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Tag: 2021

  • Kate Green – 2021 Comments on Vaccinating Students

    Kate Green – 2021 Comments on Vaccinating Students

    The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 27 July 2021.

    It is essential that all eligible adults get their vaccine. Instead of criticising young people, the Conservatives must get a grip and help them to get their jabs, including by setting-up vaccine centres on university campuses.

    The chaos, delay and incompetence at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government is costing lives and has cost thousands of students their university experiences.

    Supporting all students to get double jabbed ahead of winter will help reduce disruption on campus and limit the spread of the virus, helping to protect the NHS as we head towards winter.

  • Michael Gove – 2021 Statement on Digital Delivery

    Michael Gove – 2021 Statement on Digital Delivery

    The statement made by Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2021.

    The covid-19 pandemic has strained our country’s resilience like nothing we have seen out of wartime, and the public have endured huge sacrifices. Our mission now is to respond by transforming the country for the better, levelling up, and making opportunity more equal. To achieve these changes, Government must be reformed.

    The recently published “Declaration on Government Reform”, set out a plan for the renewal and rewiring of Government, as a means to deliver the better Britain that the public demands and deserves. As part of its focus on improving performance, the declaration committed to improving the cross-Government functions and strengthening standards and spending controls, to ensure the Government are delivering both excellence and value for money.

    The Government are today publishing two independent and separate reports which each contain recommendations on how to improve the cross-Government functions and digital delivery. These two reports are:

    1. A review of the cross-cutting functions and the operation of spend controls, by the right hon. Lord Maude of Horsham; and

    2. Organising for digital delivery report presented to the Digital Economy Council.

    Lord Maude’s advice and the “Organising for Digital Delivery” report presented to the Digital Economy Council are critical to driving reform activity within the cross-Government functions, and the reports were invaluable input in finalising the commitments and actions in the declaration.

    Lord Maude’s recommendations are centred around a strong functional model with three essential elements of leadership, capability and mandate. Strong progress is being made on the functional reform activity, overseen by myself and Lord Agnew, and a board chaired by Alex Chisholm, the chief operating officer for the civil service. Some examples of progress so far include:

    New leadership put in place for the digital data and technology function, as announced in January this year. This included the establishment of the central digital and data office to work with the Government digital service and lead the digital, data and technology function for Government, also taking on responsibility for the Government automation taskforce.

    The Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s publication of its mandate in January, which sets out clearly its own responsibilities and those of departmental accounting officers for major Government projects and programmes. This is critical to making sure they are set up for success from the outset, supporting the Government to meet their ambitions.

    Steps have been taken to strengthen spending controls, and increase their reach and effectiveness. More organisations are now in scope and the controls are being applied more consistently within Departments.

    Lord Maude’s report advises on the need to set in train (or complete, where already underway) assessment and accreditation programmes; multiple functions are actively exploring how this should be achieved. Investment in professional expertise, recognising its importance, will be an integral part of Government functions. For example, the training and accreditation of contract managers across Government is being led by the Government commercial function, which is critical to driving excellent value for money for taxpayers.

    We are implementing a programme of modernisation to strengthen and unify the communications profession across Government, to provide more efficient, responsive and effective communication which delivers Government priorities with one voice. This will build fulfilling careers for people and allow us to attract and develop the best talent.

    The shared services strategy for Government was published in March 2021. Following Lord Maude’s advice, and working across Government, a core element of the strategy is the plan to consolidate all back office services into a maximum of five centres. This will achieve better quality services for staff, better people data and reduced cost, encouraging greater collaboration and improving interoperability across Government.

    Copies of both reports have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  • Chloe Smith – 2021 Statement on the Boardman Review

    Chloe Smith – 2021 Statement on the Boardman Review

    The statement made by Chloe Smith, the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2021.

    On 12 April, the Government announced that the Prime Minister had asked Nigel Boardman to investigate the development and use of supply chain finance in Government, especially the role of Lex Greensill and Greensill Capital (including associated companies or companies in its group) and any related issues that Mr Boardman considered were in scope.

    In accordance with the terms of reference, Mr Boardman has provided the Prime Minister with a report which sets out Mr Boardman’s findings of fact. This was provided to the Prime Minister yesterday and is being made available to the House today.

