theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Lord Norton of Louth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 14 May (HL7117), when they plan to conclude their review of membership of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and by what date a full complement of members will be in place. \p Baroness Smith of Basildon: There is an ongoing recruitment campaign to appoint two independent members to the Commission. Ministers are in the process of considering the next steps for this campaign and updates will be made in due course.
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Lord Pack:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make more use of Bluesky in their digital communications. \p Baroness Smith of Basildon: The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service SAFE (Safety and suitability, Ads context, Freedom of speech and Ethics and enforcement) framework.

Individual departments make their own decisions on the best platforms within the GCS SAFE framework to use to communicate with the public.
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Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences they hold under contracts or terms of reference for (1) grants, (2) pre-procurement or proof of concept work, and (3) procurement; how many of those have sub-licensing rights; how many of those have resulted in sub-licensing; and how many of those sub-licences are for patents, and for which countries. \p Baroness Smith of Basildon: The government does not collate this information centrally.
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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include in the NHS 10-year plan the scaling up of infrastructure and workplace capacity to better support Alzheimer's disease patients. \p Baroness Merron: The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs, including those with Alzheimer’s disease. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care.

In February 2025, the Minister of State for Care (Stephen Kinnock MP) hosted a roundtable discussion where partners shared how dementia, ageing well, and digital inclusion could be reflected in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prioritise timely referral, accurate biomarker-led diagnoses and access to post diagnostic support and treatment for Alzheimer's disease. \p Baroness Merron: We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis and remain committed to increasing diagnosis rates and ensuring that people can access any licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended treatment, as well as any support, they need. Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the National Institute for Health and Care Research is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge, which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the National Health Service to support the diagnosis of dementia.

Additionally, the Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme has already invested £13 million into a range of biomarker innovation projects, which include biomarker technologies, ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

With regards to access to post diagnostic support, the provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. That is why we have recently published the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.
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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop best practice guidance to improve the early identification and diagnosis of patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Dementia Care Pathway: Full Implementation Guidance, commissioned by NHS England, outlines the dementia care pathway and the associated benchmarks to support improvements in the delivery and quality of care and support. It showcases good-practice examples of services that have successfully reduced their waiting times.

We have recently published and launched the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which is available in an online-only format. This brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. Designed to reflect best practice and assess the effectiveness of dementia services, this will help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what practical steps are being taken to help raise awareness of (1) patient dignity, and (2) patient choice, in continence care. \p Baroness Merron: Patients deserve the very best health and care, and by developing a 10-Year Health Plan, we will deliver the three shifts needed to get the health service and the nation’s health thriving once again. We are committed to ensuring that the National Health Service is managed in a way that prioritises patient care and which delivers the best possible outcomes.

NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care, a copy of which is attached, on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff. This guidance covers both urinary and bowel, also known as faecal, incontinence. The guidance states that “…pathways of care should be commissioned that ensure early assessment, effective management of incontinence, along with other bladder and bowel problems such as constipation and urinary tract infections and their impact on social, physical and mental well-being”. NHS England will consider the next steps for Excellence in Continence Care.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the management of faecal incontinence in adults, which healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take fully into account when delivering services for people with bowel incontinence. The guidance aims to improve the physical and mental health and quality of life of people with faecal incontinence.

Additional Document (pdf, 626.2KB)
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The Earl of Lindsay:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide specific evidence that demonstrates a significant problem with youth initiation or widespread addiction related to handmade cigars, thereby justifying their inclusion in the ban set out in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. \p Baroness Merron: Tobacco is the single most important, entirely preventable cause of ill health, disability, and death in this country, and is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths in the United Kingdom each year. There is no safe level of tobacco consumption. All tobacco products are harmful. We know that the tobacco smoke from cigars leads to the same type of diseases as the smoke from cigarettes.

