. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes the introduction of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £9.3bn according to Office for Budget Responsibility estimates. In addition to this, those required to shield and who are in receipt of a letter or notification advising them so, will have access to Statutory Sick Pay for the duration of their shielding period. The Government has made Statutory Sick Pay easier to access for these individuals, making it payable from day 1 rather than day 4.

Catering: VAT Dr Dan Poulter: [73789] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether caterers providing food for (a) wedding breakfasts and (b) similar events are eligible for the VAT cut announced on 8 July 2020 on eat-in or hot takeaway food from restaurants, cafes and pubs as the covid-19 restrictions are eased. Jesse Norman: Catering for events and functions provided on the catering supplier’s premises are covered by the new reduced rate, with the exclusion of alcoholic beverages. This is set out in the catering, takeaway food guidance (VAT Notice 709/1) published on GOV.UK. Further detail about the application of the new reduced rate can be found in the Revenue and Customs guidance on the temporary reduced rate of VAT for hospitality, holiday accommodation and attractions, also published on GOV.UK.

Charities: Tax Allowances Wes Streeting: [74678] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to publish the UK charity tax relief statistics for 2019-2020. Kemi Badenoch: This publication had previously been announced for release in June 2020. As the demand increases for statistics and data to measure the impact of the COVID19 pandemic, HMRC has had to change its release practices, focussing efforts on priority analysis and statistics. In line with guidance from the Office for Statistics Regulation, HMRC announced on 22 May its decision to delay the release of this publication to October 2020. This information is online on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm ent_data/file/900739/20200715_HMRC_Announcements.pdf

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Rachael Maskell: [72231] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that businesses do mot use support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to fund the staff notice pay. Rachael Maskell: [72232] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he intends to impose sanctions on businesses found to be using support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to fund staff notice pay. Jesse Norman: Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, an employer can claim for a furloughed employee who is serving a statutory notice period. However, grants cannot be used to substitute for redundancy payments. HMRC will continue to monitor businesses after the scheme has closed. Further guidance on employee rights and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the- coronavirus-job-retention-scheme Mr Laurence Robertson: [73703] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the furlough scheme to enable people who are suffering from cancer to remain at home. Caroline Lucas: [73781] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allocate funding to people with blood cancer who have been (a) been shielding and cannot work from home and (b) advised to continue shielding from August 2020 to help them access full financial support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for as long as they require; and if he will make a statement. Dr Dan Poulter: [73786] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend financial support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to people with blood cancer who (a) have been shielding but cannot work from home or (b) have been advised to continue shielding from August. Dr Rupa Huq: [73920] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people with (a) blood cancer and (b) other long-term illnesses who are (i) shielding during the covid-19 outbreak and cannot work from home and (ii) have been advised to continue shielding after August 2020; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional support to those people through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Jesse Norman: The Government recognises that COVID-19 has posed significant challenges for those suffering with cancer. The Government has put in place unprecedented levels of income support to help people deal with the financial consequences of COVID-19. This does not just include the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, changes to Statutory Sick Pay, and the £9.3bn which the OBR estimates that the Government has injected into the welfare system. The Chancellor announced on 12 May that the CJRS scheme will be extended until October. Before 30 June, any employee could be furloughed, including those suffering from cancer. From 1 July, an employee can only continue to be furloughed if they have previously been furloughed for at least 3 consecutive weeks taking place any time between 1 March 2020 and 30 June. For those required to shield after 1 August, they will receive a letter or notification advising them of this, and they will continue to be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay on the basis of their shielding status. Sir Christopher Chope: [74428] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason his 10 July 2020 guidance to employers on individuals for whom they can claim wages who are not employees was not issued before that date; and what estimate he has made of the number of new eligible claimants. Jesse Norman: On 10 July 2020, the guidance to employers on individuals they could claim for under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was relocated within GOV.UK and the structure was updated to improve clarity. There were no substantive content changes and therefore there has been no change in eligibility.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Travel Alex Norris: [73946] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend the deadline for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for leisure travel companies. Jesse Norman: After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close at the end of October. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the CJRS. It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus. The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for those sectors and for the economy as a whole. Coronavirus: Protective Clothing Geraint Davies: [73694] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2020 to Question 64047 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing; if he will make it his policy to make a comparative assessment of the cost to the public purse of the production of pm2.5 filtration masks for people in the most polluted areas and covid-19 associated deaths in those areas. Steve Barclay: No such comparative assessment has been made at this time. The Government’s priority remains to prioritise clinical PPE to protect frontline staff and ensure they feel safe in their workplace.

Customs: Contracts Rachel Reeves: [74528] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contracts for the planned physical customs inspection sites have been signed. Jesse Norman: To date HMRC have signed leases to secure four sites that were developed as temporary customs facilities ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU on 31 January 2020. Where necessary, contracts will be reviewed to extend them beyond 1 January 2021. Contracts are also in place for the development and running of these sites. It is intended to conduct physical inspections at most of these locations after the end of the Transition Period.

Customs: Kent Rachel Reeves: [74527] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what environmental impact assessment has been carried out on building physical customs inspection sites in Kent. Jesse Norman: Environmental matters have been taken into account when considering the development of any potential inland customs facilities. Such matters will continue to be considered carefully as proposals are developed and taken forward for planning approval.

Cycling and Walking Geraint Davies: [72769] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on improving local economies through increased walking and cycling. Steve Barclay: The Government has committed to invest £2bn in cycling and walking in England over the course of this Parliament. This includes £225m to be spent this year on expanding cycling and walking infrastructure in local authorities across England to encourage people to cycle and walk to reduce demand for public transport while social distancing is in place.

Economic Growth: Carbon Emissions Sir Edward Davey: [72157] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the measures announced in his summer economic update on the (a) UK's net zero emissions target and (b) Paris climate agreement; and whether he will make a statement. Kemi Badenoch: Our world-leading Green Book guidance provides a robust framework for assessing the impact of interventions on achieving our environmental goals. As part of the Plan for Jobs, the Chancellor announced over £3 billion of new funding for green buildings, including a £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme to upgrade people’s homes and £1 billion to improve the energy efficiency of public sector buildings. This accelerates our progress towards net zero, saving the equivalent of up to 0.6

MtCO 2 e per year, which is roughly equivalent to taking up to 270,000 cars off the road.

Employment Wes Streeting: [73913] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the policy at paragraph 2.14 of the July 2020 Plan for Jobs CP 261. Kemi Badenoch: The government will introduce a new payment of £2,000 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1st August 2020 to 31st January 2021. Table 1 of the Plan for Jobs shows the level of fiscal support available including £1.6 billion for boosting worksearch, skills and apprenticeships. This includes the indicative cost of 100,000 incentive payments for new apprenticeship hires. The final costs will depend on the number of new apprentices hired. Wes Streeting: [73914] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding he has allocated to the policy at paragraph 2.48 of the July 2020 Plan for Jobs CP 261. Kemi Badenoch: The government is creating a new Office for Talent based in No.10, with delivery teams across government departments. The Office will focus on attracting, retaining and developing top research and science talent across the UK and internationally. Precise details of implementation, including funding arrangements, will be determined in due course.

Employment: Coronavirus Shabana Mahmood: [74484] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he plans to make available to people who are (a) shielding and (b) living in multigenerational households in the event that they are unable to safely return to work once the shielding programme is paused, notwithstanding statutory sick pay. Liz Saville Roberts: [74691] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to maintain the current level of employment support for people who are shielding and whose workplaces cannot be made covid-safe when the shielding scheme comes to an end on 1 August 2020. Jesse Norman: On 22 June, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will relax the current public health guidance for those identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) to shield at home. This means from 1 August they will be able to return to work if they are unable to work from home, provided their workplace is COVID-safe. It is important that this group continue to take careful precautions, and employers should do all they can to enable them to work from home where this is possible, including moving them to another role if required. Where this is not possible, the CEV should be provided with the safest on-site roles that enable them to maintain social distancing from others. If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, the CEV will continue to have access to an unprecedented package of financial support. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes the introduction of the Self- Employment Income Support Scheme, and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £8bn. Current guidance for those who live with the shielded, including those in multi- generational households, is that they do not need to shield themselves but must carefully follow guidance on social distancing.