    In producing this report, Mr Boardman interviewed 45 individuals, for a total of over 100 hours. Mr Boardman had access to all the papers he requested, totalling several thousand pages of written evidence. This is a non-statutory review, but in line with long-standing convention, the Prime Minister made clear at the outset his expectation that all Ministers, special advisers and civil servants, whether current or former, should co-operate fully. Those individuals who participated, or their personal representative where applicable, were provided with relevant documents to assist their evidence. They were then offered the opportunity to discuss the relevant documents and provide any comment during an interview with Mr Boardman. These comments were considered, in good faith, as part of the review.

    The purpose of the review was to establish the facts and any lessons to be learnt. As set out in the terms of reference, the review does not form part of a disciplinary process, nor is it intended to apportion blame or criticism to individuals. In establishing and setting out the facts, however, Mr Boardman attributes actions to named individuals, some of which could be read as critical of individuals. Where this is the case, the individuals concerned, or their personal representative where applicable, were given the opportunity ahead of the report being finalised to make representations on those sections of the report that could be perceived as criticisms to correct factual inaccuracies.

    The Government thank Mr Boardman for all of his work in examining the evidence and setting out his judgement on the facts of what occurred. Mr Boardman will be providing the second part of his report, including any specific recommendations, shortly. The Government will respond to Mr Boardman’s findings, and any recommendations, in due course.

    I am depositing a copy of the report in the Libraries of both Houses, and publishing it on gov.uk.

  • Kwasi Kwarteng – 2021 Statement on the UK’s Innovation Strategy

    Kwasi Kwarteng – 2021 Statement on the UK’s Innovation Strategy

    The statement made by Kwasi Kwarteng, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 22 July 2021.

    Today the Government are publishing the UK innovation strategy, “Leading the future by creating it”.

    Innovation is central to tackling the largest challenges the world faces, from climate change to global pandemics. The UK must be in the vanguard of the response to these challenges. That is why the Government have placed innovation at the heart of our plan for growth and so much else we want to achieve, from fighting coronavirus to achieving net zero and building global Britain.

    The UK has a long and illustrious history of world-leading innovation, from the industrial revolution to the vaccine development of the past year. Now we have left the EU, we can move even more quickly to respond to emerging challenges and global opportunities, and cement the UK’s position as a world leader in science, research and innovation.

    To this end, the UK innovation strategy sets out the Government’s vision to make the UK a global hub for innovation by 2035, placing innovation at the centre of everything this nation does. Through this we seek to generate disruptive inventions, the most tech-centric industry and Government in the world, more tech “unicorns”, and a nation of firms and people that all aspire to innovate.

    To achieve these objectives, we want to unlock business investment in innovation. This is a core objective of the innovation strategy, and my officials have consulted with over 400 businesses and organisations to determine the factors that could lead to an increase in business innovation.

    In the innovation strategy we set out our plans against four key pillars, which will support the achievement of our vision:

    Pillar 1: Unleashing Business—we will fuel businesses who want to innovate.

    Pillar 2: People—we will make the UK the most exciting place for innovation talent.

    Pillar 3: Institutions & Places—we will ensure our research, development and innovation institutions serve the needs of businesses and places across the UK.

    Pillar 4: Missions & Technologies—we will stimulate innovation to tackle major challenges faced by the UK and the world and drive capability in key technologies.

    Through these pillars, the innovation strategy aims to both establish the right underlying policy environment and clearly signal those areas where the Government will take the lead.

    This innovation strategy is only the first step. In the coming months and years, we will maintain a laser-like focus on realising our ambitions for innovation. We will track a range of quantitative metrics to measure our progress in delivering our commitments, alongside in-depth intelligence from businesses and other innovation stake-holders. Innovation will also be a crucial element of our efforts to level up the UK economy. A detailed strategy for levelling up through research and innovation will be set out as a part of the Government’s forthcoming levelling up White Paper.

    I will place a copy of the innovation strategy in the Libraries of both Houses.

    R&D People and Culture Strategy

    I am also delighted to announce that the Government have today published their “R&D People and Culture Strategy”, delivering on the commitment we made in the R&D road map last summer. The road map recognised that people are at the heart of research and development, and that we need talented, diverse people, with the right skills, working in an environment that allows them to do their best work and deliver positive outcomes for our society and the economy.

    The R&D people and culture strategy sets out, for the first time, a whole sector vision that is backed by clear Government commitments. It is a call to action to create a more inclusive, dynamic and sustainable UK R&D sector, in which a diversity of people and ideas can thrive.

    Through this strategy, we will set out actions that will bring the best out of people and enable talent and ideas to flow freely between academia, business, and other sectors. We will ensure that everyone’s contribution is valued, and the UK has an outstanding research culture that truly supports discovery, diversity, and innovation, and offers varied and diverse careers that bring excitement and recognition.

