Over the last two years, the pandemic has caused a statistical anomaly in average earnings. Last year, the law changed for one year to increase State Pensions by 2.5 per cent, when average earnings had fallen and price inflation increased by half a percentage point. If this action had not been taken, State Pensions would have been frozen.

This year, the anomaly remains. As millions of people have left furlough and the labour market has changed significantly, reported average wage growth is due to be over 8 per cent. It would not be right to increase pensions by this figure – it is not what the triple lock was ever intended to deal with, would cost £4-5 billion, and would have to be funded by increasing taxes on working people.

On 7th September it was announced that there will be a move to a Double Lock for one year only. This means the state pension will rise next year by the higher of inflation or 2.5 per cent, now confirmed as a 3.1 per cent increase.

This approach will ensure pensioners’ spending power is preserved and that they are protected from higher costs of living. It will also ensure that as we are having to make difficult decisions elsewhere across public spending – including freezing public sector pay – pensioners are not unfairly benefitting from a statistical anomaly.

Colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions have assured me that this measure is temporary for one year, and the Triple Lock will apply as usual from next year for the remainder of this Parliament, in line with the manifesto commitment.

The triple lock guarantee was put in place in 2011, which has led to the state pension increasing by an average of 3 per cent annually since. In total, the basic state pension has increased by 35 per cent or £2,050 since 2011. It is now worth £137.60 per week – relative to earnings, the highest it has been in 34 years. The full rate of the new state pension is £179.60 per week, up from £155.65 when it was introduced in 2016. 

These measures have meant there are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty, compared to a decade ago.  On top of this, pensioners continue receive other support – free TV licences, free bus passes, winter fuel payments, and tax-free pension contributions worth over £50 billion.

I would also like to reassure you that I will continue to work with colleagues in Parliament to protect pensioners consistently.

DS.

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, enshrines the recognition that animals are sentient in domestic law. It also creates a proportionate accountability mechanism to help reassure that central government policymaking takes this into account.

I am encouraged that this Bill will create an Animal Sentience Committee with experts which will produce reports on how well policy decisions have paid all due regard to the welfare of animals. The relevant Minister must then respond to reports via statements to Parliament. From now on, Ministers will need to be ready to show that the needs of animals have been considered in relevant policy decisions.

There is clear evidence that animals with a backbone are sentient and I am pleased that this is reflected in the Government’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. However, I am assured that the Bill also gives the Secretary of State a power to extend the recognition of sentience to particular invertebrates in future on the basis of evidence.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has commissioned an independent review of the available scientific evidence on sentience in decapod crustaceans, as well as sentience in the class cephalopoda. I understand that the review will report shortly and I look forward to reading its conclusions, which I know Ministers will respond to as part of their ongoing work to protect the welfare needs of animals.

DS.

I am aware of the concerns around the use of snares, which can cause suffering to both target and non-target animals. It is an issue my ministerial colleagues are looking at closely as part of the continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world. However, I am not aware of any current plans to ban the use of the snare trap.

When practised to a high standard, and in accordance with the law, snaring can offer an effective means to reduce the harmful impacts of foxes on livestock, game and wildlife. I know that snares are commonly used in the UK to catch certain animals prior to their killing and current legislation provides strong protection for threatened species and the welfare of trapped animals. Those committing an offence can face prosecution, an unlimited fine or even a custodial sentence.

Snares are controlled in England and Wales under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This prohibits the use of self-locking snares and the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals such as badgers. It also requires snares to be inspected on a daily basis. I also know that snares must not be set where there is evidence of regular use by non-target species

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to animals under the control of man, including those animals caught in traps. Trapped animals should be released from a snare trap as soon as reasonably practicable after discovery to ensure they do not unnecessarily suffer. Not doing so could be a breach of the 2006 Act and could lead to prosecution.

The onus is on trap operators to act within the law and consider their responsibilities in ensuring that their activities do not harm protected species or cause any unnecessary suffering. Of course, if you believe an individual is inflicting unnecessary suffering on animals, the matter should be reported to the police.

DS.

Thanks to the efforts of all its staff, the NHS withstood the challenge of the pandemic, treating and caring for millions of people. 

Of course, the need to focus on the response to the pandemic meant resources were diverted to tackling it, resulting in the significant backlog in elective care we now face. In England, 5.7 million people are currently waiting for treatment.

That is why I am glad that the Government is investing an additional £12 billion per year over the next three years in health and social care. I welcome the Government’s commitment to tackling the elective backlog through the biggest catch up programme in the NHS’s history. £2 billion will be spent this year, double the previous commitment, with an additional £8 billion to be spent in the following three years. This welcome funding could deliver the equivalent of around 9 million more checks, scans and procedures and will mean NHS England can aim to deliver around 30 per cent more elective activity by 2024-25 than before the pandemic. This investment in elective surgery and diagnostic facilities will be vital in allowing those who suffer with arthritis to access the care they need.

DS.

The Autumn Budget 2021 confirmed that duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits will be frozen for another year, a move which will save consumers £3 billion over the next five years, and provide further support to the hospitality industry and its suppliers as they recover from the pandemic. Duty rates on draught beer and cider will be cut by 5 per cent, taking 3p off a pint and further supporting pubs.

I was glad to see the announcement in the Autumn Budget 2021 that, following a review, the alcohol duty regime is to undergo a major simplification. The old system was outdated system that set rates based on historical anomalies, and a new regime will be fairer to both consumers and producers, and promote product innovation in response to evolving consumer tastes.