A paper by Dr Sarah E Jackson, Dr Lion Shahab, and Dr Jamie Brown titled Trends in Exclusive Non-Cigarette Tobacco Smoking in England: A Population Survey 2013–2023 found that there are approximately five times more people exclusively smoking non-cigarette tobacco in England now than there were a decade ago, with the greatest increase seen in young adults. The products include cigars, pipes, shisha, and cigarillos. The data does not provide precise statistics for handmade cigars, and we do not hold the other detailed information on handmade cigars.
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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will amend the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to make it easier for local authorities to carry out covert surveillance in areas with a high incidence of fly tipping. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Since 2012, local authority authorisations for directed surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 have been subject to enhanced arrangements. This includes a requirement for local authorities to obtain prior judicial approval before conducting activity and for that activity to be for the purpose of preventing or detecting criminal offences that are punishable by at least six months' imprisonment.

The Government believes that these additional safeguards remain important to strike the right balance in protecting rights while ensuring local authorities have the ability to authorise directed surveillance to investigate offences in an appropriate and lawful manner, which can include the investigation of the criminal offence of fly tipping.

The Government keeps all legislation related to investigatory powers under review.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether changes to immigration rules, particularly the proposed extension from a five-year to a ten-year settlement route, will apply retrospectively to British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa holders; whether the new English language requirement for indefinite leave to remain will apply BNO visa holders already in the UK; and whether changes to immigration rules will be backdated to 2020. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in the future. We will consult new earned settlement and citizenship rules announced in the Immigration White Paper, including on the potential impacts on those on the BN(O) route.
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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by StandWithUs UK Voice of Students 2024/25, published on 7 May, and what steps they plan to take with regard to university staff who have reportedly expressed (1) antisemitic views, and (2) support for proscribed terror groups. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The report contains testimonies that are deeply concerning. I have heard first-hand from students about their experiences of antisemitism at an event in this House held on 11 March.

​Universities must take reasonably practicable steps to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law. Unlawful harassment or violence, hate speech against staff and students on campus or inciting others to violence or terrorism are not protected.

Encouraging terrorism and supporting proscribed terrorist organisations are criminal offences, and higher education providers must not provide a platform for these activities. The department expects university leaders to take robust action, particularly where there are concerns that a criminal act may have been committed, including reporting crimes to the police.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will shortly host a round table to which she has invited several Vice Chancellors, many of whose students and universities are featured in StandWithUs UK’s testimonials. This will be an opportunity to discuss what more can be done collectively, and at all levels, to make our universities a safe and inclusive environment for all.

We have confirmed £7 million in funding to address antisemitism in education.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of updating IT systems to reflect adjustments to the rate of student loan repayments. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department is responsible for setting the current interest rates for student loans in the UK. These rates are updated annually each September and are primarily linked to inflation, using the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is a wholly owned government company which delivers student finance services to students on behalf of the four UK governments. In line with government policy, the SLC manages interest rate adjustments for all existing repayment plan types as part of the business processes at SLC. The estimated cost associated with these changes is approximately £50,000 per annum though it is difficult to separate these adjustments from other business processes. SLC makes changes across multiple external and internal sites to ensure consistent communication is provided with customers, which includes the system updates necessary to make accurate and up-to-date interest calculations.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to roll out more electric charging points in rural areas for (1) private motor vehicles, and (2) public transport vehicles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government’s £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund allocated funding to all local authorities in England to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. LEVI funding allocations factored in the proportion of residents that are in rural areas, meaning local authorities in rural areas were allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.

To tackle the challenges faced by the Local Transport Authorities and bus operators when introducing zero emission buses (ZEBs) in rural areas, up to £25 million of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA) funding programme was initially reserved for proposals to introduce ZEBs in rural areas.

Future funding to support the continued decarbonisation of the bus sector, as well as supporting local authorities deliver charging infrastructure in rural areas, will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress being made towards developing road-worthy autonomous vehicles, and what steps they are taking to enable autonomous vehicles to be driven on roads legally. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: To achieve our ambitions for the automated vehicle sector, we are working at pace to implement the regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles in the second half of 2027.

We are exploring options for accelerating early commercial pilots in advance of full implementation and will update on this work soon. By combining long-term regulatory certainty with near-term trialling opportunities, we are creating the right conditions for a thriving self-driving vehicles market.

