A new Report warns that draft UK Government legislation on online harms would fail to prevent the sharing of some of the most “insidious” images of child abuse and violence against women and girls.
Scrutiny by the DCMS Committee of the Government’s Draft Online Safety Bill has found that in its current form, the legislation is neither clear nor robust enough to tackle certain types of illegal and harmful content on user-to-user and search services.
In the Report published today, MPs call on the Government to address types of content that are technically legal – including parts of child abuse sequences like “breadcrumbing” and types of online violence against and women and girls such as tech-enabled “nudifying” of women and deepfake pornography – by bringing them into scope either through primary legislation or as types of harmful content covered by the duties of care.
MPs reject a recommendation made by the Joint Committee to include in the Bill the establishment of a permanent Committee of both Houses on the grounds that such a development would duplicate the existing constitutional role of the DCMS Committee.
Chair of the DCMS Committee Julian Knight MP said: “In its current form what should be world-leading, landmark legislation instead represents a missed opportunity.
“The Online Safety Bill neither protects freedom of expression nor is it clear nor robust enough to tackle illegal and harmful online content.
“Urgency is required to ensure that some of the most pernicious forms of child sexual abuse do not evade detection because of a failure in the online safety law.
“These are matters of important public debate to which we will return as the Bill makes its way through Parliament.”
“Shameful shambles” of DWP’s long term underpayment of state pensioners with “little interest” in consequences
The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) estimates it has underpaid 134,000 pensioners, mostly women, over £1 billion of their State Pension entitlement, with some of the errors dating as far back as 1985.
In January 2021, DWP started an official exercise to correct the errors, the ninth such exercise since 2018. The errors, which mostly affect widows, divorcees and women who rely on their husband’s pension contributions for some of their pension entitlement, happened because of the Department’s use of outdated systems and heavily manual processing. Small errors that were not recognised each time added up over years to significant sums of money.
DWP will only contact pensioners when it finds through these exercises that they have been underpaid, and admits that many more are not receiving their due – these “risk missing out on significant sums”, with “little guidance for those currently claiming State Pension who are concerned that they have been underpaid” and people left “in the dark over their entitlement”.
There is currently no formal plan for contacting the next of kin where a pensioner who was underpaid is now deceased.
DWP is only paying those it has identified as having a legal entitlement to arrears, in some cases many years after the event, and has been inconsistent in paying interest. It has shown little interest in understanding the further knock-on consequences, including on social care provision, for those it underpaid.
Fixing DWP’s mistakes itself comes at great cost to the taxpayer – expected to cost £24.3 million in staff costs alone by the end of 2023. Experienced, specialised staff have been moved away from business-as-usual and as a result DWP is already experiencing backlogs in processing new applications.
The risk remains that the errors that led to underpayments in the first place will be repeated in the correction exercise, if not also in new claims.
Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “For decades DWP has relied on a State Pension payment system that is clunky and required staff to check many databases – and now some pensioners and the taxpayer are paying in spades.
“Departments that make errors through maladministration have a duty to put those it wronged back in the position they should have been. In reality DWP can never make up what people have really lost, over decades, and in many cases it’s not even trying. An unknown number of pensioners died without ever getting their due and there is no current plan to pay back their estates.
“DWP is now on its ninth go at fixing these mistakes since 2018, the specialised staff diverted to fix this mess costing tens of millions more to the taxpayer and predictable consequences of delays in new pension claims. And there is no assurance that the errors that led to these underpayments in the first place will not be repeated in the correction exercise.
“This is a shameful shambles. The PAC expects DWP to set out the step changes it will make to ensure it is among the last.”
Rollout of new All Lane Running smart motorway schemes will be paused until five years of safety data available
Current stretches of smart motorway to be further upgraded with best-in-class technology and resources
£900 million commitment to ensure drivers feel safe and confident, including extra £390 million to install additional emergency areas
The rollout of new smart motorway schemes will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available, as the Department for Transport invests £900 million to improve safety on existing All Lane Running (ALR) motorways.