    The strategy identifies three priority areas across which action is needed:

    People: redefining what it means to work in R&D in the 21st century—valuing all the roles that make it a success and ensuring the UK has the capability and capacity it needs.

    Culture: co-creating a vision of the culture we want to see within the sector—working together to make lasting change happen so that researchers and innovators with diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking can thrive and do their best work here.

    Talent: renewing the UK’s position as a global leader in R&D in attracting, retaining and developing talented people, making sure careers in UK R&D are attractive to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally.

    A talented and thriving R&D workforce will be key for realising our science superpower ambitions, and the R&D people and culture strategy will play an important role in supporting the vision I am setting out in the innovation strategy to make the UK a global hub for innovation by 2035.

    We have engaged widely with the sector to date on the issues identified in this strategy, and my hon. Friend the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation and I are very grateful to the hundreds of individuals and organisations who have contributed to their respective development. The Government will continue working closely with the sector to ensure the successful implementation.

    I will place a copy of the R&D people and culture strategy in the Libraries of both Houses.

    Post Office Horizon Update

    This House is aware of the distressing impact that problems with the Post Office’s Horizon IT system have had on the lives and livelihoods of many postmasters.

    Over the years, the Horizon accounting system recorded shortfalls in cash in branches. These shortfalls were treated by the Post Office as caused by postmasters, and this led to dismissals, recovery of losses by Post Office Ltd and, in some cases, criminal prosecutions. We now know this data was unreliable.

    The Court of Appeal handed down a landmark judgment on 23 April 2021, which quashed the convictions of 39 postmasters. A further 12 were quashed in the Court of Appeal earlier this week. Further convictions have been quashed in the Crown court. The Government have been clear that we want to see compensation delivered fairly and as quickly as possible. We have also been clear that it is for the Post Office to engage with the individuals in the first instance regarding how compensation can be paid. I am pleased to provide an update on the steps to begin providing compensation to postmasters whose criminal convictions were based on Horizon data and have been quashed.

    We have listened to affected postmasters and want to see them receive compensation quickly. The Government have therefore decided to support the Post Office so that it can make interim payments of up to £100,000 promptly to individual postmasters whose criminal convictions relied on Horizon data and have been quashed, ahead of final compensation settlements being agreed with them. I am providing this support in my capacity as sole shareholder in the Post Office.

    While we recognise that these interim payments may not represent the full compensation that postmasters may ultimately receive, and which will need to be determined between the Post Office and the individuals concerned, it is a means of providing monies to individuals at an early stage in the claims process. The process for finally determining the compensation to be paid will take time and will involve POL obtaining a full quantification of all claims. These claims need to be carefully examined so that postmasters ultimately receive fair compensation and the payments that they deserve.

    In the meantime, the Government thank the postmasters for their patience, recognising the impact that being wrongfully prosecuted has had on individuals, and believe that an interim payment is a way to begin to address the hardships they have faced ahead of when the final sum can be determined and paid.

    The Post Office is contacting the legal representatives of postmasters whose convictions have been quashed with further information about interim payments. We expect the Post Office to issue offer letters for interim payments within 28 days of receiving a claim from eligible postmasters.

    The Government are committed to supporting and maintaining the post office network, which, along with the postmasters, provides essential services to our urban and rural communities. This decision supports the Government’s priorities to support postmasters and to see the longstanding Horizon issues resolved. This support is in addition to the financial support BEIS has provided for the historical shortfall scheme to proceed, which was opened to recompense postmasters who repaid shortfalls and did not have a criminal conviction. In addition, BEIS launched the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry, which recently converted to a statutory footing, following the Court of Appeal judgment.

    We understand that the Post Office has already begun work to deliver the full compensation sum to postmasters and we will work with them towards this. With my status as sole shareholder in the Post Office, my Department continues to engage actively with Post Office Ltd on this and will maintain strong oversight of this process.

    Reforming the framework for better regulation

    Our exit from the EU provides us with the opportunity to think boldly about how we regulate and for the first time in a generation, we have the freedom to conceive and implement rules that put the UK first. The UK will use its newfound freedoms as an independent trading nation to boost growth, increase competition and create jobs by revamping the way rules and regulations for businesses are set. We will use this freedom to unlock cutting-edge technologies, unleash innovation, and propel start-up growth, levelling up every corner of the UK. This will be a crucial part of boosting our productivity and helping us bring the benefits of growth to the whole of our country.

    In seizing this opportunity, we are launching a consultation to seek feedback from interested parties on how we can reform the UK framework for better regulation.