Food: VAT Grahame Morris: [73796] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the 8 July 2020 VAT reduction to include cold food served from (a) ice cream parlours and (b) other specialised food establishments. Jesse Norman: In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has introduced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates at a cost of more than £300 billion. The temporary reduced rate of VAT will support the tourism and hospitality sectors and will help over 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs. Ice cream served for consumption on the premises in ice cream parlours or other food establishments will benefit from the reduced rate.

Fuels: Excise Duties Wes Streeting: [74684] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the latest quarterly statistics on duty receipts and clearances for hydrocarbon oils. Kemi Badenoch: HMRC are provisionally scheduled to publish the latest quarterly hydrocarbon oils receipts and clearances statistics at 09:30 22 September 2020. The publication will be updated with provisional statistics for June, July and August 2020 and will be published on the HMRC UK Trade Info website.

Income Tax Andy McDonald: [73850] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of income tax revenue lost to the public purse from the underpayment of the national minimum wage in each year since 2009-10. Jesse Norman: HMRC enforce the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The Low Pay Commission (LPC) publishes an annual report that provides an assessment of the nature and extent of NMW underpayment. The latest report published by the LPC in April 2019 can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm ent_data/file/797675/Non- compliance_and_enforcement_of_the_National_Minimum_Wage_WEB.pdf. There is no robust estimate available of the income tax revenue lost as a result of NMW underpayment. Andy McDonald: [73851] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of income tax revenue lost to the public purse from workers being wrongly categorised as self-employed in each year since 2009-10. Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to tackling false self-employment. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) take a risk-based approach to investigating employers who may have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. In these cases, HMRC establish the facts and take steps to ensure the right tax and National Insurance contributions are paid. Income Tax and National Insurance contributions lost due to false self-employment are part of the tax gap related to employers. HMRC publish an assessment of the tax gap: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps. A separate estimate of the tax gap relating to false self-employment is not available.

Kickstart Scheme Wes Streeting: [73912] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to open the Kickstart scheme to (a) employers and (b) young people. Jesse Norman: The Kickstart Scheme will be open to funding applications from employers from August 2020, and the Government expects that the first jobs for young people will begin in the autumn.

Killing Kittens: Finance Sarah Champion: [74604] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to stop payments being made to the sex party organisers, Killing Kitten via the Future Fund. Sarah Champion: [74605] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sex party companies have received payments from the Government covid-19 business support schemes. Kemi Badenoch: The Government publishes aggregate application and approval figures for the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and Future Fund but does not hold specific information relating to individual companies who have accessed these schemes. HMRC publishes weekly management information on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and monthly management information on VAT deferrals. On 11 June HMRC published the Official Statistics for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which included a breakdown of recipients by sector, but not individual companies. Therefore the Government does not collect data on the information requested. Regarding the Future Fund, it is an investor-led scheme with clear and published eligibility criteria. The scheme is being delivered by the British Business Bank and the Government is unable to comment on individual applications. Local Government Finance: Coronavirus Steve Reed: [73849] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2020 to Question 68708, on Local Government Finance: Coronavirus, whether Barnett Consequentials will flow from his Department's covid-19 local authority funding scheme. Steve Barclay: Any new funding for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will have the Barnett formula applied to it in the usual way. This would be on top of the £8.9 billion of additional funding that we have already confirmed for the devolved administrations in relation to Covid-19.

Offshore Industry: Income Wes Streeting: [74683] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to publish statistics on Government revenues from UK oil and gas production. Kemi Badenoch: On 18th May 2020 HMRC confirmed the publication date for Statistics of Government revenues from UK Oil and Gas Production as 23rd July 2020 on the official Government website (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schedule-of-updates- for-hmrcs-statistics). A direct link to HMRC’s announcement is provided below: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachm ent_data/file/900739/20200715_HMRC_Announcements.pdf

Personal Care Services: VAT John McNally: [72214] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including hair and beauty sector in the temporary VAT cut for the hospitality sector. John McNally: [72215] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the hair and beauty sector was included in the wider hospitality and retail sectors in relation to guidance issued during the covid-19 lockdown but not included in the temporary VAT cut for the hospitality sector. John McNally: [72216] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reduce the tax burden (a) companies and (b) people operating in the hair and beauty sector. John McNally: [72217] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to support owners of hair and beauty businesses in the UK as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased. John McNally: [72218] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend eligibility for the temporary VAT cut for the hospitality sector to the hair and beauty sector. Jesse Norman: The temporary VAT reduction is designed to support businesses and jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chancellor has announced a range of measures to help individuals and businesses through the crisis, including grants, loans and relief from business rates worth more than £300 billion. All eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will pay no business rates in England for 12 months from 1 April 2020 and the Government deferred Value Added Tax (VAT) payments so UK VAT-registered businesses did not need to pay any VAT due with VAT returns from 20 March through to the end of June 2020, until 31 March 2021. A range of further measures has been made available. This includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme has also been launched to help small businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Government will continue to consider how best to support the economic recovery.

Retail Trade: Government Assistance Martyn Day: [72237] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the provision of services at (a) schools, (b) care homes, (c) hospitals and (d) other public services of inadequate financial support to ensure the sustainability of the wholesale distribution sector. Kemi Badenoch: The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This support is kept constantly under review and the Government continues to consider how to best support businesses, including those in the wholesale distribution sector. Wholesale distributors continue to have access to the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including, but not limited to, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the Discretionary Grant Fund and the four government- backed loan schemes for firms of all sizes. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business- coronavirus-support-finder. The Government continues to work hard to support wholesale distributors to ensure that supplies continue to reach our schools, care homes, hospitals and other public services. We will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups in the wholesale sector to support businesses and ensure that the sector has a strong and sustainable recovery.

Revenue and Customs: Cleaning Services Dan Carden: [73949] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money cleaning contractor ISS charged HMRC for cleaning services at (a) Litherland House, (b) The Triad, Regian House and (c) Imperial Court HMRC offices in Merseyside between 16 and 27 March 2020 and at (i) City Centre House and (ii) Norfolk House in Birmingham between 16 and 17 March 2020. Jesse Norman: HMRC do not have a direct contract with ISS, who are a Tier Three supplier within HMRC’s PFI agreement with Mapeley STEPS Ltd.

Self-employed: Coronavirus Claire Hanna: [73991] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support self-employed people who are not eligible for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme due to having a loss in trading profit bringing their average trading profit to below zero. Jesse Norman: Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income. The value of the grant is based on average trading profit over three tax years: 2016- 17, 2017-18, and 2018-19. The aim is not to subsidise the self-employed who would have been making losses regardless, but to support those who have been adversely affected as a result of COVID-19. Individuals who are not eligible for the SEISS may be able to benefit from other elements of the unprecedented financial support provided by the Government. This package includes Bounce Back Loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. On 8 July, the Government also introduced the new Plan for Jobs which will make available up to £30 billion to assist in creating, supporting and protecting jobs.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme Drew Hendry: [73894] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of the additional evidential standard under which applicants to the Self Employment Income Support Scheme are required to show a continued sectoral impact of covid-19 by 14 July 2020 on the level of accessibility to that scheme's second payment. Jesse Norman: Applications for the second and final grant will open on 17 August. This will provide eligible claimants with a taxable grant worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering a further three months’ worth of profit, and capped at £6,570 in total. Those claiming for the second grant will have to confirm that their business has been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020. The eligibility criteria for both grants are the same. A business could be adversely affected by coronavirus if, for example, the self- employed person is unable to work because they are shielding or self-isolating. A business could also be adversely affected if it has fewer or no customers. More examples are provided on GOV.UK. Taxpayers claiming the SEISS grant should keep a record of how their business has been adversely affected; examples of evidence are available on GOV.UK. Owen Thompson: [73911] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2020 to Question 45271 on Self-employment Income Support Scheme, what steps he has taken to review his policy on calculation of average self-employed earnings in the Self- Employment Income Support Scheme to take into account periods of maternity leave. Jesse Norman: As announced on 17 June, the Government has amended the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) eligibility conditions to support self-employed new parents. This means self-employed parents will be able to claim grants if they were taking time out of their trade to care for their new-born or newly adopted child and, as a result, did not submit a Self-Assessment tax return for 2018-19 or their trading profits in 2018-19 were less than their non-trading income. Further details of the change for self-employed parents is available on GOV.UK.