Alongside developing our domestic regulations, we are playing a leading role in work to align international rules and regulations on self-driving, which will enable our companies to export globally. This work is anticipated to complete in early 2027.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 15 May (HL7132), whether the consultation will set out a timeline for implementing UN Global Technical Regulation No. 22 in the UK, and whether they will publish that timeline. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: A proposed timeline for implementing UN Global Technical Regulation No. 22 in the UK will be set out in the consultation. The Government aims to publish this consultation later this year.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve infrastructure for autonomous vehicles to operate effectively. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Self-driving vehicles will need to be able to safely operate using existing infrastructure as is and therefore we do not anticipate any immediate changes in current road maintenance practices.

Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies (e.g. sending a warning of a hazard on a road).

National Highways are exploring the impacts of automated vehicles on road layout, lane markings and roadwork design, and digitisation across the Strategic Road Network (SRN).
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the ratio of electric vehicle charging points in England for rural areas compared to urban areas. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The information requested is held by the Department for public electric vehicle charging devices.

As of 1 April 2025, there were 10,239 public electric vehicle charging devices in rural locations and 55,543 public electric vehicle charging devices in urban locations in England.

This equates to 15.5% of devices being in rural locations and 84.3% in urban locations.

This should be considered against population estimates for rural and urban locations. Latest statistics published by Defra, containing mid-year estimates for 2022, report that 16.6% of the population live in rural locations and 83.4% in urban locations.

The percentage increase in the number of public charging devices in rural locations is consistently higher than for urban locations. In 2024 there was a 45% increase in the number of public charging devices in rural locations, and a 35% increase in urban locations.

The Department does not hold data on the number of private electric vehicle charging devices by rural-urban classification.
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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government how much public money is being spent on steelmaking in Scunthorpe. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: We will report regularly to Parliament on the use of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act and I updated the House with latest information in a Written Ministerial Statement on 20 May 2025.

All funding required for the Scunthorpe site will be drawn from existing budgets, within the spending envelope set out by the government at Spring Statement 2025. As the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the UK's fiscal rules remain non-negotiable.

To date, we have provided approximately £100m for working capital. This covers items such as raw materials, salaries, and addressing unpaid bills, including for SMEs in the supply chain. This does not take into account future revenue. The Department for Business & Trade’s accounts for 2025/26 will reflect the financial support that the department has given to British Steel.
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Lord Mancroft:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the complementary nature of the National Lottery and society lotteries. \p Baroness Twycross: The lotteries sector provides vital funding for charities and other good causes. The Government wants to see society lotteries continue to thrive, without undermining the unique position of the National Lottery.
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Lord Mancroft:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk posed by the National Lottery to problem gamblers in relation to that posed by society lotteries. \p Baroness Twycross: The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (2023) found that lottery products are associated with the lowest harm rates, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).

The survey estimated that problem gamblers (scoring 8 or more on the PGSI) in the 12 months prior to survey publication were slightly more common among those who played society lottery draws (4.6%), compared to those who played National Lottery draw-based games (3.9%).
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Lord Mancroft:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the basis for the National Lottery and large-scale prize draws operating in Northern Ireland while British society lotteries are unable to do so. \p Baroness Twycross: Gambling is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and therefore the operation of large-scale society lotteries is a matter for the Northern Irish Executive.

Large-scale society lotteries in Great Britain are legislated through the Gambling Act 2005, which does not extend to Northern Ireland. The National Lottery operates under separate legislation and is able to sell tickets in Northern Ireland and distribute good cause money there.
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Lord Mancroft:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of large prize draws on the ticket sales of the National Lottery. \p Baroness Twycross: The Department is considering the findings of independent research commissioned in 2023, which looked at the size and nature of the prize draw market, and the relationship with the lotteries sector.

This research is informing our policy considerations, and I will update Parliament in due course.
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The Earl of Clancarty:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Arts Council England's report Leading the Crowd published on 15 May. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government works closely with Arts Council England who support arts and cultural organisations to develop their fundraising skills and capacity to attract more private investment.