    The consultation sets out five principles that will underpin the Government’s approach to regulation to ensure it benefits the British people:

    A sovereign approach: the UK will use its freedoms to take a tailored approach to setting rules in a way that boosts growth and benefits the British people.

    Leading from the front: we will act nimbly to support the development of new technologies.

    Proportionality: we will use non-regulatory options where we can, while acting decisively to put in place strong rules where they are needed.

    Recognising what works: regulations will be thoroughly analysed to ensure they work in the real world.

    Setting high standards at home and globally: we will set high standards at home and engage in robust regulatory diplomacy across the world, leading in multilateral settings, influencing the decisions of others and helping to solve problems that require a global approach.

    Proposals explored in the consultation

    The consultation follows a report from the taskforce on innovation, growth and regulatory reform, which the Prime Minister convened earlier this year, and examines a number of the taskforce’s proposals for reforming regulation, including the adoption of a less-codified, common law approach to regulation. There is also a focus on the process for measuring and reporting impacts under the better regulation framework. Areas examined in the consultation include:

    the adoption of a less codified, common law approach to regulation;

    a review of the role of regulators, especially around competition and innovation;

    delegation of more discretion to regulators to achieve regulatory objectives in a more agile and flexible way counterbalanced by increased accountability and scrutiny;

    streamlining the process of assessment of impacts;

    moving to earlier scrutiny of impact assessments and evaluation of existing regulation;

    consideration of options on measuring the impact of regulation;

    reintroduction of regulatory offsetting; and

    baselining the UK’s regulatory burden.

  • Alok Sharma – 2021 Speech in Naples

    Alok Sharma – 2021 Speech in Naples

    The speech made by Alok Sharma, the President of the COP26, in Naples, Italy on 23 July 2021.

    Thank you to all our Italian colleagues for hosting us at this crucial G20 meeting.

    Friends, we are 100 days from COP26 where the global community expects world leaders to come together, and with one voice, demonstrate that we are living up to the expectations of the Paris Agreement, that we are doing all we can to limit global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees and closer to 1.5 degrees.

    This G20 ministerial is a vital step on the road to Glasgow.

    Countries in this room represent almost 80 percent of global emissions. And 85 percent of the global economy.

    And what we do, what we decide, and the level of ambition we demonstrate, matters.

    We hold in our hands the keys to our children’s future.

    And the choices we make, literally today, the choices we make, can unlock a healthier, safer, cleaner future, or they can drive the Paris Agreement goals further out of reach.

    And I think as friends we have to be frank: our decisions to date have harmed our children’s future.

    Since the Paris Agreement was put in place, global emissions have gone up, not down.

    Globally a million species face extinction because of human activity, because of our treatment of the planet.

    So my friends, be in no doubt, that what we decide today really matters.

    And the eyes of the world, the eyes of our children, are on us.

    Each of us need only look to our own doorsteps to recognise why, every fraction of a degree in global temperature rises makes a difference.

    Extreme weather is on the march across the world.

    Wildfires are raging across North America.

    Floods in China and across Europe, are leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

    In the past few years, South Africa has faced municipal water supplies running dry.

    Super Cyclone Amphan unleashed destruction in Bangladesh and India.

    Last year Jakarta experienced the biggest rainfall since records began, causing 100,000 people to evacuate their homes.

    In Brazil we have seen forests on fire.

    Permafrost is melting in Russia.

    Dust storms, caused by desertification are costing Saudi Arabia some billions of dollars a year.

    And in the last few weeks alone, Turkey has recorded its highest ever temperature.

    Friends, people are dying now because we are losing control of climate change.

    People are losing their livelihoods, their homes.

    And their communities are being destroyed.

    So we have to ask ourselves, how did it come to this?

    We cannot say that we were not warned.

    We cannot say that scientists had not raised the red flag.

    We knew this was coming, and we know that without change, the situation will get far worse.

    Climate change is not a distant threat, one that we can try and fix in 2 years, 5 years or 10 years.

    We must collectively and decisively deal with this foe now, before it overwhelms us.

    Sadly, it is already starting to overwhelm the most climate vulnerable nations on earth.

    Small island developing states.

    Countries which have done the least to cause the impacts they are experiencing.

    Countries like Antigua and Barbuda, where I have seen the destructive power of hurricanes like Irma, which are increasing in ferocity and frequency.

    And which has scarred the country, causing death, which can never be overcome, and damage which, 4 years on, has not been repaired.

