theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_36
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_36

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the site of the taxi rank at Euston station. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The current taxi rank location is temporary to enable the construction of the HS2 station. Work is in progress to determine the new permanent location of the taxi rank.

In the interim, Transport for London are investigating potential improvements, such as changing turning priorities, having close regard to applicable road safety and highway management issues requirements.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_37
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_37

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the distance in metres between the disabled assistance room at Euston station and (1) the new taxi rank, and (2) the site of the old taxi pick-up point on Cardington Street. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The designated Mobility Assistance Taxi Bays remain on the western Euston Gardens site to help reduce the distance to the Mobility Assistance Reception in the station. This is approximately 120m from the Assisted Travel Lounge, similar to the previous facility, which was located underground (and which required use of a lift).

The distance to/from the Assisted Travel Lounge from the new eastern rank pick-up/drop-off points is approximately 275m and 252m respectively (via Doric passageway), though this is not the designated Mobility Assistance Taxi Bay.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_38
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_38

Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety implications of passenger aircrafts landing at airports during Storm Eowyn. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The safety of the traveling public is a priority for the Government. Whether or not it is safe to land at an airport is an operational decision between the aircraft operator, air traffic controllers, and ultimately the pilot in command of an aircraft.

UK aviation operates predominately in the private sector, with each airline responsible for its own severe weather plans, tailored to specific operations, locations, and infrastructure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_39

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the risk to pedestrians from crossing traffic to get to the new taxi rank point at Euston railway station. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: A full Road Safety Audit, as required by Transport for London, has been carried out on both crossing points (adjacent to Eversholt Street and adjacent to Euston Road). Both crossings were enhanced as part of the taxi rank design to improve safety for pedestrians, including widening the islands and changing the signal timings.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_40
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_40

Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) legal, and (2) diplomatic, considerations relevant to establishing direct flights from the United Kingdom to Northern Cyprus. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Under the 1944 Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus may designate Ercan as an international customs airport and grant permission for flights. It has not done so. This means that no direct air services between the north of Cyprus and the UK can take place as it would be contrary to the UK’s obligations under the Chicago Convention.

A just and lasting settlement on the island is the best chance of resolving these complex issues. The UK’s commitment to helping the sides achieve this remains unwavering.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any requirements to inform low-paid workers that they will pay 25 per cent more for their employer’s pension than they would if their employer auto-enrolled them into a pension fund with relief at source administration; and, if so, whose responsibility it is to inform them. \p Baroness Sherlock: Employers are responsible for choosing a workplace pension scheme for their qualifying employees under the automatic enrolment framework.

The Pensions Regulator provides guidance for employers about how to comply with their automatic enrolment duties, including the information they must share with eligible employees.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_42

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government for how many universal credit claimants the calculation of earnings includes a work allowance, broken down by (1) gender of claimant, (2) whether it is a single or joint claim, and (3) whether the claimant has children or not. \p Baroness Sherlock: The table below provides the number of Universal Credit claimants in October 2024 where the calculation of earnings includes a work allowance, broken down by gender of claimant, whether it is a single or joint claim, and whether the claimant has children or not.

Single or joint claim

Gender

Children

Volumes

Single

Female

Yes

1,004,000

No

57,000

Male

Yes

107,000

No

39,000

Couple

Female

Yes

620,000

No

57,000

Male

Yes

610,000

No

56,000

Note: the data in the table above is from Universal Credit administrative data from October 2024 and subject to retrospective changes. The volumes are of people who were in payment of UC in October 2024 and those with positive earnings recorded in their award calculation. The figures have been rounded to 2 significant figures. Those with missing values have been excluded from the figures above. We have defined single status and couple status according to their standard allowance amount.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_43

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants receive the lower rate of the standard allowance due to being below the age of 25, broken down by (1) gender of claimant, (2) whether it is a single or joint claim, and (3) whether the claimant has children or not. \p Baroness Sherlock: The table below provides the number of Universal Credit claimants who receive the lower rate of standard allowance due to being below the age of 25. The data is for October 2024 and broken down by gender of claimant, whether it is a single or joint claim, and whether the claimant has children or not

Single or joint claim

Gender

Children

Volumes

Single and under 25

Female

Yes

110,000

No

180,000

Male

Yes

4,200

No

270,000

Joint claim and both under 25

Female

Yes

12,000

No

5,400

Male

Yes

11,000

No

4,600

Note: the data in the table above is from Universal Credit administrative data from October 2024 and subject to retrospective changes. The volumes are of people who were in payment of UC in October 2024. The figures have been rounded to 2 significant figures. Those with missing values have been excluded from the figure above. We have defined single status and couple status according to their standard allowance amount.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_44

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what statistics have been published regarding the gender of the bank account holder for Universal Credit since the 2019 publication Universal Credit Statistical Ad Hoc: Gender of bank account holder on Universal Credit; and what information is available, broken down by gender, of the person nominated as the lead carer in couples with children. \p Baroness Sherlock: There have been no further publications since 2019 on the gender of the bank account holder for UC.