We welcome this report, and are committed to ensuring that the UK has the best framework for philanthropy, and that partnerships between government, philanthropists, businesses and civil society are maximised.
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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, whether they will lay before Parliament a report setting out the implementation of the ruling by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the agencies and public bodies that work with that department, within six months. \p Baroness Twycross: The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Service providers and those delivering public functions should note and follow the ruling. It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers and is currently consulting on its code of practice for services, public functions and associations. This consultation will close on 30 June 2025. The Government is considering the implications of the Supreme Court's judgment.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Premier League football clubs displaying gambling and betting sponsors, particularly those associated with gambling firms which do not hold a licence to operate in the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Twycross: Under current rules, sports organisations who engage in sponsoring and advertising arrangements with unlicensed gambling operators are at serious risk of committing the offence of advertising unlawful gambling under section 330 of the Gambling Act 2005. Sports organisations engaging in such arrangements with an unlicensed brand must ensure that online gambling activity for that unlicensed brand is blocked and inaccessible to consumers in Great Britain. Its officers may also be liable to prosecution in certain circumstances. If found guilty, they could face a fine, imprisonment or both.

The Gambling Commission is therefore clear that sports organisations must diligently and continuously ensure that they are not advertising unlawful gambling. In such instances, the Commission will seek assurance from clubs that they have carried out due diligence on their gambling partners and that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with the unlicensed websites. The Commission may also take steps to independently verify effective blocking measures are in place.

We will be working with sport governing bodies to review their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Financial Conduct Authority that one in ten people have no savings, and what assessment they have made of the implications for national financial security. \p Lord Livermore: The Government is committed to supporting people of all income levels and at all stages of life to save. We know that financially resilient households are better placed to weather income shocks and manage variable incomes.

At the Budget in October last year we extended the Help to Save scheme, which encourages low-income workers to save regularly. The Government also extended the eligibility criteria to include all Universal Credit claimants in work, not just those earning above a certain threshold.

The Government has also committed to publishing a financial inclusion strategy later this year. Savings are part of the terms of reference of the new Financial Inclusion Committee which is supporting the development of the strategy, and the Committee has agreed to focus on emergency savings as a priority.
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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the average time from death to inquest on the Isle of Wight. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: There has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings and in terms of staffing in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. I anticipate that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog. The Chief Coroner is also engaging directly with the Senior Coroner and local authority on this issue.

The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible, and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of maintaining the Wales Office in the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The estimated cost of maintaining the Wales Offices in London and Cardiff are £622k in 2024-25 and £769k in 2025-26.
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Baroness Finlay of Llandaff:To ask His Majesty's Government how many claimants applied to migrate from other benefits to Universal Credit in (1) January, and (2) February; and how many of these claimants disclosed that they have a life prognosis of 12 months given to them by a medical professional. \p Baroness Sherlock: The number of people, by legacy benefit, sent a Migration Notice and of those that made a claim to Universal Credit is only available to December 2024.

These statistics are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, with the last update on 18 February. The next official statistics update is due on 13 May, which will have data to end of March 2025. There will also be people who claim Universal Credit (natural migration) without being asked, which will have been counted in the overall published People on UC statistics.

The latest available statistics are provided in the separate spreadsheet and available at Stat-Xplore - Table View.

Our Move to UC official statistics analytical datasets do not contain terminal illness information and work to identify, understand, link data and quality assure would only be available at disproportionate cost.
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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government what was (1) the total amount paid out for each benefit administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, (2) the total monetary amount of alleged fraud for each benefit, (3) the total number of prosecutions in each case, and (4) the total amount recovered, in 2023–24. \p Baroness Sherlock: Total estimates of benefit expenditure and estimates of fraud and error across all benefits can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK

As outlined in DWP Annual Reports and Accounts 2023 to 2024 on page 103, there were 655 prosecutions but a breakdown by benefit is not available.