Soft Drinks: Taxation Wes Streeting: [74679] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions on forecast revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. Kemi Badenoch: The Treasury does not publish forecasts of the economy or the public finances. Forecasts of future receipts are produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on a regular basis as part of their Economic and Fiscal Outlook series. Although the OBR published a Fiscal Sustainability Report on 14 July, that report contains scenarios, not forecasts, and is not broken down to the level of individual taxes. The Chancellor will commission the OBR to produce a forecast alongside the next fiscal event in the usual way.

Treasury: Correspondence Sir Mike Penning: [72183] To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the standard of correspondence produced by the Correspondence and Enquiry Unit in his Department in response to enquiries raised during the covid-19 outbreak. Kemi Badenoch: Since March, the Treasury has received over 18,000 items of correspondence from Honourable Members – the largest correspondence volume received of any Government department leading on coronavirus pandemic. Replying to this amount of correspondence while delivering targeted action to protect millions of jobs and livelihoods is a significant challenge for a department of around 1,500 staff. However, the Treasury ensures that every MP receives a timely, accurate and informative reply to their queries. On rare occasions, when MPs have said any replies from the Treasury have not fully covered the issue raised, the department has provided an additional reply covering any outstanding points as soon as possible.

WALES

Agriculture: Coronavirus Sir Edward Davey: [72794] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on farming in Wales; and if he will make a statement. Simon Hart: The UK Government is acutely aware of the pressures facing Welsh farmers as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. We are hugely grateful for the hard work they have done – and continue to do – to maintain vital food supply chains, and we know how essential farming is to rural communities in Wales. Whilst we are pleased to see business now returning as shops and restaurants reopen, this has been a challenging period for many farmers who have seen a significant reduction in demand following the temporary closure of the food service sector. We want a profitable and resilient farming sector and we will always champion our farmers by supporting them to provide a sustainable food supply to consumers. Although agriculture is a devolved matter in Wales, the UK Government took several specific measures to support our farmers through the Covid-19 outbreak. For instance, we have temporarily relaxed certain elements of competition law to support the farming sector and have worked with the industry on promotional campaigns for beef and dairy. This is in addition to the package of UK Government-backed financial support schemes, such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, which have provided vital support to Welsh farmers. I have had several meetings with Welsh farming unions and other key industry stakeholders in Wales throughout this crisis. We remain in regular contact with representatives from across the sectors to help us assess specific challenges and identify how best to support their economic recovery in the months ahead.

Manufacturing Industries: Coronavirus Sir Edward Davey: [72797] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to the manufacturing industry in Wales as a result of the covid-19 outbreak. Simon Hart: I appreciate the huge impact Covid-19 has had on business owners and employees in the Welsh manufacturing sector and have met with stakeholders across the sector to discuss concerns. The UK Government has taken prompt and decisive action to support the economy during these difficult times. We have implemented unprecedented measures to help businesses through the outbreak, including through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, VAT deferral and Bounce Back Loans. Our measures to keep Welsh workers in Jobs have included the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“furlough”) and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Up to 30 June 2020, 378,400 employments were furloughed and 108,000 SEISS claims worth £289m were made in Wales. Via Barnett Consequentials, the Welsh Government has received an additional £2.8bn to support the fight against Covid-19, including an additional £500m as a result of spending announced at the Summer Economic Update by the Chancellor. The UK Government has also provided a loan directly to Celsa Steel to help support them during these difficult times. This loan secured 800 positions at the company’s main site in South Wales.

Mass Media: Employment Sir Edward Davey: [72796] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to help protect jobs in the Welsh media sector; and if he will make a statement. Simon Hart: The UK Government recognises the impact of Covid-19 on the Welsh media sector and has taken unprecedented action to protect Welsh jobs, with 378,400 jobs supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £289m provided to support 108,000 self-employed people. The UK Government recognises the huge contribution that the media sector makes to the Welsh economy and cultural life, and the important role it has played throughout lockdown in providing an invaluable source of information and entertainment. The Welsh Government will benefit from an extra £59m Barnett funding announced as part of the UK Government’s major £1.57 billion support package for the arts, museums, heritage sectors, music venues and independent cinemas to help them through the Coronavirus pandemic. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and I have been in regular contact with stakeholders across the media sector in Wales throughout the outbreak and will continue to engage closely as the sector helps lead Wales’ recovery.

Tourism: Coronavirus Sir Edward Davey: [72795] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the effect on the Welsh economy of the reduction in income from tourism to Wales as a result of the covid- 19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement. Simon Hart: The UK Government recognises the challenges faced by businesses in the wake of Covid-19. This is why we acted quickly and decisively to provide an unprecedented level of support to protect businesses, jobs and incomes in the tourism industry in Wales. By the end of June, the UK Government had supported 378,400 Welsh jobs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and 108,000 self-employed people in Wales through the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. We have cut VAT by 15% for six months for the tourism and hospitality sectors to kick-start recovery and our Eat Out to Help Out scheme will help get those sectors back on their feet during August. The Welsh Government has now heeded the call to plan for the full reopening of the tourism and hospitality sectors in Wales. The measures the UK Government has in place will help those sectors in Wales make the most of the remainder of the summer season.

Welsh Water Bill Wiggin: [73727] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has plans to restrict Welsh Water to selling water to customers living in Wales. Bill Wiggin: [73728] To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will take steps to ensure that customers of Welsh Water resident in England and Wales receive consistent standards of service from that company. Simon Hart: Welsh Water is already required in law to provide all customers in England and Wales with the same levels of service. Responsibility for water and sewerage companies operating wholly or mainly in Wales is a devolved matter. The regulation of Welsh Water is therefore a matter for the Welsh Government. Section 48 of the Wales Act 2017, when commenced, will align Senedd Cymru/the Welsh Parliament’s responsibilities for water and sewerage with the England-Wales border. The UK Government and Welsh Government are currently discussing when this change should be made. Welsh Water’s ability to sell water to customers in England and Wales will be unaffected by this change. The joint Intergovernmental Protocol on Water Resources, Water Supply and Water Quality made under the Wales Act 2017 came into effect on 1 April 2018. It provides a mechanism to enable both UK Government and Welsh Government to work together on cross-border issues to avoid any serious adverse impact on water resources, water supply or water quality in England or in Wales.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Habitual Residence Test Sir Edward Davey: [72156] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many habitual residence tests were carried out in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those tests were passed. Justin Tomlinson: The table below gives the total number of Habitual Residency Tests (HRT) completed by Universal Credit (UC) full service claimants for the last five years, and the proportion of these HRT where a pass outcome was recorded.