    Or mountain states like Nepal, where I have spoken to communities driven out of their villages, due to a combination of droughts and flooding from melting glaciers.

    Or countries in Africa, like Ethiopia, where crops have been destroyed because of plagues of locusts, spawned by a changing climate.

    Friends, these people are scared for their futures.

    Communities that have, through no action of their own, had their livelihoods and their basic sources of food stolen from them.

    So what do we need to do to play our part in defeating this threat?

    As the Paris Agreement, which we have all signed, says, we need to limit temperature rises to well below 2 degrees, closer to 1.5 degrees.

    This is the only way to protect our people and our economies.

    We can and must deliver on the 100 billion dollar commitment and increase action on adaptation.

    Together we need to make clear our commitment to keeping 1.5 alive, to take the steps required to decarbonise our economies, agreeing to a net zero world by the middle of this century, and enhancing our 2030 commitments to get us on this track.

    Friends, we all need to make these commitments.

    And we have to show that this isn’t just about our words, it’s about our actions.

    We know that unabated coal power is incompatible with a future that keeps 1.5 alive.

    So let us tell the world today, we will seek to end unabated coal both at home and overseas.

    We need to agree on these steps and make that clear through our statements today.

    Because we have a choice, we can open the door to a healthier, cleaner and safer future for our children, or we can miss our chance.

    Friends, I say to you, we must show the world that the G20 were not missing in action when it mattered most.

    That confronted with the greatest threat to our planet, we stood tall and we acted.

    That we took the decisions to secure our future and that of our children.

    So we can look them in the eye and say: today, when it mattered most, we picked the planet.

  • Sajid Javid – 2021 Comments on Help for Food Sector

    Sajid Javid – 2021 Comments on Help for Food Sector

    The comments made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 23 July 2021.

    Throughout this global pandemic, workers in our food and drink sectors have overcome enormous challenges and done everything they can to keep our shelves stocked and our fridges full.

    As we manage this virus and do everything we can to break chains of transmission, daily contact testing of workers in this vital sector will help to minimise the disruption caused by rising cases in the coming weeks, while ensuring workers are not put at risk.

  • George Eustice – 2021 Comments on Help for Food Sector

    George Eustice – 2021 Comments on Help for Food Sector

    The comments made by George Eustice, the Secretary of State for the Environment, on 23 July 2021.

    Food businesses across the country have been the hidden heroes of the pandemic. We are working closely with industry to allow staff to go about their essential work safely with daily testing.

    The last 18 months have demonstrated that we have a highly resilient food supply chain. There are sufficient food supplies in the system and people can and should shop as normal.

  • Ben Wallace – 2021 Comments on the Indo-Pacific Region

    Ben Wallace – 2021 Comments on the Indo-Pacific Region

    The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 23 July 2021.

    My visit this week to the Indo-Pacific region was a fantastic opportunity to engage with our Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese partners and deepen our enduring defence relationships.

    Exemplified by the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group, Global Britain continues to step forward with our partners in the Indo-Pacific to address shared security challenges and changing global threats.

  • Brandon Lewis – 2021 Statement on the Omagh Bombing

    Brandon Lewis – 2021 Statement on the Omagh Bombing

    The statement made by Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 23 July 2021.

    The Omagh bombing was a terrible atrocity that caused untold damage to the families of the 29 people who were tragically killed and the 220 who were injured. The reverberations of that awful event were felt not just in Northern Ireland, but across the world.

    I want to put on record my deep regret that the families of those killed and wounded have had to wait so long to find out what happened on that terrible day in 1998. They deserve answers and I have great respect for their patience, grace and determination.

    We recognise that today the Court has set out that there are ‘plausible allegations that there was a real prospect of preventing the Omagh bombing’ and that more should be done to investigate this.

    The UK Government will take time to consider the judge’s statement and all its recommendations carefully as we wait for the full judgment to be published.

  • Jo Churchill – 2021 Comments on Extra Covid-19 Support for North East

    Jo Churchill – 2021 Comments on Extra Covid-19 Support for North East

    The comments made by Jo Churchill, the Public Health Minister, on 23 July 2021.

    As the data changes it is vital that our public health response continues to change with it.

    By working in lockstep with local authorities and directors of public health, this additional support should help turn the tide on these growing case numbers and extend the wall of protection that vaccines is creating across the country.

    We all have a part to play in the continued fight against this virus and our message is a clear one: the best thing we can all do to protect ourselves and our loved ones is getting jabbed. If you haven’t had your first or second doses, I’d urge you to book your vaccination at the first opportunity.