This radical simplification of the duty system will reduce the number of main rates from 15 to 6, and tax products in proportion to their alcohol content.

All tax categories, such as beer and wine, will be moved to a standardised set of bands, with rates for products between 1.2-3.4 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV), 3.5-8.4 per cent ABV, 8.5-22 per cent ABV, and above 22 per cent ABV. Above 8.5 per cent ABV, all products across all categories will pay the same rate of duty if they have the same proportion of alcohol content. Registration and payment will also be simplified, and the practice where individual products have different administrative rules will end.

The new progressive manner in which alcohol is taxed will ensure higher strength products incur proportionately more duty, and these rates will be the same across all product categories. This change will address the problem of harmful high-strength products being sold too cheaply, and the new rates for low strength drinks below 3.5 per cent ABV will encourage manufacturers to develop new products at lower ABVs, giving consumers greater choice and greater options to drink responsibly.

I welcome the introduction of a new small producer relief which will build on the previous success of the Small Brewers Relief, which will benefit cidermakers and other producers of lower ABV drinks. This will allow small producers to diversify their product range to other products below 8.5 per cent ABV while still benefitting from reduced rates.

DS.

I completely agree with you that the unprecedented threat of the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us how vital our health and care system is to all of us. I want to assure you that the NHS will always be free at the point of use, and any proposed reforms will aim to continue to improve the quality of these services and patient outcomes.

As we recover from the pandemic, it is right and necessary that our health and care services are at the forefront. The pandemic underlined not only the dedication and skill of those in this sector, but also the necessity of a broader, more integrated health and care system. I welcome the intention to develop more joined up, integrated care between the NHS, Local Government and other partners including the voluntary and community sector, which will be vital in tackling the factors that affect the long-term sustainability of patient services. The Bill will make permanent some of the innovations we have seen as a result of the pandemic. I understand that these proposed reforms will also include proper accountability mechanisms, and give patients and the public the confidence that they are receiving the best care from their healthcare system. 

The measures set out in the Health and Care Bill deliver on the NHS’s own proposals for reform in its Long Term Plan. I believe these proposals have been developed in consultation with key stakeholders in this sector, and I am encouraged by the preliminary positive feedback received. In particular, the comments from the former Chief Executive of NHS England, who has said that this Bill “will support our health and care services to be more integrated and innovative so the NHS can thrive in the decades to come”, are reassuring.

DS.

I agree that every human has a right to nutritious and adequate food supply. This is a serious issue and it is vital everything possible is done to help people with the cost of living. Ministers are working hard to improve competition to help producers and retailers offer the best prices for food and regularly discuss all aspects of food security, including accessibility.

I know that the Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. Further, throughout the pandemic, Ministers delivered an unprecedented package of support to protect jobs and businesses and, for those in most need, injected billions into the welfare system.

As the economy recovers, it is my ambition to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible, based on clear evidence around the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. Through the Plan for Jobs, Ministers are investing over £33bn in measures to create, support and protect jobs. This includes over £2bn investment in the Kickstart programme and an additional 13,500 Work Coaches in our Jobcentres, as well as other measures focused on boosting work search, skills and apprenticeships.

DS.

I am pleased to tell you that my Ministerial colleagues are examining the evidence around the use of cages for farm animals and are considering the options. They have also committed to continuing to focus on maintaining world-leading farm animal welfare standards through both regulatory requirements and statutory codes.

I am encouraged that this Government has set itself a challenging agenda to tackle animal welfare issues and is taking action on many fronts to improve the health and wellbeing of farm animals. A major example is the commitment to end excessively long journeys for live animals going for slaughter and for fattening, which will be realised through the Kept Animals Bill now making its way through Parliament. Now we have left the EU, Ministers are also able to reward farmers for providing higher standards of animal welfare and environmental protection measures. I am pleased that Ministers have committed to co-designing an Animal Health and Welfare Pathway under this plan, which aims to promote the production of healthier, higher-welfare farm animals at a level beyond compliance with current regulations.

Ministers have also been clear that it is their ambition for farrowing crates to no longer be used for sows. Indeed, the new pig welfare code clearly states that “the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow, as well as her piglets.” It is important that we make progress towards a system that both works commercially and safeguards the welfare of the sow and her piglets, and that we do so as quickly as possible. I am pleased to confirm the UK is already ahead of most pig producing countries in terms of non-confinement farrowing, with around 40 per cent of our pigs housed outside and not farrowed with crates.

Of course, if you do have specific concerns about the welfare of an animal, I would recommend reporting it to the police or to the RSPCA who can investigate and take action where necessary.

DS.

I am concerned by the reports of women being drugged via drinks or needles in nightclubs and elsewhere. 

While it is the case that it is difficult to make an assessment on the prevalence of spiking by injection at this stage, the concerns of women across the country are real and we must ensure that safety in and around nightclubs is taken seriously. 

That is why I am encouraged that the Home Secretary has requested an urgent update from police on investigations into reports of women who may have been spiked. It is vital that this behaviour is reported to the police. 

More broadly, I welcome the publication of the tackling violence against women and girls strategy to ensure women and girls are safe everywhere. The strategy will increase support for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the long-term.

A number of measures in the strategy are focused on practical action to increase physical safety in public places. This includes a £5 Million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund, in addition to the Safer Streets Fund, that focuses on the prevention of violence against women and girls in public spaces at night, including in the night-time economy. 

I will continue to monitor the situation and reports of this violence and will engage with Ministers to ensure that nightclubs are doing enough to ensure women can safely enjoy the night-time economy.

DS.