In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the Government will assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps.
Although available data shows smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, while their rollout is paused, the UK Government will go further by ensuring current smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources to make them as safe as possible.
This will include investing £390 million to install more than 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty. This will represent around a 50% increase in places to stop by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance.
The Department for Transport has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report, which endorsed its focus on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.
As concluded by the Committee, evidence suggests hard shoulders do not always provide a safe place to stop, and by reducing motorway capacity, they could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death or serious injury if they were to divert onto less safe local roads.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:“One of my first actions as Transport Secretary was to order a stocktake of smart motorways and since then, I have worked consistently to raise the bar on their safety. I am grateful to the Transport Committee and to all those who provided evidence for its work.
“While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.
“Pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multi-million-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps. I want thank safety campaigners, including those who have lost loved ones, for rightly striving for higher standards on our roads. I share their concerns.”
National Highways CEO Nick Harris said:“We have listened to public concerns about smart motorways and we are fully committed to taking forward the additional measures the Transport Committee has recommended.
“While we pause those all lane running schemes yet to start construction we will complete the schemes currently in construction, we will make existing sections as safe as they can possibly be and we will step up our advice to drivers so they have all the information they need.
“We are doing this because safety is our absolute priority and we want drivers to not just be safer, but also to feel safe on our busiest roads.”
Independent road safety campaigner, Meera Naran, whose 8-year-old son Dev, died in a motorway crash on the M6 in 2018, said: “Conventional and smart motorways both have their risks and benefits. I welcome this pause in the rollout of smart motorways which will give us all a positive opportunity to assess the future of our motorway network.
“I’m encouraged by the commitment of £900 million to improve the safety of our motorways, following my campaigning since Dev died. However, I’ll continue to both challenge and work alongside the Department for Transport to ensure even more is done, including calling for legislation to be looked at for Autonomous Emergency Braking and further support for on-going driver education.”
The Government’s response to the Transport Committee builds on the significant progress already made against the Department’s 18-point Action Plan to improve smart motorway safety, announced in March 2020, including adding emergency areas and upgrading cameras to detect Red X offences.
The measures in the Stocktake and Transport Committee response represent over £900m of improvements in total, including £390m of new money for extra emergency areas, with the remainder of the funding delivering other measures such as Stopped Vehicle Detection and concrete central reservation barriers.
National Highways will also ‘ramp up’ communications so drivers have better information about how to drive on smart motorways.
While the Department for Transport will be taking forward all the recommendations set out in the Committee’s recommendations, it does not agree with the view that smart motorways were rolled out prematurely or unsafely. All ALR smart motorway schemes are, and will continue to be, subject to high standards of design, risk assessment and construction, followed by detailed monitoring and evaluation once opened to traffic.
While further data is being collected, National Highways will continue work to complete schemes that are currently in construction, which will all open with technology in place to detect stopped vehicles.
These schemes are all more than 50% completed and halting progress on them now would cause significant disruption for drivers. Design work will also continue on those schemes already being planned, so they are ready to be constructed depending on the outcome of the pause. No preparatory construction work will take place.
Also, in line with the Committee’s recommendations, National Highways will pause the conversion of Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) motorways – where the hard shoulder is open at busy times – into All Lane Running motorways, while it investigates alternative ways of operating them to make things simpler for drivers. National Highways will also install technology to detect stopped vehicles on these sections.
It’s rare to hear about cross-party consensus in UK politics, but last week this happened in the House of Lords at Westminster and for a most unusual reason – crabs and lobsters!
The ten-legged crustaceans were debated late into the night, with Lords agreeing to support a government amendment declaring that animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns experience feelings such as pain and should be included in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill.
The amendment was laid on behalf of the government by Conservative peer Lord Benyon, and sponsored by opposition Labour peer Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville. It is believed to be only the second time this has happened in recent history.