A flag was developed to identify lead carers in our administrative data in July 2023, to enable us to monitor the rollout of the 2023 changes to lead carer conditionality. Based on data from October 2024, there were around 825,000 lead carers in receipt of UC with a couple claim: 87% are female, 13% are male. The tables below provide a breakdown of some further characteristics:

Characteristics of lead carers who are part of a couple claim on Universal Credit, October 2024

Age group

Under 25

25-34

35-44

45-49

50-54

55+

Female

4%

33%

46%

11%

4%

1%

Male

1%

16%

40%

19%

13%

11%

Employed

No

Yes

Female

57%

43%

Male

44%

56%

Age of youngest child

0-4

5-10

11-15

16-19

Female

45%

35%

19%

0%

Male

33%

39%

27%

1%

Number of children

0

1

2

3

4

5+

Female

33%

39%

19%

7%

2%

3%

Male

37%

37%

17%

6%

2%

2%

Note: totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding. These figures are from DWP administrative data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 29 January (HL4288), what discussions they have had with the BBC regarding the announcement on 29 January to make redundancies in the World Service. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The BBC are operationally, editorially independent and decide the most effective and efficient way to deliver the World Service, this includes staffing matters.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers engage routinely with the BBC on the World Service. The BBC discussed their plans for the World Service in 2025/26 with the FCDO, as part of the Spending Review process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of China about the reported disappearance of nine Tibetans, raised by UN special rapporteurs and working groups in a letter dated 14 November 2024 (AL CHN 15/2024). \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He respectively).

More broadly, we will continue to champion freedom of religion and belief for all abroad, including through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora. For example, the UK joined a statement on the situation in Tibet led by Australia at the UN General Assembly last October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_47

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with counterparts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda over the seizure of Goma by M23 militia, and what assessment they have made of the security, humanitarian and human rights implications. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Foreign Secretary spoke to President Kagame to urge Rwanda to de-escalate this conflict and return to negotiations. We made clear that an attack on Goma would provoke a strong response from the international community. The Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi to express his deep concern about M23 and the Rwandan Defence Force's advances. I have spoken to the Rwandan Foreign Minister and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Foreign Minister to urge both countries to return to the negotiating table. The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern DRC by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and the United Nations Charter, which poses a fundamental risk to regional stability. The humanitarian situation is now critical, with hundreds of thousands of people re-displaced, acute food insecurity and an increased risk of violence against civilians, especially women and girls. More than 800,000 people in the area who were prioritised for support may no longer receive vital food and nutritional assistance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Commonwealth Secretariat regarding Rwanda’s compliance with Article 2 of the Commonwealth Charter in the light of allegations of Rwanda's support for the M23 rebel group. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is engaging with the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure they continue to urge immediate de-escalation, a return to negotiations and the respect of human rights and dignity, as was outlined in the Secretary General's recent statement. The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces, as well as all human rights abuses by armed groups in DRC.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have (1) made representations to, or (2) received representations from, other Commonwealth member states about Rwanda’s alleged involvement in destabilising activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Foreign Secretary has spoken with President Kagame, and I have spoken to the Rwandan Foreign Minister and High Commissioner in the UK, to call for immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomatic talks. We have urged Rwanda that there would be a strong response to an attack on Goma from the international community. The Foreign Secretary also raised eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo with the Kenyan, and South African Foreign Ministers, with whom he expressed condolences for their 14 peacekeepers killed. I have also spoken to the Ugandan Foreign Minister, emphasising the importance of a coordinated international response. The UK has further engaged with other Commonwealth partners at official level to push for an end to the killing and a return to peaceful negotiations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review (1) the provision of UK aid to, or (2) other forms of co-operation with, Rwanda in light of its alleged support for the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK condemns the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces as an unacceptable breach of DRC's sovereignty and the United Nations Charter which poses a fundamental risk to regional stability. We have been clear with Rwanda that this would provoke a strong response from the international community and called for the immediate withdrawal of all Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory. We are considering all options with partners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_51