Debt Management Unit’s total recovery in 2023-24 amounted to £2.81 billion (excluding Housing Benefit recovered by local authorities but including £46 million Housing Benefit debt recovered by DWP), page 133 of the DWP Annual Reports and Accounts 2023 to 2024.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence technologies to help people back into the workforce through (1) monitoring individuals affected by illness; and (2) matching job vacancies with job seekers. \p Baroness Sherlock: 1) The Health Transformation Programme is exploring how technology can improve the Personal Independence Payment service and support better outcomes for people with Health Conditions and Disabilities.

By creating modern digital health and disability benefit services, the Programme will collect health data in a structured way. This will allow us to use data more effectively to tailor support to individual needs and to connect individuals to the right work, health and skills support for them.

Structured data will also enable the Department to harness emerging technologies, such as AI. We will evaluate the impact of the changes on customers and DWP, before using AI tools widely.

2) We are working on the design for the national jobs and careers service with a pathfinder being planned. As part of the design of the service, we will explore and test the most appropriate use of technology (including AI) to support job seekers with their work search.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_5

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 17 February (HL4608), which ministerial department failed to produce a strategic asset management plan (SAMP) in 2024; what consequences or enforcement measures are in place for departments that do not produce such a plan; and which departments are included in the Government Property Agency’s office portfolio SAMP instead of having their own standalone plans. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Departments are responsible for their own SAMPs, and required to update these plans yearly. Guidance and tools are provided to ensure consistency and effectiveness.

In the event an updated asset plan is not produced,the Government Chief Property Officer can write to the Principal Accounting Officer alerting them to the requirement.

Last year, all ministerial departments produced an updated asset plan except the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), although plans for the offices occupied by DBT were set out in the Government Property Agency’s office portfolio SAMP. DBT will produce a plan for 2025.

By agreement, HM Treasury and Department for Education did not produce a 'stand alone' departmental asset plan but featured in the Government Property Agency's office portfolio SAMP as onboarded clients.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_6

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 20 February (HL4194), which of the Government Major Projects Portfolio projects have (1) increased in cost and by what percentage relative to their original budgets, (2) been delayed beyond their original delivery schedule and by how many months in each case, and (3) been reduced in scope. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority publishes details on the estimated budgets and delivery timescales for each of the Government Major Projects Portfolio projects as part of its annual report, from which the change in cost and schedule between years for individual projects can be calculated.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_7

Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government how many specialist clinics dedicated to treating long Covid were operating in 2020, and how many are operating now. \p Baroness Merron: The most recent data from the Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period 6 February 2024 to 7 March 2024, an estimated 1.8 million people, or 3.3% of the population, in private households in England, self-reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection. The following table shows a breakdown of duration:

Duration

Estimate

4 to 11 weeks

148,971

12 to 25 weeks

105,946

26 to 38 weeks

28,107

39 to 51 weeks

57,164

52 to 77 weeks

105,962

78 to 103 weeks

116,876

104 to 155 weeks

253,770

156 weeks and over

365,922

No estimate has been made of the rate at which prevalence of long COVID is currently increasing or decreasing in England. The ONS does not regularly collect this data.

No estimate has been made of the effect of long COVID on the economy in each year from 2020 to 2024, including the effect with respect to those affected by long COVID of their economic inactivity, the diminution in their quality of life, their lost income, the cost of informal caregiving for them, and their extra healthcare costs.

The most recent data from the infection study shows that for those who self-report long COVID of any duration, in England and Scotland, who are aged between 16 and 64 years old and are not in education are less likely to be employed or self-employed compared with those who have not reported long COVID.

On 18 December 2020, NHS England had put in place 69 dedicated clinics across the country. As of 1 April 2024, there were over 90 adult post-COVID services across England along with an additional 10 children and young people’s hubs.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_8

Lord Keen of Elie:To ask His Majesty's Government what impact the prisoner early release scheme has had on the availability of prison places; and what assessment they have made of alternative measures to address prison overcrowding. \p Lord Timpson: Following the inheritance left by the previous Government, in July 2024, the Lord Chancellor was forced to introduce the SDS40 scheme to avoid imminent gridlock across the Criminal Justice System.