Following Brexit, the UK government launched an Action Plan for Animal Welfare, including the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill which is currently making its way through UK Parliament.
After the debate in the House of Lords it will now include decapod crustaceans (animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns) and cephalopod molluscs (animals like octopus and squid).
If passed into law their welfare would have to be considered in any future policy decision-making. It would also pave the way for their inclusion into other UK animal welfare legislation such as the Animal Welfare Act.
The UK will be joining countries who already have protections for these animals in law, including Norway, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand and various Australian territories and cities in Germany, Netherlands and Italy.
The issue is particularly relevant for the UK, where approximately 420 million crabs, lobsters and langoustines are landed in UK ports by UK vessels each year.
On the 19th November 2021 an independent report was released that reviewed the evidence for sentience in decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. The report was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The review, led by Dr Jonathan Birch of the London School of Economics (LSE), analysed over 300 scientific studies over several months. The team concluded that there is strong scientific evidence of sentience in decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs, and recommends that they should be included in animal protection legislation.
The government amendment that was supported by the House of Lords, was drafted directly in response to the findings and recommendations of this report.
Crustacean Compassion, the leading group campaigning for the humane treatment of animals like crabs and lobsters, has welcomed the news. They have shown this issue to be of public concern and to have significant expert support.
Their petition calling for decapod crustaceans to be protected in law has been signed by almost 60,000 people to date, and their open letter was signed by scientists, veterinary organisations and public figures, including the British Veterinary Association, RSCPA and wildlife broadcaster Michaela Strachan.
Claire Howard of Crustacean Compassion said:“There is no longer debate about whether or not animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns can feel pain. The scientific review published by London School of Economics has shown the evidence is clear and compelling.
“In the UK this has now led to government recognition of their sentience for the first time. It would be great to see this inspire legal protection for these animals in countries around the world.”
Juliette Booker of Crustacean Compassion said: “It is fantastic to see this cross-party support resulting in crabs, lobsters and prawns being included in the UK Sentience Bill.
“The peers have reviewed the extensive scientific evidence in the LSE report and taken the findings seriously. Knowing that these animals can feel pain, we now need to ensure that inhumane practices such as boiling them alive are stopped.”
PM Boris Johnson paid tribute to Sir David Amess MP in the House of Commons yesterday:
The passing of 72 hours has done little to numb the shock and sadness we all felt when we heard of the tragic and senseless death of Sir David Amess. This House has lost a steadfast servant, we have lost a dear friend and colleague and Julia and her children have lost a loving husband and devoted father.
Nothing I or anyone else can say will lessen the pain, the grief, the anger they must feel at this darkest of times. We hold them in our hearts today, we mourn with them and we grieve alongside them.
Sir David was taken from us in a contemptible act of violence, striking at the core of what it is to be a Member of this House and violating the sanctity both of the church in which he was killed and the constituency surgery that is so essential to our representative democracy.
But we will not allow the manner of Sir David’s death to in any way detract from his accomplishments as a politician or as a human being. Because Sir David was a patriot who believed passionately in this country, in its people, in its future.
He was also one of the nicest, kindest, and most gentle individuals ever to grace these benches.
A man who used his decades of experience to offer friendship and support to new members of all parties. Whose views often confounded expectation and defied easy stereotype. And who believed not just in pointing out what was wrong with society but in getting on and doing something about it.
It was that determination to make this country a better place that inspired his outstanding record on behalf of the vulnerable and the voiceless. The master of the private members bill and 10-minute rule bill he passed legislation on subjects as diverse as animal welfare, fuel poverty and the registration of driving instructors.
He was a prodigious campaigner for children with learning disabilities and for women with endometriosis, a condition in which he became an expert after meeting a woman at one of the constituency surgeries.
Behind the famous and irresistible beam lay a seasoned campaigner of verve and grit whether he was demanding freedom for the people of Iran or courting votes in the Westminster Dog of the Year contest whether he was battling for Brexit or fighting his way to the front of the Parliamentary Pancake Race.