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the International Criminal Court regarding its stalled investigation into alleged atrocity crimes in Nigeria. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an impartial, professional and independent court. It is a court of last resort, which is complementary to national legal systems, undertaking investigations only when national authorities are unable or unwilling to do so. In 2024 , the ICC Deputy Prosecutor visited Nigeria and stressed that the ICC would move forward with an investigation if the Nigerian authorities did not bridge existing impunity gaps. The UK Government is committed to supporting the ICC internationally and it is for the ICC Prosecutor to determine the focus of his investigations in accordance with his mandate. It is important that all criminal proceedings are taken forward impartially and independently by the Court under the framework of the Rome Statute. The UK Government respects the independence of the Court.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 22 November 2024 (HL2411) and the equalities assessment on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office flying the bisexual flag, what plans they have for it to fly (1) the transgender flag, (2) the asexual flag, (3) the aromantic flag, or (4) the intersex flag. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The FCDO's flag flying policy is that all our buildings should fly the Union flag, as appropriate, throughout the year on working days during office hours. In addition, the FCDO continues to fly the Ukrainian flag from the secondary flagpole at King Charles Street. Any other flags flown on the estate are considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a compelling reason for inclusion. The FCDO does not advertise in advance which additional flags it will be flying and when.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the agreement reached between the UK and Denmark in 1917 on the sovereignty of Greenland. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: There were discussions between the UK and Denmark about Greenland's status in the early 20th Century, but our position remains that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and that the future of their constitutional arrangements is a matter for the people and government of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark as the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State, Stephen Doughty, have repeatedly and publicly made clear.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_54

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any links between the DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) model and the Chinese Communist Party, of the implications for national interests of its built-in censorship functionality, and of its capabilities for military use and political interference. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The use of DeepSeek is a personal choice. The public should use their discretion and be alive to the risks that come with any new AI model, including familiarising themselves with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advice. As a Chinese company, data inputted into the model will be sent to China and thus is subject to Chinese law. The UK supports freedom of expression and we expect companies to be transparent about their AI models. While we cannot comment on individual cases, the NCSC is able to assess technologies in line with their role as the National Technical Authority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_55

Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to be a global leader in protecting freedom of religion or belief around the world. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding, including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they intend to make to the government of Bangladesh concerning the increase of freedom of religion violations experienced by minority groups. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). In November 2024, The Minister for the Indo-Pacific visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus who has been vocal about support for minorities. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to any violence. We are supporting the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, who are working with Bangladesh's Interim Government to produce credible independent data on incidents of religious violence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Gascoigne:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister has spoken to Vice President Vance of the United States since the latter took office, and if not, when he plans to do so. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on 26 January and congratulated him on his inauguration.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of artificial intelligence for addressing delays in processing cancer scans. \p Baroness Merron: The Department has not made a formal assessment, but is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way artificial intelligence (AI) tools are deployed, which includes addressing delays in processing cancer scans, across the National Health Service, through a number of initiatives.

AI technology supports magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to increase the number of patients scanned per day without impacting on the image quality of the scans. Over the last three years, more than 200 MRI scanners have benefited from this acceleration technology, with approximately 20% to 30% of additional scans being performed per day, depending on the complexity of the patient referrals. This increased capacity supports improving access for patients referred under urgent referrals for an MRI scan, and will also supports patients who suffer from claustrophobia, as the time the patient is required to lie in the scanner is reduced.

The AI Diagnostic Fund is supporting the deployment of technologies in high-volume diagnostic services, such as chest x-rays and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis. Funding has been provided to twelve imaging networks, covering 66 acute and specialist trusts across England. During this pilot phase the impact of the deployment will be measured in areas such as the reduced time between the scan and the diagnosis, the reduced waiting time for cancer treatment, the accuracy of diagnoses, and improved patient outcomes.

The Department will continue to look at opportunities to utilise AI to transform diagnostic performance and address delays in processing cancer scans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce rates of suicide. \p Baroness Merron: We have committed to tackling suicide, as one of the biggest killers in this country. As part of this, the 8,500 new mental health staff we will recruit will be specially trained to support people at risk, to reduce the lives lost to suicide.

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in September 2023, identifies a number of groups for tailored or targeted action at a national level, and we are exploring opportunities to go further.

79 organisations have been allocated funding between 2023 and 2025, through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, and are delivering a broad and diverse range of activities that will prevent suicides and save lives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's recommendation in November 2024 to limit COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for the Autumn 2025 vaccination campaign, what assessment they have made of the resulting risk of social isolation and requirements for households to shield clinically at-risk family members excluded from COVID-19 vaccination. \p Baroness Merron: The independent Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme covering vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

The Government is considering the JCVI’s advice on autumn 2025 carefully and will respond in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase workforce capacity in (1) cancer care, and (2) radiotherapy treatment services. \p Baroness Merron: The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.