UC CLAIMS WITH AN YEAR UC CLAIM UC CLAIMS WITH AN ASSOCIATED HRT THAT PROPORTION OF DECLARED ASSOCIATED HRT PASSED PASSES

2015 50 50 100%

2016 4,600 4,100 89%

2017 51,400 44,800 87% UC CLAIMS WITH AN YEAR UC CLAIM UC CLAIMS WITH AN ASSOCIATED HRT THAT PROPORTION OF DECLARED ASSOCIATED HRT PASSED PASSES

2018 245,900 201,900 82%

2019 417,400 364,100 87%

2020 231,400 211,900 92%

Table Notes: 1. All figures rounded to 100, but 2015 figures are rounded to the nearest 50. 2. Figures are taken from Management Information on Universal Credit Full Service claims and do not include Live Service claims for which HRT data is not available. 3. The month used in this data is the month in which the UC claim was declared (regardless of when the UC claim passed the HRT). 4. Subtracting the number of HRT passes from the total number of UC HRTs undertaken would not provide the number of HRT fails, as this also includes HRTs where the outcome could not be determined, for example, a claim was withdrawn before the HRT result was recorded. 5. The year refers to the calendar year, January – December apart from 2015 data which only includes June-December 2015 data and 2020 data which only includes January-March 2020 data. 6. Information on Universal Credit Full service claims may be subject to future change; this is because claim data may be entered retrospectively for past months. Any retrospective changes are most likely to affect recent months; for this reason, we have provided data up to the end of March 2020. 7. The UC full service data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Jobcentres: Staff Neil Gray: [74609] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor's summer economic update of 8 July 2020, what plans she has to expand the job centre network to accommodate the new work coaches announced in that update. Mims Davies: We are currently evaluating the job centre network to ensure we can accommodate the new Work Coaches in a COVID-secure way. Neil Gray: [74610] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor's summer economic update of 8 July 2020, whether her Department plans to lease or purchase new buildings to accommodate the new work coaches announced in that update. Mims Davies: We are currently evaluating the job centre network to ensure we can accommodate the new work coaches in a COVID-secure way. Neil Gray: [74613] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor's summer economic update of 8 July 2020, what the timetable is for the recruitment of the new work coaches announced in that update; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of those so recruited that will be (a) redeployed from within her Department, (b) redeployed from other Government departments and (c) newly recruited into the Civil Service. Mims Davies: With reference to the Chancellor’s summer economic update of 8 July, we are doubling the number of work coaches to 27,000 by March 2021. We shall recruit an additional 4500 work coaches required by October through a blend of cross- government promotion and external campaigns.

Kickstart Scheme Bridget Phillipson: [74529] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to work with (a) other Departments and (b) local authorities to deliver the Kickstart scheme; and how bids from employers wishing to take part in the scheme will be assessed. Mims Davies: DWP will continue to work closely with a range of other government departments including DCMS, BEIS and MHCLG to develop and deliver the Kickstart Scheme. We know that mayoralties and all local authorities have an important role in the economic recovery. DWP will continue to work with them, and skills advisory panels, to make best use of their expertise and ensure the Kickstart Scheme meets their areas’ economic needs. Details on how bids will be assessed are yet to be finalised. We aim to make the process as straightforward as possible to allow the widest range of organisations to take part, whilst ensuring value for money. More information will be available in due course. Bridget Phillipson: [74530] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on the delivery of the Kickstart scheme with (a) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; (b) Jobcentre Plus Regional Offices and (c) local authorities. Mims Davies: DWP is implementing the Kickstart Scheme. We will continue to work closely with a wide range of government departments including MHCLG, to develop and deliver the Scheme as part of the wider package announced in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement. With MHCLG we are setting up joint design groups to optimise the effectiveness of the scheme at a local and regional level. I have already discussed the Kickstart Scheme with the M9 Mayors and we have engaged extensively with the Jobcentre network. We are keen to develop an effective and comprehensive economic response that works nationally and locally. Our Job Centre Plus partnership managers and employer advisors already work closely with key local partners, such as Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships. Bridget Phillipson: [74531] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conditions will be placed on employers seeking to hire people under the Kickstart scheme. Mims Davies: It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees including young people who will be employed through the Kickstart scheme. Further details about the Kickstart Scheme will be set out in due course. Bridget Phillipson: [74532] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he will take to monitor the Kickstart scheme to ensure people employed under that scheme start new rather than previously existing jobs. Mims Davies: Kickstart jobs will be new jobs - with the funding conditional on the employer demonstrating that these jobs are additional. Further details about the Kickstart Scheme monitoring and evaluation processes will be set out in due course.

Materials Handling Equipment: Industrial Accidents Apsana Begum: [72276] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Gateway Housing Association, (b) Tower Hamlets Council and (c) Swan Housing Association on the welfare needs of people who have been displaced as result of the crane collapse on 9 July 2020 at the Swan Housing Association’s Watts Grove development site in Bow. Mims Davies: The Department has not been approached by either Gateway Housing, Tower Hamlets Council or Swan Housing Association regarding localised support for displaced residents. We will provide support to any residents who have been affected and are working with local agencies to coordinate our services and ensure people are able to access the help they need.

Personal Independence Payment Jessica Morden: [73759] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how claimants for personal independence payment in 2019 died within six months of making those claims; and how many of those claimants had their claims disallowed by her Department. Jessica Morden: [73760] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the claimants for personal independence payment in 2019 who died within six months of making those claims and had those claims disallowed by her Department (a) made those claims under the special rules for terminal illness and (b) died within three months of those claims being disallowed by her Department. Justin Tomlinson: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is claimed by people with a range of health conditions and disabilities, many of which are degenerative or life limiting and the Department treats the death of any claimant sympathetically. Claims made under the special rules for people who are terminally ill are fast tracked and are currently being cleared within 5 working days for new claimants. Of the 1,820 PIP claimants who died within 6 months of registering a claim and were disallowed at initial decision: • 240 claimants originally registered their claim under Special Rules for Terminal Illness. • 1,670 claimants died within 3 months of an initial decision on their PIP claim. Notes Source: PIP ADS, Customer Information System • PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims. • This analysis only takes the first registration a claimant makes to PIP. • This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision. • Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Components may not sum to the whole due to rounding. • Figures cover PIP claims registered between January 2019 and December 2019, claims cleared up to and including 30 th April 2020 and deaths up to 30 th April 2020. • GB Only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Assessments Chris Stephens: [R] [58015] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many assessments for (a) personal independence payments, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) the limited capability for work component of universal credit were scheduled to take place after 1 March 2020; and how many of those assessments have taken place. Justin Tomlinson: [Holding answer 15 June 2020]: Our priority throughout this Covid-19 period continues to be to protect the public and staff, while ensuring people receive the benefits they are entitled to quickly and safely. We suspended face-to-face assessments, reviews and reassessments. We continue to assess people based on written evidence alone, where that is possible, and have introduced telephone assessments. We also automatically extended awards where necessary for certain health and disability benefits, providing reassurance to those in receipt of them. This action enabled us to prioritise activity on new claims and changes of circumstances. The number of assessments that were scheduled to have taken place between 1 March 2020 and 30 May 2020 and the number of assessments that took place during that time can be found in the table below:

ASSESSMENTSSCHEDULED ASSESSMENTSCOMPLETED

PIP 187,700 117,050

ESA 20,370 14,500

UC 34,530 19,890

Please note: Data has been rounded to the nearest 10. Figures do not include paper based reviews. PIP The Assessments Scheduled data has been produced by the assessment providers (Capita and Independent Assessment Services). The Assessments Completed data is derived from unpublished contractual management information produced by the assessment providers which was collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards. Face-to-face assessments for PIP were paused due to Covid-19 from 17 March 2020. Telephone assessments began a piloted roll out from 23 March 2020 for Capita and 03 April 2020 for IAS. ESA and UC Face-to-face assessments for UC and ESA were paused due to Covid-19 from 17 March 2020. Telephone assessments began a piloted roll out from 04 May 2020 where only Limited Capability for Work Related Activity recommendations were being made. The department continues to process both New Claims and Changes of Circumstance and encourage anyone with a change in their needs to contact the Department so that we can ensure they are receiving the correct level of support.