And as every member of this House will know, and you just confirmed Mr Speaker, he never once witnessed any achievement by any resident of Southend that could not, somehow, be cited in his bid to secure city status for that distinguished town.
Highlights of that bulging folder included a world record for playing most triangles being played at once; a group of stilt-walkers travelling non-stop from the Essex coast to Downing Street; and a visiting foreign dignitary allegedly flouting protocol by saying he liked Southend more than Cleethorpes.
A compelling case, Mr Speaker, and as it is only a short time since Sir David last put that case to me in this chamber, I am happy to announce that Her Majesty has agreed that Southend will be accorded the city status it so clearly deserves. That Sir David spent almost 40 years in this House but not one day in ministerial office tells everything about where his priorities lay.
He was not a man in awe of this chamber, nor a man who sought patronage or advancement. He simply wanted to serve the people of Essex, first in Basildon, then in Southend. And it was in the act of serving his constituents that he was so cruelly killed.
In his recent memoir, Sir David called surgeries a part of “the great British tradition of the people openly meeting their elected politicians”. Even after the murder of Jo Cox and the savage attacks on Stephen Timms and Nigel Jones he refused to accept that he should be in any way deterred from speaking face to face with his constituents.
And so when he died he was doing what he firmly believed was the most important part of any MP’s job: offering help to those in need. In the awful moments before we knew the full horror of the tragedy a member of Sir David’s constituency association, her voice breaking with emotion, told an interviewer that “we need him, the country needs him”. And we do.
This country needs people like Sir David, this House needs people like Sir David, our politics needs people like Sir David. Dedicated, passionate, firm in his beliefs but never anything less than respectful for those who thought differently.
Those are the values he brought to a lifetime of public service.There can be few among us more justified in their faith in the resurrection and the life to come. And while his death leaves a vacuum that will not and can never be filled, we will cherish his memory we will celebrate his legacy and we will never allow those who commit acts of evil to triumph over the democracy and the Parliament that Sir David Amess loved so much.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reshuffling his Cabinet.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has been sacked and former Foreign Secretary Domic Raab has paid the price for his role in the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle. Raab is replaced by Liz Truss, while Nadhim Zahawi is also promoted – he takes over at Education.
Robert Jenrick (Housing and Communities) and Robert Buckland (Lord Advocate and Secretary of State for Justice) have left the government.
Further junior ministerial appointments will be announced today, but changes so far (marked with an asterisk) are as follows:
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP
HM Treasury
Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Simon Clarke MP
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Offic8e
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and Minister for Women and Equalities – Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP *
Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP
Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Minister for Equalities) – Kemi Badenoch MP
Home Office
Secretary of State for the Home Department – Rt Hon Priti Patel MP
Minister of State – Kit Malthouse MP (jointly with the Ministry of Justice)
Cabinet Office
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office – Rt Hon Stephen Barclay MP
Minister of State – The Rt Hon Lord Frost CMG
COP26 President – Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP
Minister without Portfolio – Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP *
Minister of State – Nigel Adams MP
Ministry of Justice
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice – Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP *
Minister of State – Kit Malthouse MP (jointly with the Home Office)
Ministry of Defence
Secretary of State for Defence – Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP
Department for International Trade
Secretary of State for International Trade, and President of the Board of Trade – Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP
Department of Health and Social Care
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – The Rt Hon Sajid Javid
Department for Work and Pensions
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Rt Hon Greg Hands MP
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – Rt Hon Michael Gove MP *
Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Minister for Equalities) – Kemi Badenoch MP
Department for Education
Secretary of State for Education – Nadhim Zahawi MP *
Minister of State – Michelle Donelan MP
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – Nadine Dorries MP *
Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – Julia Lopez MP
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Rt Hon George Eustice MP
Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Victoria Prentis MP
Department for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport – Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
Northern Ireland Office
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP
Scotland Office
Secretary of State for Scotland – Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
Wales Office
Secretary of State for Wales – Rt Hon Simon Hart MP
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords – Rt Hon Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons – Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP
Whips – House of Commons
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip) – Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP
Law Officers
Attorney General – Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP
The following have left the government:
Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP – previously Secretary of State for Education
Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP – previously Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP – previously Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice
Yesterday’s announcements coincidentally (?) overshadowed an important Westminster debate on social security and the cut to Universal Credit.
