In the Legal Support Action plan published in February 2019 the Government committed to increase the scope for legal aid in family law cases to cover all Special Guardianship Orders in private family law cases; and removing the means test for those with parental responsibility to oppose placement or adoption orders in family law proceedings.

To support those with family law problems who are not in scope for Legal Aid the government is doubling the funding for the Litigants in Person Support Strategy to £3m for the next two years, to ensure those representing themselves in court understand the process and are better supported through it.

Sirius Minerals have recently made a statement to adjust their work programme and undertake a strategic review of the project. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of the work. Sirius Minerals have stated they will continue to find alternative sources of investment so that they can complete the Woodsmith Mine project.

Sirius Minerals have recently made a statement to adjust their work programme and undertake a strategic review of the project. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of the work. Sirius Minerals have stated they will continue to find alternative sources of investment so that they can complete the Woodsmith Mine project.

The Department for Transport (DfT) plans to publish the road safety statistics for England in September. As it would be useful to include this data in its progress report, and given the prorogation of Parliament, DfT is planning to publish the progress report over the autumn.

In this year’s Spring Statement, the Government stated our commitment to accelerating the decarbonisation of our gas supplies by increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid and to consult on the appropriate mechanism to deliver this commitment later this year.

The Gas Safety (Management) Regulations are the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive. Officials continue to engage with the HSE to support their ongoing assessment of proposals to amend Section 3 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK would implement a temporary tariff regime. This would apply for up to 12 months while a full consultation takes place and a review of a permanent approach is undertaken.

I have regular conversations with Cabinet colleagues on all aspects of our EU exit. The Chancellor has provided £4.2 billion to prepare for all areas of our exit.

Last year, prescription and dental fraud cost the NHS an estimated £212 million. It is absolutely right that the Government take steps to recoup that money, so it can be reinvested into caring for patients. Our system for claiming free prescriptions should be simple for people and clinicians to understand, which is why we are currently piloting technology that allows pharmacies to check digitally whether a patient is exempt from charges before prescription items are dispensed.

The Government works closely with the full spectrum of food and drink businesses across the country to promote growth, jobs, productivity and exports. We engage with businesses both directly and through trade associations, Local Enterprise Partnerships, regional food groups and other business groups. We support them in their efforts to address economic challenges and mitigate regulatory and compliance issues, and prepare successfully for EU exit.

The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy has not generated revenue for the public purse. However, this policy has saved over £1.7bn since its introduction in April 2013. A breakdown by financial year is provided in the table below:

Total Estimated Housing Benefit RSRS Deductions, 2013/14 to 2017/18 (£m pa)

Deductions figures do not take into account any additional savings due to behavioural change before/after the policy has been introduced, for example moving to a smaller property to avoid a deduction.

Figures do not include claimants on Universal Credit (UC) with a removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) deduction, as these data are not currently available.

Whilst decisions on staffing are for individual operators, the Government has been clear that it wants to see more staff on our railway, not fewer, and it is not aware of any plans by franchised operators to remove guards from train services.

With respect to the mode of train operation and guards, the ORR, the independent rail regulator, and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) have found that Driver Controlled Operation (DCO), where the train driver has responsibility for opening and closing the doors and dispatching the train from a station but a guard / second crew member continues to be rostered on the train, is safe.

An RSSB report also concluded that the introduction of DCO according to the standard safety management requirements that all rail companies routinely meet does not increase any other passenger safety risks and furthermore that cancelling a DCO train in the absence of its guard / second crew member is more risky than running it with only its driver.

The Department works with the British Transport Police (BTP) to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the railways in Great Britain. Under their franchise agreements, Train Operating Companies are required to work with the BTP to manage and reduce railway crime. British Transport Police officer numbers have remained relatively stable on the network over the last five years and are currently (2017/18) nearly 3,100 by comparison to just over 2,900 in 2009/10.

With growing passenger numbers, the Department has been clear that it wants to see more train operating company customer-facing staff on the railways, not fewer.

The BTP keeps records of crime reported on the railways. Crime figures should be considered in the context of rising passenger numbers, with crimes per million passenger journeys remaining relatively low and having decreased overall between 2014 and 2017.

With regard to factors influencing the levels of report crime on trains, the BTP has run a number of successful initiatives in recent years to encourage more reporting of crimes, which is likely to be a factor in the numbers of crimes reported. For example, BTP has a popular dedicated crime reporting text service - ‘61016’ – which allows people to report offences to the police easily and discreetly.

The levels of crime that are seen on the railway broadly mirror those seen across society as a whole, as recorded by the territorial police forces.

A recent report by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) concluded that driver controlled train operation by comparison with conductor operation does not increase passenger safety risks.

The Department for Education has advised that the Government issued statutory guidance in 2011 for local authorities about supporting family and friends providing care for children who cannot live with their parents. The guidance makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. It explains that support, can be provided under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. There is no limit on the level of support, that local authorities can provide. Local authorities are required to publish a policy setting out their approach to promoting and supporting the needs of all children living with family and friends carers, regardless of their legal status.

​As I stated in the Westminster Hall debate on Brunei on 10 April, the British Government does not support calls for an economic boycott. This includes the Brunei Investment Agency-owned businesses, including the Dorchester Hotel in London. We believe that open and honest discussions best support our efforts to encourage Brunei to uphold its international human rights obligations, and to respect individual freedoms.

Consent is required from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to construct, extend or operate any offshore generating stations with a generating capacity of between 1 and 100 megawatts (MW). Stations which would generate more than 100MW are classed as nationally significant infrastructure projects and require a development consent order granted by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Some electricity generating works may be subject to regulation under the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (as amended) and require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted to the MMO alongside the main application. EIAs are required to include a description of the likely significant effects of the development on the environment, including any effects on seabirds, marine mammals and other coastal wildlife.

In addition, offshore wind farms are required to have pre and post consent monitoring plans which are managed by the MMO. For example, a Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan (MMMP) lists the appropriate mitigation measures that should be utilised during offshore activities that are likely to produce underwater noise and vibration levels capable of potentially causing injury and disturbance to marine mammals.

Any environmental assessment, including EIAs and MMMPs, submitted as part of any application are available online via the Planning Inspectorate’s national register of applications and the MMO’s public register.

It is the job of a responsible government to prepare for all scenarios. No deal preparations are continuing at pace, including on secondary legislation. We will communicate a decision on what is a market sensitive information to stakeholders and the public as soon as possible.