We will continue to recruit radiographers and radiologists. We continue to recruit priority medical specialties including clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, and clinical radiologists. We are also supporting employers to train new radiographers through the apprenticeship pathway, ensuring that imaging training academies can increase training capacity in addition to reforming training to support rapid development for both radiologists and radiographers. These actions will help to improve outcomes for radiotherapy patients.

This summer, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will set out next steps in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 4 November 2024 (HL1879), whether they will issue guidance to NHS England and NHS Trusts on reducing equality, diversity and inclusion spending to help deliver the 2-percent administration savings announced at Budget 2024. \p Baroness Merron: The Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance was published on 14 May 2024, and required all departments and arm's length bodies to set controls on all equality, diversity, and inclusion related expenditure. No further guidance was issued by the Department to National Health Service trusts.

The Government is committed to creating a fair health system that tackles health inequalities effectively, whilst deriving maximum value from taxpayers’ money.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-10 conversation_63
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to radiotherapy treatment. \p Baroness Merron: A £70 million investment in new radiotherapy machines will ensure that the most advanced treatment is available and accessible to patients. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department will publish the new National Cancer Plan for England, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including improving access to treatment for patients.

Addressing healthcare inequalities is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service in England is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. The Department has established 11 working groups to take forward policy development that will feed into the plan. This includes working groups focused on how care should be designed and delivered in England to improve healthcare equity, alongside ensuring that access to healthcare services is effective and responsive.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Viscount Trenchard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of the independence of the external scrutiny team of the Council of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations. \p Lord Coaker: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 29 January 2025, to Question HL4334.

Council of Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association (docx, 29.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government why they have decided to immobilise and dispose of 140 tonnes of civil plutonium stored at Sellafield rather than repurposing the material for energy generation, selling it, or putting it to an alternative use, such as in medical or scientific research. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Implementing a long-term solution for plutonium is essential to dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy and leaving the environment safer for future generations.

The material in its current form presents a significant and costly burden. DESNZ and NDA has considered re-use options and found that immobilisation is more likely to put the material into a safe, stable and disposable form soonest and with greatest delivery confidence.

All current and planned UK reactors use uranium fuel. We will continue to take wider strategic factors and technologies into account in making the final investment decision.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to implement the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. \p Lord Livermore: Yes, the government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

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Lord Davies of Brixton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish draft legislation on the oversight and regulation of the actuarial profession during this parliamentary Session. \p Lord Livermore: In the King’s Speech in July 2024, the Government confirmed its intention to bring forward draft legislation setting out its proposals to create a new statutory regulator – the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA) – with a wider remit and the powers it needs to uphold standards in financial reporting in the UK.

A draft Bill and further information about the Government’s proposals for ARGA, including its responsibilities and scope, will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Colgrain:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen trade between the United Kingdom and Morocco. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Department for Business and Trade is committed to helping UK businesses export to Morocco, supported by the UK-Morocco Association Agreement in force since January 2021. Bilateral trade was worth £4.2 billion in 2024, up £0.6 billion in current prices from 2023. An example of the opportunities for further UK-Morocco business partnerships comes with Morocco co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup, where opportunities are emerging for British businesses.

In January 2025, Ben Coleman MP was appointed Trade Envoy for Morocco and Francophone West Africa to support the UK’s growth agenda with Morocco.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have taken steps, in negotiating a trade agreement with the United State of America, to ensure that food standards will not be reduced in the UK. \p Baroness Gustafsson: We have had constructive discussions with the US on an economic deal, and we remain committed to these talks. But, as we have made clear, we will only ever sign trade agreements which align with the UK’s national interests. Our manifesto was also clear that we will always uphold our high food standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey by the British Retail Consortium on 29 April, particularly the finding that 52 per cent of human resources directors surveyed suggested the Employment Rights Bill would reduce staffing levels. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Delivering on our plan to Make Work Pay is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards and create opportunities for all. We are committed to working in partnership with businesses to realise that ambition, enabling businesses and workers to thrive.

The Government has consulted with stakeholders extensively. We have collaborated directly with over 170 stakeholders, working in partnership to deliver on our Plan to Make Work Pay. Many of these conversations touch on research undertaken by external organisations.