Peter Matejic, Deputy Director of Evidence & Impact at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:“No Government committed to levelling up can credibly defend the biggest ever overnight cut to social security.
“As bills are going up, cost of essential items are rising and National Insurance is set to be increased, ministers are ploughing ahead with a damaging cut to Universal Credit which is fiercely opposed across the political spectrum.
“The Government is reportedly planning to ignore its own analysis which shows how catastrophic this cut would be. No good will come of cutting Universal Credit by £20-a-week. All it would do is impose unnecessary hardship on millions of low-income families and hurt the very communities the Government wants to level up.
“Ministers have nothing to say to the many families who are unable to work or are not expected to work due to sickness, disability or caring responsibilities who are facing this massive income shock.
We all need an adequate social security system and, for those who are already in work or looking for a job, a bold Plan for Jobs, if we are to improve living standards. The Prime Minister knows this and it’s not too late for him to keep this vital lifeline strong.”
Helen Barnard, Deputy Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:“Today’s debate makes clear that the Prime Minister and Chancellor are increasingly isolated in supporting the cut to Universal Credit.
“There is widespread concern amongst MPs about the devastating impact this will have on huge numbers of their constituents and new ministers are certain to face intense pressure from families anxious about how they will make ends meet from next month.
“The £20-a-week increase to Universal Credit is vital to protect families from poverty and provide the stability they need to improve their prospects.
“As energy bills go up, prices on the shelves rise and National Insurance is set to increase, the Prime Minister must urgently keep this support in place, or his premiership risks being defined by plunging people into poverty rather than levelling up.”
Westminster’s Foreign Affairs Committee is to hold an evidence session on the UK’s evacuation of people from Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s seizure of power. MPs will have the opportunity to question Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at the session which takes place on Wednesday (1 September) at 2.00pm.
The Taliban took control of Kabul on 15 August.
The Foreign Secretary has said that: “Afghanistan must never again be used as a base for terrorist attacks against the West or any other country.
“We will have to address the looming humanitarian crisis in the country, which would also threaten regional stability, and strive to secure a more inclusive Afghan government that can maintain stability and avoid the kind of human rights abuses that the Taliban have committed before, particularly against women.
“We will use all of the levers at our disposal, including sanctions, aid and access to the international finance system, and we are rallying our international partners around these shared priorities.”
Members of the Committee are likely to question the Foreign Secretary on issues such as:
Progress on the effort to evacuate UK nationals and others eligible for relocation;
The security, humanitarian and human rights impacts of the Taliban takeover;
The use of levers such as sanctions and aid to pressure the Taliban.
Announcing the evidence session, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat MP, said: “The last two weeks have been tough for so many of us: anger, shame, even incredulity.
“We never thought we would see the day NATO forces, led by the US, would turn their backs on the people of Afghanistan. It is the biggest foreign policy failure since Suez and highlights once again the importance of building up networks of allies, not having a single partner.
“Many of those raw emotions have now turned to questions on the future of UK foreign policy. How will we deal with the Taliban? How will Afghanistan shape our regional strategy? How will the Government hold the Taliban to account for reverses in human rights?
“These questions, and so many others, will be put to the Foreign Secretary this week.”
A letter has been sent to all MPs regarding the Afghanistan evacuation and next steps:
Dear Colleagues,
The developments in Afghanistan over the last few weeks have been extremely difficult to witness. We know many of you, like thousands of people around the country, have been closely involved in working to make Afghanistan a better place over the last two decades and have a deep connection with the country and its people.
