Those in receipt of pension credit are entitled to a bus pass for free travel and 99% of people now live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre and are accessible via bus transport links.

The National Health Service has now offered the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone in the top four priority cohorts. Any health and care staff who have not so far accepted but would now like to do so have been asked to contact their employer who is responsible for arranging their vaccination. Others in the initial priority groups one to four can arrange a vaccination through the national booking system by calling 119 or at the following link:

www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination

In order of priority, most United Kingdom residents will be contacted by their general practitioner (GP) to book their vaccine via an online or telephone system. Those in the initial priority groups can also arrange their vaccination appointment by calling 119 or through the national booking system at the following link:

http://www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination

Additionally, the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) is used as the national register of COVID-19 vaccinations. At the point that someone receives their COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccinating team will record the information on the NIMS system and a patient’s GP record.

The top four priority groups – people aged 70 years old and over, care home residents and staff, health and care staff and clinically extremely vulnerable patients – have now all been offered the opportunity to be vaccinated.

The Department has not been directly informed of issues with COVID-19 vaccine supply in rural areas.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level.  For the first phase, the JCVI have advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors.

If a person is cared for at home and falls under the criteria for prioritisation in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, they will be vaccinated according to their priority group; this includes those considered clinically extremely vulnerable and those considered to be ‘adults at risk’.

Those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill should also be offered vaccination in priority group six.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached with the EU secures the UK a share of the EU’s current bluefin tuna allocation. Any further increases to the UK’s quota would need to be secured via negotiations in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

In addition to national quotas held by its contracting parties, ICCAT makes a small, separate ‘Research Mortality Allowance’ quota available for specific research purposes that meet strict criteria. RMA supports the delivery of the multiyear ‘Thunnus UK’ tuna tagging programme led by Cefas and the University of Exeter. The UK will be applying for continued access to the RMA to continue this work in 2021.

No decisions have yet been taken on how to use the UK’s new national quota. Stakeholders will be consulted on potential options in due course.

In addition to using carnets, there are two main alternative options for transporting video, photography and recording equipment between the EU and the UK - Temporary Admission and Returned Goods Relief.

Temporary Admission is a customs procedure that allows a person to import non-UK goods temporarily into the UK. Using Temporary Admission means any import duty or import VAT is suspended as long as the goods are removed from the UK at a later date. Temporary Admission is useful if a person needs to temporarily import goods such as samples, professional equipment or items for auction, exhibition or demonstration into the UK. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-import-goods-temporarily-to-the-uk-or-eu.

Returned Goods Relief (RGR) allows eligible items to be reimported free from Customs duty and import VAT. The relief can apply to exported items returning to the UK if certain conditions can be met. For RGR to apply goods must normally be returned within three years of the date of export unless exceptional circumstances exist. For RGR on import VAT to apply the exporter and importer must be the same person and any VAT due must have been previously paid in the UK or EU. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-less-import-duty-and-vat-when-re-importing-goods-to-the-uk-and-eu.

Temporary Admission and Returned Goods Relief may be available in the EU. Further information on EU customs procedures can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/customs-procedures_en.

The Department has commenced work on the development of the next version of the Standard Assessment Procedure, SAP 11. It will consider the SAP Industry Forum’s Report on the likely mainstream technologies for consideration in the mid-2020s as part of this. The Department has also commissioned a wider scoping project to advise more broadly on what SAP 11 will need to model and how it should do this. This project will further help to inform the development of SAP11 and is due to report back in February.

A call for evidence was held in 2020, which closed on 29 November. The Government is now analysing the responses provided and will provide further updates on the duty review in due course.

Alcohol duties are kept under review and the impact of a change to spirits duty is considered at each fiscal event, including its effects on the economy.

The UK is internationally recognised as having some of the strongest controls and legislation worldwide when it comes to tackling money laundering and bringing to justice those who seek to use or hide the proceeds of crime. There has been no recent assessment of the effectiveness of anti-money laundering provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. In 2017, the Regulatory Policy Committee, which considers the impact of legislation on business, rated the Criminal Finances Bill as ‘fit for purpose’. They agreed that the Bill would “involve no significant burden on small businesses”. The Criminal Finances Act amended the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and gained Royal Assent in 2017.

Over the past four years, the Department for Transport has received three pieces of correspondence from Members of Parliament, and one from a member of the public, on the potential merits of bringing forward proposals to reform the law and sentencing relating to the offence of leaving the scene of a hit and run that resulted in death. The Department has also responded to one petition and Ministers have held one meeting with the family of a victim and their Member of Parliament.

If you write to Baroness Vere, the Minister responsible for this policy area, she would be happy to consider meeting with you to discuss this issue.

Whilst many deaths and injuries are the result of a tragic accident, too many of these incidents involve criminal behaviour. Every avoidable death is one too many.

The government has committed to bring forward changes to ensure the courts have the powers they need to deal with those drivers who kill by dangerous driving or where they are over the limits for alcohol and drugs.

The Department want to close a loophole in the law that fails to recognise the harm caused where drivers cause serious injury by their careless driving.

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. As the Prime Minister said on 23 November that national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December and that grassroots sport can resume in all tiers. This is providing social distancing remains in place, although there will be some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas.

In tier one areas indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. This will mean four people from different households could play doubles tennis. Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to 6 people) which do not mix.

In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households, and people can take part in group activity like exercise classes as long as there is no mixing between households. People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match.

In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only, and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.

Further guidance has been published today on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-grassroots-sports-guidance-for-the-public-and-sport-providers)

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. As the Prime Minister said on 23 November that national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December and that grassroots sport can resume in all tiers. This is providing social distancing remains in place, although there will be some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas.

In tier one areas indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. This will mean four people from different households could play doubles tennis. Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to 6 people) which do not mix.

In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households, and people can take part in group activity like exercise classes as long as there is no mixing between households. People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match.

In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only, and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.

Further guidance has been published today on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-grassroots-sports-guidance-for-the-public-and-sport-providers)

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. As the Prime Minister said on 23 November that national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December and that grassroots sport can resume in all tiers. This is providing social distancing remains in place, although there will be some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas.

In tier one areas indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. This will mean four people from different households could play doubles tennis. Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to 6 people) which do not mix.

In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households, and people can take part in group activity like exercise classes as long as there is no mixing between households. People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match.

In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only, and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.

Further guidance has been published today on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-grassroots-sports-guidance-for-the-public-and-sport-providers)