My department has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This initial analysis includes consideration of the potential effects on employment; the risk is currently deemed low. This analysis is available at: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the Financial Reporting Council to ensure that the Post Office auditors complied with section 498(1)(a) of the Companies Act 2006. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Regulation of auditors is the responsibility of the Financial Reporting Council. The Financial Reporting Council announced on 16 April that it had commenced an investigation into the statutory audits of Post Office Limited for the financial years ending 2015 to 2018, with particular reference to matters related to the Horizon IT system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they will lay before Parliament a report setting out the changes made in Government departments and agencies in response to the decision within six months. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity and confidence for women and single-sex service providers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has announced that they will be updating their Code of Practice; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work. All government departments should follow the ruling. We currently have no plans to lay a report of this kind.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure that all public services are compliant with the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) regulates equality law across England, Wales and Scotland and human rights across England & Wales.

The EHRC is independent of the government and makes its own enforcement and regulation decisions, including any inquiries and investigations it decides to conduct. The EHRC are currently updating their Code of Practice to reflect the ruling.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, when the Equality and Human Rights Commission will publish an updated statutory code of practice. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. The matter of updating their guidance is a decision for EHRC. This question has been passed to the EHRC who will be providing a written response to Baroness Stedman-Scott.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they will drop departmental diversity and inclusion policies and retain only equality policies. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Departments are individually responsible for their policies. Departments, including the Cabinet Office, will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the utility of provenance tools, such as those made available by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, for all government communications. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: A Government Communications Service assessment of the utility of provenance tools can be found in GCS Innovating with Impact Strategy, under the subheading ‘Tackling horizon challenges head on’, a copy of which is attached.

GCS Innovating with Impact Strategy (pdf, 2950.6KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 15 April (HL6395), whether the Cabinet Office holds a central record of the names of the secretaries assigned to support each Cabinet committee listed in the List of Cabinet Committees, published on 21 October 2024; and, if so, whether they will place a copy of that record in the Library of the House. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Secretariat works on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary to support Cabinet committees. The Cabinet Office has no plans to place a list of all the officials working in the Secretariat in the Library of the House.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they will publish a report on civil servants who have been disciplined or forced to leave for expressing gender critical views; whether they will implement a compensation scheme for those civil servants; and what action they will take in relation to those who authorised the disciplinary action against staff who expressed gender critical views. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Civil Service is committed to creating a safe and supportive work environment for all its employees and will not tolerate any form of harassment, unacceptable behaviour or abuse by any party, towards any employee.

Departments have their own policies and guidance on dealing with any such behaviour. We do not hold central data on the reasons for discipline action or dismissals following disciplinary action.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, whether they will consult Ben Cooper KC and David Welsh in the re-writing of any Cabinet Office guidance. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.

We will consult with our Government Legal Department and Kings Counsel Lawyers who specialise in employment law.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the United Kingdom is protested from large-scale cyber attacks; and what mitigations are in place to protect core infrastructure in the event of an attack. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government is working tirelessly to improve the cyber resilience of the UK’s critical infrastructure. We published the Cyber Security and Resilience policy statement on April 1, which set out our plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. It will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services that UK citizens and businesses rely on are secure.

We welcome the findings of the recent National Audit Office report on Government Cyber Resilience, which highlight the need for an accelerated response. We are taking immediate steps to address its recommendations, including developing a cross-government implementation plan for the 2030 target and a new model to clarify and enforce cyber resilience responsibilities. We have published the Cyber Policy Handbook and the Secure by Design Framework to embed best practice throughout the UK’s public services. We are using GovAssure to define clear cyber resilience outcomes and develop an objective view of cyber resilience across the government technology estate.

Our commitment to improving the UK’s cyber resilience includes our engagement with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The NCSC engages with government, regulators and critical national infrastructure (CNI) operators to improve the cyber security and resilience of CNI, this includes: supporting them to raise their security baseline, improving their understanding the cyber risks they need to manage, such as the Cyber Assessment Framework, and helping them prepare for how they would respond to an incident or a period of heightened risk, leveraging GCHQ expertise.

The NCSC coordinates the government response to significant incidents. In the event of a severe national cyber incident the Cabinet Office activates COBR for enhanced coordination.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to continue the process for appointing new members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and whether the appointment criteria have changed. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Ministers are in the process of considering the next steps for this campaign.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Leigh of Hurley:To ask His Majesty's Government whether (1) the Prime Minister’s Office, or (2) the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team, ask (a) a specific question on past criminal convictions, or (b) a generic question on potential activities in the past that might cause embarrassment for the Government, when vetting Ministers on appointment. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers. Any conversations held take place in confidence. All ministers are expected to adhere to the high standards of conduct set out in the Ministerial Code.