Yesterday’s callous attacks on innocent people outside Kabul airport brought into stark relief the fragility of the situation in Afghanistan. It was also a terrible reminder of the challenges we face both in getting people to safety now and supporting the country in the long-term.
Our thoughts are with the families of all those who lost their lives, including several US service personnel and many Afghan civilians.
As you know, in line with US military deadlines and our operational objectives, the UK evacuation effort at Kabul airport, Operation Pitting, is concluding. We wanted to update you on the end of our current process and what follows next, including the return of nearly 1,000 HMG personnel over the coming days.
We have worked at unprecedented pace to facilitate the largest and most complex evacuation in living memory. The Armed Forces, MoD, FCDO and Home Office staff have worked incredibly hard in very difficult circumstances to bring out over 13,000 people over the last two weeks.
This number includes British nationals and their dependants, Afghans who worked for the UK government and military and their dependants, and other Afghans who are at particularly high risk. We have also supported our allies and partners to help their nationals to safety wherever possible.
This has only been possible thanks to the extraordinary efforts of UK troops and government officials on the ground, who put themselves in harm’s way and worked around the clock to evacuate as many people as possible.
We are grateful to you for all your efforts to direct those in need of support towards assistance. Our consular teams have been able to reach many in need thanks to your help.
A whole government effort will support and integrate our Afghan friends into UK society through this traumatic period.
What follows next – safe passage
We have always cautioned that the nature of the security situation in Afghanistan and our responsibility to keep our people safe meant that we would not be able to evacuate everyone we wanted to. We know that every single one of you will have been contacted about heart-breaking stories of those left behind in unimaginable circumstances.
That is why once we have finished the immediate evacuation our efforts will turn to doing all we can to help any remaining British nationals and Afghans who have supported us and who we were not able to evacuate over the last fortnight.
We continue to offer support to all those in that situation or who have left Afghanistan and are now in a third country. Please continue to direct anyone who gets in contact with you to the FCDO consular or MoD Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) helplines. Our ARAP scheme is not time limited.
We are clear that the Taliban must ensure safe passage for these people out of Afghanistan and any engagement with them will emphasise this first and foremost.
The Home Office is working quickly across government and with international partners to establish the details of the new Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). This scheme will provide protection for Afghan citizens identified as most at risk, such as women and girls. The government has committed to take around 5,000 refugees in the first year and 20,000 over the coming years.
This is one of the most comprehensive resettlement schemes the UK has ever established. We know how important it is to get the most vulnerable people to safety quickly. That is why during this period of acute crisis, while we had the ability to bring people out on military aircraft, we made the decision to evacuate as many of these people as possible.
Where we have managed to evacuate people to the UK who are not covered by ARAP or otherwise entitled to remain in the UK, they will fall under the new Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme. Those that were called forward by FCDO, but who we are sadly unable to evacuate before ceasing operations in Afghanistan, will also be guaranteed a place under ACRS.
Now that we are moving into a new phase for resettlement, we are looking at options to ensure that ACRS provides a safe route for those who are most vulnerable and at risk. Much will depend on the ability of individuals to receive safe passage from Afghanistan, and it is vital that the scheme dovetails with similar efforts being taken by our international partners. We will also work alongside Local Authorities to identify accommodation for those that arrive.
Our future commitment to the Afghan people
While the current phase of our engagement in Afghanistan is coming to an end, our commitment to the country will endure.
We are supporting the Afghan people in the long-term through a renewed humanitarian effort and by ensuring the Taliban are held accountable for the pledges they have made to respect human rights.
The UK has already doubled the amount of humanitarian aid to the region, committing up to £286 million with immediate effect, and we will continue to urge international partners to match our commitment.
Across government, ministers and officials are engaged in intensive international diplomacy, including at the UN Security Council and bilaterally. As President of the G7, the Prime Minister chaired an urgent meeting of G7 leaders on 24 August to discuss Afghanistan.