Universal Credit Ruth Jones: [72260] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusions of the NAO report on Universal Credit: Getting to First Payment. Will Quince: The Department is considering the findings of the report in the normal way. Drew Hendry: [73895] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that claimant commitments under universal credit do not comprise (a) volunteering and (b) other activities that affect an individual's eligibility for (i) personal independence payment and (ii) other additional support. Mims Davies: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be paid regardless of whether someone can work or volunteer. Work-related requirements are agreed in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored to the claimant’s personal circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Work coaches have the flexibility to personalise requirements for individual claimants based on their health condition. They can remove all work related requirements where it is not reasonable to expect them to be able to fulfil them. Universal Credit: Disability Jessica Morden: [72184] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claims for the disability component of universal credit were made under the special rules for terminal illness in each year since 2016. Justin Tomlinson: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Data exists in the system that would require matching across a number of data sets, which is a substantial piece of work. The required information is therefore not all readily available to analysts in a format that would enable them to undertake the analysis and quality assure the figures, to answer this PQ in the timescales.

Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses Andrew Gwynne: [73745] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there has been a reduction in Special Rules for Terminal Illness claims for universal credit as a result of her Department's change to the online application question on terminal illness in May 2019; and if she will make a statement. Justin Tomlinson: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Data exists in the system that would require matching across a number of data sets, which is a substantial piece of work. The required information is therefore not all readily available to analysts in a format that would enable them to undertake the analysis and quality assure the figures, to answer this PQ in the timescales. Andrew Gwynne: [73746] To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department’s review of how the welfare system works for people with a terminal illness includes issues relating to universal credit for terminally ill people. Justin Tomlinson: In July 2019, the then DWP Secretary of State announced an in-depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life and those with the most severe conditions. The evaluation included three strands of research: • hearing directly from claimants, clinicians and charities about their first-hand experiences; • considering international evidence to find out what works in other nations and the support they provide; and • reviewing current Departmental performance to better understand how the Special Rules for Terminal Illness and severe conditions processes operate and perform. WRITTEN STATEMENTS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Business update Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Alok Sharma): [HCWS387] I am today updating Parliament on the work of the Vaccine Taskforce in securing a vaccine against Covid-19. Tackling this virus is the biggest challenge that this country has faced in peacetime history. Today I am announcing the recent steps that the Vaccines Taskforce has taken towards making a successful Covid-19 vaccine available as soon as possible to the UK population and the wider world. I can inform the House that we have signed agreements with the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva to purchase their vaccines. This is part of our strategy to procure a portfolio of promising vaccine candidates, giving us the best chance of securing a successful one at the earliest opportunity. Demand for a successful vaccine will be high and placing these orders early will give us access to the doses we need, if and when, any of these candidates prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials and receive regulatory approval. I am also announcing that the Government has issued a letter of intent in advance of entering an agreement to secure an antibody that may be used as a therapeutic treatment in support of the wider vaccination programme. The antibody, manufactured by AstraZeneca, is currently in clinical trials and could be available for use by the second quarter of 2021, if those trials are successful. Clinical trials play a vital part in the vaccine development process. Today, the Government is also launching the NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry. This new website will enable people in the UK to volunteer for future vaccine studies planned in the UK, playing their part in our national effort to ensure a Covid-19 vaccine is available as soon as possible.

Contingencies Fund Advance Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Business and Industry) (Nadhim Zahawi): [HCWS388] I hereby give notice of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s intention to seek an advance from the Contingencies Fund of £5,070,000,000 to provide funding for the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF). The funding will be used to increase the NLF’s public sector assets, by making £5.07bn available to the NLF in the form of a deposit in the National Loans Fund. This offers an alternative investment opportunity to the NLF, which otherwise would re-allocate monies within the next month into investments in its privately held asset portfolio. Such re- allocation would increase Public Sector Net Debt, and so this alternative funding arrangement avoids this immediate negative fiscal impact. The payment to the NLF is fiscally neutral. The Trustee Directors of the NLF have a fiduciary duty to ensure the NLF remains on track to be sufficient to meet certain future decommissioning liabilities. Parliamentary approval for additional capital of £5,070,000,000 will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £5,070,000,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund. The cash advance will be repaid upon receiving Royal Assent on the Supply and Appropriation Bill.

Unified Patent Court Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation (Amanda Solloway): [HCWS395] I am tabling this statement for the benefit of Honourable and Right Honourable Members to bring to their attention the UK’s withdrawal from the Unified Patent Court system. Today, by means of a Note Verbale, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has withdrawn its ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court and the Protocol on Privileges and Immunities of the Unified Patent Court (dated 23 April 2018) in respect of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, and its consent to be bound by the Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on provisional application (dated on 6 July 2017) (collectively “the Agreements”). In view of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, the United Kingdom no longer wishes to be a party to the Unified Patent Court system. Participating in a court that applies EU law and is bound by the CJEU would be inconsistent with the Government’s aims of becoming an independent self-governing nation. The Agreements have not yet entered into force. However, in order to ensure clarity regarding the United Kingdom’s status in respect of the Agreements and to facilitate their orderly entry into force for other States without the participation of the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom has chosen to withdraw its ratification of the Agreements at this time. The United Kingdom considers that its withdrawals shall take effect immediately and that it will be for the remaining participating states to decide the future of the Unified Patent Court system. DEFENCE

Service Complaints Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019 Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Johnny Mercer): [HCWS392] The Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s formal response to the Service Complaints Ombudsman’s (SCO) annual report for 2019 on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Service complaints system has today been placed in the Library of the House. The Ombudsman’s report assessed the fourth year of operation of the reformed Service complaints system which was implemented on 1 January 2016 and the work of her office in 2019. The response sets out MOD’s comments and approach to each of the Ombudsman’s new recommendations, the observations that she has made and includes a summary of our position on recommendations made in previous annual reports. The MOD values the strong independent oversight that the Ombudsman brings to the Service complaints process, and remains committed to having a system in which our personnel can have confidence. This will include progressing outstanding recommendations and observations, together with improvements identified in Air Marshal Wigston’s Report in April 2019 on Inappropriate Behaviours.

Attachments: 1. MODs Formal Response Annex A [MODs Formal Response to Service Complaints and Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019.docx] 2. SCO Annual Report Recommendations Annex B [SCO Annual Report Recommendations 2016 to 2019 to the Service Complaints and Ombudsman's Annual Report 2019.docx]

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Community Match Challenge Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Oliver Dowden): [HCWS396] On 8 April, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £750 million funding package for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. I wish to set out to the House the details of how £90 million from this package will be allocated. We are all aware of the vital role that the VCSE sector plays in our society, and this has especially been the case in the past few months. Charities and community organisations have been at the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak, providing trusted support to people and communities. Through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, £200 million is already being allocated largely to small and medium sized charities in England by the National Lottery Community Fund. We are now inviting the philanthropists, foundations, and grant makers to put forward new funding which the Government will match on a pound for pound basis. The Government will match up to £85 million of funding from strategic funders such as philanthropists and charitable foundations. This funding is intended for beneficiary groups which are the most vulnerable and the hardest hit by COVID-19. We expect awards to be made principally to charitable grant makers providing aid to small and medium sized charities. We anticipate funding applications in the £5 million to £20 million range. This innovative approach will build on the expertise of philanthropists and foundations by supporting the charities that they believe will have the highest impact in the areas that we want to focus on, while giving charities longer term recovery support by allowing the non- Government portion of the match funding to be spent beyond March 2021. We believe that this approach will stimulate further donations and ensure that a further £85 million of philanthropic funding from those who wish to support their communities during these challenging times will go to charities, further increasing support to the sector. An additional £4.8 million is also being allocated to the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership to strengthen its support to the voluntary and community sector, and its coordinating role with government and statutory agencies, as they continue to respond to COVID-19. Applications close at midnight on 2 August 2020 and details can be found at the fund website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-match-challenge- and-voluntary-and-community-sector-emergencies-partnership .