We have already published data for day one of Tranches 1 and 2 on 7 November 2024 on the numbers of prisoners released and are considering how routinely publishing SDS40 data best fits with our regular Accredited Official Statistics.

When this Government came into office, we were dangerously close to prisons overflowing. That would have meant police would have had to stop arresting and we would have face a complete breakdown in law and order.

Whilst the SDS change provided the intended immediate relief to the system, this was never expected to be a long-term solution. To ensure we are never in a position where we run out of prison places again, the Lord Chancellor announced the Independent Review into Sentencing, alongside a series of prison capacity measures. This included reforming our recall practices to target the unsustainable growth in the recall population since the pandemic and an extension of the maximum period offenders can spend on Home Detention Curfew from 6 – 12 months.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_9

Lord Keen of Elie:To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Ministry of Justice has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; and what the anticipated timescales are for their completion. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: Following the election, this Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_10

Lord Keen of Elie:To ask His Majesty's Government what consultation took place with victims' groups before implementing the prisoner early release scheme; and what steps they have taken to address concerns raised by victims' groups. \p Lord Timpson: Following our inheritance from the previous Government, we were forced to introduce SDS40 as an emergency measure to prevent the imminent collapse of the Criminal Justice System.

Unlike the previous Government’s disastrous early release scheme, this Government ensured that probation had time to complete pre-release work and risk assessments. We also exempted a number of offences, including sex offences, violent offences with over 4 year sentences and specific offences often linked to domestic abuse.

The implementation of SDS40 was considered at a victim support sector roundtable, and then subsequently through meetings with a sector engagement group, which includes a broad range of victims’ groups and representatives. To address the concerns raised about the amount of information available to victims about the measure and its practicalities, we published an explanation of the policy on GOV.UK and provided victim support organisations with frequently asked questions and answers to support them when engaging with victims who may be affected by the measure.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_11

Lord Keen of Elie:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the prisoner early release scheme on reoffending rates; and what measures are in place to monitor released offenders. \p Lord Timpson: Our initial operational insights suggested there was not a significant change to the use and application of recall since the implementation of SDS40. We will, however, continue to monitor this.

The number of people who have been recalled or have reoffended following release under the early release measure (SDS40) forms a subset of prison releases data which is scheduled for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.

Proven reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.

SDS40 brings forward normal release with licence conditions and offenders released under this measure are managed by probation in the standard way.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_12

Lord Keen of Elie:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish (1) the names of all prisons participating in the prisoner early release scheme; and (2) the number of prisoners released from each institution. \p Lord Timpson: On 07 November, the Ministry of Justice published transparency data on how many offenders were released on the first days of Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 of SDS40 (1,889 prisoners on the first day of Tranche 1, and 1,223 prisoners on the first day of Tranche 2).

SDS40 is a legal requirement that applies to all prison institutions. Data on prison releases forms a subset of prison population data which is intended for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_13

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of net zero targets on the car industry in the UK, particularly in relation to new vehicle manufacturing. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Secretary of State and Minister Sarah Jones speak to the automotive industry regularly, so we know targets are important for certainty. We also need to ensure the transition to Zero Emission vehicles works for industry. That is why the Department for Transport has recently sought views from industry on how Government can best support it to meet the targets in the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. The response will be published in the near future.

This Government has also committed over £2 billion of funding to 2030 for zero emission vehicle manufacturing and supply chains. This support will be crucial for scaling up green technologies - supporting growth across the UK.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-17 conversation_14

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the right given to Ukrainian citizens to reside in, and benefit from relevant services in, the UK. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: To provide future certainty, Ukrainians provided with temporary sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes can apply for a further 18 months' permission to remain in the UK through the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025.

Those granted further permission to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will receive the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as provided under the existing Ukraine Schemes.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open and free of charge for Ukrainians in need of sanctuary to apply to come to the UK.

We will, of course, continue to keep the Ukraine Schemes under consistent review in line with developments in the ongoing war.