At this time, it is more important than ever that we stand united with our allies. The G7 agreed to produce a roadmap for engagement with the Taliban and agree standards they must be held to, including protecting women’s rights and ensuring humanitarian access. All agreed on the need for unity of message and purpose amongst the international community, and the UK will continue to lead this effort.
Let us reassure you that we will continue to use every lever at our disposal to secure the safe passage of those who wish to leave Afghanistan and to hold the Taliban to account. We will also do all we can to support the people who remain, including through our increased commitment of humanitarian assistance.
The UK Government should make the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit permanent, according to a joint letter issued by cross-party committees from Westminster, the Northern Irish Assembly, the Welsh Senedd and the Scottish Parliament.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak and Work Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, have confirmed that the uplift will come to an end in October.
However, if the uplift is removed, the 6 million people claiming Universal Credit will lose £1,040 in annual income overnight. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation this could force 500,000 people, including 200,000 children, into poverty.
The letter also raises concerns that the benefit will be removed from families at the same time unemployment is due to peak as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme comes to an end.
The Committees call on the uplift to be extended to legacy benefits, to make sure those in need do not miss out.
The letter was signed by Neil Gray MSP, Convener of Holyrood’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee, Stephen Timms MP, Chair of Westminster’s Work and Pensions Select Committee, Paula Bradley MLA, Chair of Stormont’s Committee for Communities, and Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair of the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee.
Neil Gray MSP, Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said:“The UK Government did the right thing at the start of the pandemic to increase Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit to give better support to people during these incredibly challenging times.
“But removing the uplift in October would have devastating consequences for our most vulnerable in society, who have been hit hardest by this pandemic.
“This risks sending many more people into poverty at a time when we should be doing all we can to support them.
Mr Gray added: “All four of our Committees agree that by spending this money now on social security, we can avoid putting more people into poverty, helping save more money in the longer term on health, education, justice and other social services.”
Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee, said: “To sweep away such a vital lifeline from people who have felt the very worst effects of the pandemic risks plunging hundreds of thousands of people into poverty at a time when they will have had little or no chance to get back on their feet.
“Six Conservative former welfare secretaries have warned the Chancellor of the grave consequences of his proposed course of action. The strength of feeling on all sides of the political divide, and across the UK, could not be clearer. The Government must change course.
“At the same time, the Government must also increase support for the people who, through no fault of their own, are still claiming older benefits and have received no pandemic-related increases at all – despite their living costs rising during the pandemic.”
Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair, Equality and Social Justice Committee, said:
“Whilst, in Wales, policy relating to Universal Credit and other social security benefits is reserved to Westminster, we are deeply concerned about the impact removing the uplift might have on widening social inequality in Wales; growing indebtedness as a result of the economic impact of Covid; and the ability of low income families to eat as well as pay their rent.”
BBC spend in Scotland has fluctuated in recent years and, despite Ofcom praising the BBC’s ability to support Scotland’s creative economy, the BBC missed its spend quota in Scotland last year.
In addition, recent reports have suggested that control of two BBC Scotland studios could be taken over by BBC Studioworks in Elstree, Hertfordshire.
The Scottish Affairs Committee held a previous session with BBC Scotland in 2018.
MPs will use Monday’s session to explore topics including:
The BBC’s commitment to Scotland;
The BBC’s performance in Scotland;
UK Government support for public service broadcasting;
The impact of the rise of streaming services and social media;
How an increasingly digital world could impact the ease at which non-English content – such as BBC Alba and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal – can be found.
Ofcom has found that people in Scotland watch the most broadcast television of any UK nation, with BBC One productions being the top three most-viewed shows in Scotland in 2019.
Witnesses:
Tuesday 20 July, from 10am
Steve Carson, Director, BBC Scotland
Louise Thornton, Head of Multiplatform Commissioning, BBC Scotland
Gary Smith, Head of News and Current Affairs, BBC Scotland