EDUCATION

School Funding Update The Minister of State for School Standards (Nick Gibb): [HCWS393] Today I am confirming provisional funding allocations for 2021-22 through the schools, high needs and central school services national funding formulae (NFF). The allocations distribute the second year of the multi-billion school funding settlement that the Secretary of State for Education announced to Parliament on 3 September 2019. Core school funding is increasing by £2.6bn in 2020-21, and will increase by £4.8bn and £7.1bn in 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20. In addition, we continue to fund the recent increase in pension costs for teachers, worth £1.5bn a year. These allocations, which are part of the annual funding cycle, will provide schools and local authorities with certainty of future funding. In addition to this core funding, schools can apply for exceptional funding to cover specific unavoidable costs incurred by schools due to coronavirus (COVID-19) between March and July that cannot be met from existing resources. Schools will also benefit from the £1bn ‘catch-up’ package for the 2020/21 academic year to directly tackle the impact of the disruption that COVID-19 has caused. This includes a ‘Catch-Up Premium’ worth £650m to support schools to make up for lost teaching time for all pupils, and a new £350m tutoring fund for disadvantaged pupils. Guidance on the allocation and use of that funding will be published today. The funding factors used in the 2021-22 NFF remain the same, but we have made two technical changes, which are detailed in the NFF policy document also published today: • Funding from the teachers’ pay grant and the teachers’ pension employer contribution grant, including the supplementary fund, has been added to the formulae from 2021-22. This will simplify the allocation of this funding – worth almost £2bn a year – recognising that these grants are part of schools’ core budgets and providing reassurance to schools and local authorities that the funding will continue to be provided. • The 2019 update to the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index has been incorporated so that deprivation funding allocated through the formulae is based on the latest data. School funding through the NFF is increasing by 4% overall in 2021-22. The NFF will distribute this funding based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. The main features in 2021-22 are: • The funding floor will ensure that every school is allocated at least 2% more pupil- led funding per pupil compared to its 2020-21 NFF allocation. • The key factors in the NFF will increase by 3%, providing a significant increase to those schools already attracting their NFF allocations. • The minimum per pupil funding levels will ensure that every primary school receives at least £4,000 per pupil, and every secondary school at least £5,150 per pupil, delivering on the Government’s pledge to level up the lowest funded schools. • Funding to cover additional teachers’ pay and pensions costs, previously funded through separate grants, has additionally been reflected in all schools’ allocations. This means that a further £180 and £265 respectively will be added to the minimum per pupil amounts above. • Additional funding for small and remote schools will increase in 2021-22, with primary schools attracting up to £45,000, compared to £26,000 previously, as a first step towards expanding the support the NFF provides for such schools from 2022-23. High needs funding will increase by a further £730m, or 10%, in 2021-22 – that follows the substantial increase this year and brings the total high needs budget to over £8bn. The high needs NFF will ensure that every local authority receives a further increase of at least 8% per head of population, compared to this year, with some authorities receiving up to 12%. This vital extra resource will help local authorities to manage their cost pressures in this area. The Government is continuing to pursue a cross-departmental review of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system to see what further improvements are necessary to ensure that it supports children and young people with SEND as effectively as possible. In addition, the Department will start negotiations with some of those local authorities with the highest Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits about supporting them to reduce their deficits over time. Central schools services funding in 2021-22 will increase by 4% for the ongoing responsibilities that local authorities continue to have for all schools. In line with the process introduced for 2020-21 to withdraw funding over time based on the commitments local authorities entered into before 2013-14, funding for historic commitments will decrease by 20% for those local authorities in receipt of this funding. The provisional NFF allocations published today will be updated, based on the latest pupil data, to produce final allocations in December that local authorities will receive through the DSG. Local authorities will continue to use that funding to determine final allocations for all local mainstream schools. In light of the need to focus efforts on meeting the challenges of COVID-19, we are not changing local authorities’ role in the distribution of school funding in 2021-22. The Government will, later this year, put forward its proposals to move to a ‘hard’ NFF in future, which will determine schools’ budgets directly rather than through local formulae set independently by each local authority. This will level up the school funding system so that all schools across the country are funded on a comparable basis. We will consult widely with local authorities, schools and others to make this transition carefully.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Report on Regulations Made under Section 32 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Nigel Adams): [HCWS394] My Honourable Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon), has made the following written Ministerial statement: Today the ‘Report on Regulations Made under Section 32 of the Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Act 2018’ will be laid in Parliament. The report details the two regulations laid under section 1 of the Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Act 2018 during the reporting period from 23 May 2019 to 22 May 2020, and states the relevant human rights purposes of those regulations. In addition to the actions set out in the report, the Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime on 6 July by laying regulations in Parliament. These regulations enable the Government to impose sanctions in response to serious human rights violations or abuses around the world. The Government made immediate use of the powers provided by the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, implementing 49 designations on a range of people and entities. The UK’s future relationship with the EEA EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas (Wendy Morton): [HCWS390] The Government is pleased to announce that we have moved into formal negotiations on our future relationships with both the EEA EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland from the beginning of July. The Government has already been working closely with all four non-EU states on a range of issues related to our future relationship. We have successfully delivered a number of agreements, including the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement signed in January this year, which broadly mirrors provisions in the EU Withdrawal Agreement on citizens’ rights and a small number of other relevant separation issues. With the Swiss we have concluded and signed agreements in five key areas; trade; air services; road transport; insurance; and citizen’s rights. The EEA EFTA states and Switzerland are important European economic partners, with bilateral trade totalling approximately £27bn with the EEA EFTA states and around £39bn with Switzerland in 2019. We also enjoy close cooperation with these countries across a range of areas outside of trade, which is why the Government is seeking to agree measures that span across the entire breadth of our relationship. EEA EFTA STATES Negotiations with the EEA EFTA states will continue to take place alongside those we are conducting with the EU. In some areas, our future relationship with these states will be closely tied to the UK’s future relationship with the EU by virtue of their participation in the EU Single Market (via the EEA Agreement) and other EU-led initiatives. In others, these countries have the flexibility to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements. The ongoing negotiations will need to take account of this, but we are clear in our aim of protecting the close levels of existing cooperation we have we these key European partners, and building ambitious future facing agreements befitting our close relationship with them. A successful UK-EEA EFTA Future Relations Dialogue took place on 16 July. We will be publishing further details of these negotiations on the Government’s website soon, providing further details on the scope of the arrangements we are seeking to agree. SWITZERLAND Over the last three years a dedicated high-level UK-Swiss Continuity Dialogue has proven highly successful in advancing vital work to uphold our excellent relations with the Swiss in the context of our EU exit. The continuity arrangements we have reached with Switzerland have given vital certainty to citizens and businesses alike. The Government is seeking to build on these strong foundations in the future: we are now convening a new UK-Swiss Future Relations Dialogue to open the next chapter in our relations. Our first UK-Swiss Future Relations Dialogue took place on 1 July. The Government is taking a sequenced approach to our joint endeavours with Switzerland before the review clause in our trade continuity agreement activates in 2021. Firstly, we will aim to resolve residual separation issues as far as is possible. Secondly, we will also aim to address issues that are dependent on our negotiations with the EU or indeed related negotiations. Thirdly, we will begin exploring new bilateral opportunities where we can make progress together in 2020. SEQUENCING The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working with other government departments to secure the delivery of these negotiations. The Department for International Trade continues to be responsible for all trade and economic arrangements. In non-trade areas, departments responsible will seek arrangements which deliver on UK interests and provide maximum coverage across the full scope of our relationship with these countries. The Government is aiming to bring some of the agreements negotiated with these states into effect by the end of the transition period in line with our approach to EU negotiations. Further details on the progress of these negotiations will be made available to Parliament as they develop. Indeed, our future relationship with these key partners is a government priority.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Building Safety update Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Robert Jenrick): [HCWS391] I would like to update Parliament on the Government’s progress in overhauling the building and fire safety system, as part of our unwavering commitment to ensuring that people, and the buildings they live in, are safe. Building safety We must never forget the seventy two people who lost their lives as a result of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Countless lives were torn apart by that tragedy and we owe it to the deceased, the bereaved, the survivors, and the residents of all high-rise buildings to ensure that we do all we can to prevent a repeat of events like that fateful night occurring again. We promised to overhaul the system and to establish a national building safety regulator at its heart. Today I am pleased to be making a significant step towards that fundamental reform by publishing the draft Building Safety Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny, before the final Bill is brought forward to Parliament. The Bill will establish the regulator in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and give it significant powers to improve safety and performance across the built environment, especially in higher-risk buildings. These reforms will improve safety and performance standards across all buildings. However, certain buildings warrant even closer oversight because the potential for significant consequences should a fire spread or the structure fail. It is right that we have a more stringent regime where the risk is deemed greatest, to protect the greatest number of people. Initially the scope of the more stringent regime will apply to multi- occupied residential buildings of 18 metres or more in height or more than six storeys, whichever is reached first. We have designed the new regime so its scope can be changed if the evidence base or operational experience suggest it should. The Bill will provide a stronger framework to make sure those responsible for managing building safety risks in higher-risk buildings are held to account, with stronger enforcement powers and sanctions where those rules are not followed. It will also ensure that the residents of high-rise buildings have a stronger voice, alongside giving them better access to safety information about their building, clarifying their rights and providing recourse to raise safety concerns directly to the regulator. The draft Bill applies to England only with the exception of the policies to require developers to belong to a New Homes Ombudsman scheme, strengthen the oversight of the construction products regulatory regime, and allow the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to monitor the competence of architects. Further detailed analysis of the territorial extent is provided in the Explanatory Notes. Building safety financing The Government is clear that it is unacceptable for leaseholders to have to worry about the cost of fixing historic safety defects in their buildings that they didn’t cause. The draft Bill proposes a new ‘building safety charge’, which will give leaseholders greater transparency around costs incurred in maintaining a safe building. We want these to be fair and proportionate, which is why I have deliberately included numerous powers in the Bill that will enable us to limit the building safety costs that can be re-charged to leaseholders. This is a topic that we are particularly committed to developing further throughout the process of scrutiny and as the Bill is finalised for introduction. I have asked Michael Wade, senior adviser to the Cabinet Office, to accelerate this work with leaseholders and the financial sector. We must remove barriers to fixing historic defects and identify financing solutions that protect leaseholders from unaffordable costs; but we must also ensure that the bill does not fall on tax payers. We will update on any further measures required before the final Bill is introduced to Parliament. Establishing the Building Safety Regulator As I announced in January, the HSE is establishing the regulator in shadow form, and I am today announcing that I have set aside £16.4 million in this financial year for HSE to recruit the people and develop the capabilities that will enable the regulator to hit the ground running once its powers come into effect. HSE has a strong track record of improving safety and fostering a safety-first culture within the construction and major hazards industries, and will draw on years of experience to deliver results quickly and effectively. As shadow regulator, HSE is playing an increasingly important role in the Government’s Building Safety Programme: it is supporting work on how to identify higher-risk buildings; supporting work by the National Fire Chiefs Council to assess the fire risk in every high-rise residential building by end 2021; and supporting work with early adopters in the construction industry, social landlords and local government to trial the new regime, and to promote culture change across the industry. I am today announcing that HSE will also take over as chair of the Joint Regulators’ Group, which advises the Government on ways to strengthen the regulatory regime; and will take over the Independent Expert Advisory Panel, which advises the Government on fire safety in high-rise residential buildings. Over coming months, the shadow regulator will engage with and advise residents, building owners, the construction industry and other regulators on how the new system will operate, what it will mean for them, and what they should do now to make their buildings safe and prepare for the new regime. In the Autumn, we will kick off work to appoint the first national Chief Inspector of Buildings, who will lead the new regulator. We, and the public, expect industry to manage building safety risks now and prepare to fulfil their duties when this new regime comes into effect. The public expects and demands industry to implement these reforms with conviction and speed. The new Building Safety Regulator stands ready to work hand in hand with industry to bring about a culture change that prioritises residents and their safety. Fire safety reforms The Home Office is also today publishing a Fire Safety Consultation, which sets out proposals to: strengthen the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – the Fire Safety Order – and improve compliance for all regulated buildings; implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report recommendations for multi-occupied residential buildings which require a change in law; and, seeks views on the effectiveness of the arrangements for consultation and information sharing between building control bodies and fire and rescue authorities in relation to building work. This is alongside a commitment to overhaul the Fire Safety Order’s supporting guidance. Proposals for multi-occupied residential buildings, mostly high-rise buildings, include prescribing in law the frequency of checks of fire doors; that Responsible Persons (RPs) carry out inspections of other key fire-fighting equipment, not just lifts designed to be used by firefighters; and that RPs provide information to residents including in relation to fire safety (including evacuation and other specific information) in an accessible format. Our proposals go beyond the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations in several areas. In others, our proposals prioritise residents’ safety in a way that is practical, proportionate and effective to the risks the Inquiry has identified. The Government wants to listen to the views of those who have experience of these matters, including those who have been personally affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The proposals set out in the Home Office consultation will further deliver the Government’s objective to improve building and fire safety in all regulated premises where people live, stay or work. Construction products The Bill also enables us to progress our commitment to radically strengthen oversight of the regulatory regime for construction products. The bill will make sure a wider range of construction products are subject to strengthened safety regulations. It will also strengthen the powers available to the Government, paving the way to create a new national regulatory function that will have oversight of the construction products regulation. The Government is developing options for how this new national regulatory function could be implemented. Other housing measures The draft Bill also contains measures to protect the rights of all new build homebuyers by requiring developers to belong to the New Homes Ombudsman. It also includes new measures that will make access to redress swifter and more effective for all social housing residents. Pre-legislative scrutiny These are extensive reforms that it is incumbent on us all to get right. The Building Safety Bill is a large and complex piece of legislation, reflecting the scale of the reforms needed. In this spirit, I am publishing the Bill in draft form to ensure it receives the due and proper consideration it deserves through pre-legislative scrutiny from Parliament, from industry, from regulatory bodies, and from residents. I want to thank those that have helped shape the legislation so far, including those who contributed to the ‘Building a Safer Future’ consultation and who have engaged in various forums with my department. I now encourage colleagues from across both Houses to engage wholeheartedly in strengthening these proposals so that together we can further improve the legislation and deliver greater safety for residents. I will deposit copies of the draft Building Safety Bill, Delegated Powers Memorandum and Impact Assessment in the libraries of both Houses. A copy of the full Fire Safety Consultation and its Impact Assessment will also be deposited in the libraries of both Houses.

TRANSPORT

Crossrail Annual Update Minster of State for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris): [HCWS389] Over the past year, several milestones have been reached on the Crossrail project and work continues despite the new challenges presented by Covid-19. When complete, the Elizabeth line will be transformative, reducing overcrowding, delivering spacious new trains, adding significant additional rail capacity to London and the South East, and delivering a huge boost to the recovering UK economy. Its benefits will be vast and long lasting. Important progress is being made on taking the Crossrail project towards completion and for its transition to Transport for London (TfL), the future Elizabeth line operator. In December last year, TfL Rail commenced operating services between Paddington and Reading using the new UK built Class 345 trains, marking another important stage in the delivery of the Elizabeth line. This year, the higher capacity 9 carriage trains are being introduced along this part of the route. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved the new trains to run in passenger service between Paddington and Heathrow Airport, paving the way for a future increase in services to 4 trains per hour, adding important extra service capacity to the local rail network. Final testing and driver training is taking place with Bombardier and MTR Elizabeth Line ahead of the services being introduced. Over the past year, Crossrail Limited (CRL) have made further progress on the final completion of the new central section. Signalling and train software testing has progressed and a number of assets including completed shafts and portals together with the new Custom House station have now been handed over to TfL. All of the stations in the central section are now ready for the Trial Running of services, with the exception of Bond Street which requires further work. Network Rail (NR) works on the eastern and western sections of the route have continued to progress over the past year with the delivery of the enhanced ticket halls and access improvements on the surface section progressing at Ilford and Romford; Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Southall, Hayes & Harlington and West Drayton, with step-free access being prioritised where possible. In March this year, future Elizabeth line stations Hanwell, Iver, Langley, and Taplow were also provided with step-free access from street to platform. Together, these milestones represent key steps forward in the operational development of the railway. But there have been challenges as well. In January, CRL announced that it planned to open the central section of the railway in summer 2021 and the full Elizabeth line by mid-2022, citing challenges with completing the software development and the safety assurance processes preventing it from meeting its previously planned opening window. Progress was further affected by the ‘safe stop’ announced on March 24, when CRL ceased all physical work at its construction sites, including Network Rail’s station upgrade works, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and in line with TfL’s decision to pause work on project sites, though essential, business critical and remote assurance work continued. In November last year and before the impact of Covid-19, CRL announced that it would not be able to deliver the railway within the funding package originally announced by the Department and the Mayor of London in December 2018, and that it would require between £400 to £650 million in additional funding. The further schedule delays and cost increases to this project since the last annual update are very disappointing. A revised funding package will now need to be developed for Crossrail that is fair to UK taxpayers, with London as the primary beneficiary bearing the cost. Works have now restarted as part of Crossrail’s Recovery Plan with sites operating within the framework of Public Health England’s safety guidelines, with CRL intensely focussed on achieving the next key programme milestone - commencement of the intensive testing of the railway, known as Trial Running. CRL are currently in the process of updating their cost and schedule forecasts in light of their Recovery Plan, including assessing the impact on their opening schedule and will make a further update on this shortly. A further update to the overall costings for Network Rail’s programme show that the Crossrail On Network Works require an extra £140m of funding with the cost of the surface works package now standing at just under £3bn. The additional costs, which were assessed before the Covid-19 crisis, are the result of some station and power upgrade work taking longer than planned. The Department will continue to work with its joint Sponsor, TfL, to closely scrutinise the project, supporting its delivery as soon as is safely possible and to deliver the vital assurance and safety certification that is required before passenger services can commence. The Department will also work with TfL to oversee the effective review and evolution of Crossrail’s future governance arrangements to make sure the right decisions are taken as the project moves towards completion, and that it successfully transitions to TfL operations as soon as possible. CRL together with both Sponsors remain committed to ongoing transparency with regard to the project. During the passage of the Crossrail Bill through Parliament, a commitment was given that an annual statement would be published until the completion of the construction of Crossrail, setting out information about the project’s funding and finances. Further details on CRL’s funding and finances in the period to 29 May 2020 are set out in the table below. The relevant information is as follows:

TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNTS PROVIDED TO CROSSRAIL LIMITED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT AND TFL IN RELATION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF CROSSRAIL TO THE END OF THE PERIOD (22 JULY 2008 TO 29 MAY 2020) £14,164,813,354

Expenditure incurred £1,014,218,000 (including committed land and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail in the period (30 May 2019 to 29 May 2020) (excluding recoverable VAT TOTAL FUNDING AMOUNTS PROVIDED TO CROSSRAIL LIMITED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT AND TFL IN RELATION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF CROSSRAIL TO THE END OF THE PERIOD (22 JULY 2008 TO 29 MAY 2020) £14,164,813,354 on Land and Property purchases)

Total expenditure incurred £14,972,678,000 (including committed land and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the end of the period (22 July 2008 to 29 May 2020) (excluding recoverable VAT on Land and Property purchases)

The amounts realised by the £16,000,000 disposal of any land or property for the purposes of the construction of Crossrail by the Secretary of State, TfL or Crossrail Limited in the period covered by the statement.

The numbers above are drawn from CRL’s books of account and have been prepared on a consistent basis with the update provided last year. The figure for expenditure incurred includes monies already paid out in the relevant period, including committed land and property expenditure where this has not yet been paid. It does not include future expenditure on contracts that have been awarded.

Transport for London Extraordinary funding and financing update Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps): [HCWS398] I wrote to the House on 18 May 2020, to share details of the extraordinary funding and financing agreement reached with Transport for London (TfL). That package of support, which was agreed between Government, the Mayor and TfL, included a number of conditions and I am today writing to update Parliament on two of those. To help avoid such drastic action in the future work has been underway on the Government-led review of TfL’s future financial position and structure, and we have now published the Terms of Reference for that review. I am pleased to also announce the appointment of the two Government Special Representatives to attend the TfL Board; Andrew Gilligan and Clare Moriarty. They will also be able to attend TfL’s Finance and Programme Investment Committees. These positions required a specific skillset and have therefore been made through direct Ministerial Appointment. Clare Moriarty is a former civil servant and has been Permanent Secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union and for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and she was previously Director General, Rail Executive and Director General for Corporate Services in the Department for Transport. Andrew Gilligan advises the Prime Minister on transport matters and worked closely with TfL for three years, acquiring detailed knowledge of its operations, as former Cycling Commissioner for London.

Transport Update Minister of State for Transport (Andrew Stephenson): [HCWS399] I have been asked by my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State, to make this Written Ministerial Statement. This statement concerns the application made under the Planning Act 2008 for the proposed construction by Highways England of a continuous dual carriageway on the A303 linking the Podimore Roundabout and the Sparkford Bypass. Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, the Secretary of State must make his decision within 3 months of receipt of the Examining Authority’s report unless exercising the power under section 107(3) to extend the deadline and make a Statement to the House of Parliament announcing the new deadline. The Secretary of State received the Examining Authority’s report on the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester Development Consent Order application on 12 September 2019 and the deadline for a decision was previously extended from 12 December 2019 until 17 July 2020 to allow for further work to be carried out. The deadline for the decision is to be further extended to 20 November 2020 (an extension of 4 months) to enable further information to be provided by the Applicant and interested parties on outstanding concerns raised by the Examining Authority and consideration of that provided information before determination of the application by the Secretary of State. The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the decision on whether to give development consent. TREASURY

Public service pensions, survivor benefits for opposite–sex widowers and surviving male civil partners. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Steve Barclay): [HCWS397] The government is committed to providing public service pensions that are fair for public sector workers and for taxpayers. The government’s position remains that benefit entitlements should normally be determined based on the rules applicable at the time the member served, to maintain fairness for active scheme members and the taxpayer. Following the Walker v Innospec Supreme Court ruling, the government decided that in public service schemes, surviving male same-sex and female same-sex spouses and civil partners of public service pension scheme members will, in certain cases, receive benefits equivalent to those received by widows of opposite sex marriages. The exception to this is in specific schemes where, in the past, improvements in female members’ survivor benefits have involved female members making employee contributions or increasing them. A case brought in the Employment Tribunal against the Secretary of State for Education earlier this year highlighted that these changes may lead to direct sexual orientation discrimination within the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, where male survivors of female scheme members remain entitled to a lower survivor benefit than a comparable same-sex survivor. The government has concluded that changes are required to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme to address the discrimination. The government believes that this difference in treatment will also need to be remedied in those other public service pension schemes, where the husband or male civil partner of a female scheme member is in similar circumstances. Departments responsible for the administration of affected schemes will consult on and take forward changes as soon as possible. Schemes will notify their members of changes and any actions they need to take.