theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are still committed to the target to enrol 50 per cent of young people with cancer onto clinical trials, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan published in June 2019. \p Baroness Merron: To support the delivery of this ambition, the Department, through NHS England, has put in place new national service specifications, covering both Principal Treatment Centres and the associated Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Designated Hospital provision, and has established networks to oversee pathways of care, coordinate clinical trial access, and develop local strategies to increase clinical trial recruitment. Alongside this, NHS England has also introduced a metric to monitor trial participation within the TYA Cancer Quality Dashboard.

The Department does not hold data on the overall percentage of children and young people with cancer that are enrolled into clinical trials nationwide but does collect data on general participation through National Institute for Health and Care Research) funded research infrastructure. The Department reports on this data where it is appropriate to do so.

Since it’s relaunch in February 2025, the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce has been exploring ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer, including by improving access to research. The National Cancer Plan, due for publication later this year, will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including young people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase (1) research investment, and (2) clinical trial opportunities, in areas where cancer survival rates are lower and research infrastructure is historically underfunded. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is committed to funding health and care research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) across England, and to ensuring that the research we support is inclusive and representative of the populations we serve.  We know that cancer survival rates are generally lower in people living in more deprived areas.

In 2024, the NIHR made equity, diversity, and inclusion a condition of funding for all domestic research awards. This means applicants must demonstrate how their research will contribute towards the NIHR’s mission to reduce health and care inequalities, with a focus on participant inclusion from the diverse populations of the United Kingdom.

NIHR research infrastructure has national coverage across the whole of England. Our infrastructure schemes aim to build research capacity and capability across the country across all geographies and settings. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South East, including Biomedical Research Centres, Clinical Research Facilities, and HealthTech Research Centres.

Through the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network (RDN), the NIHR supports 100% of National Health Service trusts in England to deliver research, operating across 12 regions throughout the country. From 2026/27, the RDN will adopt a new national funding model for NHS support costs and research delivery. This will be a consistent, nationally agreed funding distribution model across all regions of England and will reduce regional variations of health research delivery investment, and will better enable clinical trial opportunities across all areas, including underserved areas and settings.

The NIHR also provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and to register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, what assessment they have made of opportunities to identify genetic risk for diabetes, and what plans they have to implement that genetic testing as part of the shift to diabetes prevention. \p Baroness Merron: The National Health Service, in partnership with Our Future Health, will trial the use of Integrated Risk Scores, which combine genomic data with lifestyle and other non-biological risk factors, within neighbourhood health services. This partnership will generate important evidence to inform whether, and how, integrated risk scores could be used more widely in the NHS. The partnership will initially focus on cardiovascular disease but is set to expand to include diabetes, breast cancer, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. This work represents a significant step towards embedding genetic testing into routine preventive care, enabling earlier identification of individuals at higher genetic risk and personalised healthcare based on risk. This approach directly supports the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which commits to shifting the NHS from a reactive model to one that is predictive and preventive, using genomics and data-driven tools to tackle major conditions like diabetes earlier and more effectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer National Health Service patients the opportunity to participate in studies of novel treatments and interventions. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.

The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them. This is accessible through the NHS App and is currently highlighted on the home page for three months from 7 July 2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a workforce research plan focused on the improvement of clinical research delivery in the National Health Service. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is working with key stakeholders and devolved administrations to develop a UK Research Workforce Strategy to be published in the Autumn 2025. This strategy outlines a vision for embedding research and innovation in routine practice within the National Health Service, primary care, social care, and the public health system over the next 10 years. The strategy aims to build and sustain a strong research environment across all health and social care settings. This will be achieved through a diverse workforce, highly skilled in research and innovation, capable of producing and delivering high-quality research. Following the publication of the United Kingdom-wide strategy, nation-specific implementation plans will be developed. Work has started to develop the implementation plan for England, which will be underpinned by appropriate metrics and allocated to delivery partners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in streamlining and integrating the clinical trials environment in England and Wales to reduce siloisation. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up to 150 days by March 2026. England and Wales are streamlining the set-up and delivery of clinical research through a four nation UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme.

The UKCRD programme brings together delivery partners and key stakeholders from across the clinical research sector to achieve the common aim of making the United Kingdom a world leader in clinical trials.

The UKCRD programme has implemented a Study Set-Up Plan, led by the Department on behalf of all four nations. The second and final phase Study Set-Up Plan delivered through the UKCRD was completed in June 2025.

The plan aims to rapidly address the delays affecting clinical research set-up through reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, by standardising commercial contracts, and by removing duplicative steps at sites to create a standardised pathway for pharmacy set-up, to free up workforce capacity.

The Study Set-Up Plan will be supported by a wider suite of complementary activities and designed to support longer-term developments to streamline and reform clinical trials.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason for the backlog in scheduling criminal trials in London; what is the currently scheduled trial with the longest delay; what proportion of trials are cancelled because of witness withdrawal; and what action they are taking to reduce the backlog. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog, due in large part to restrictions on courtroom operations put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and subsequent Criminal Bar Association strike action. In addition, over the last 12-months, we have seen an 18.6% increase in new cases for the London Crown Courts.

Listing is a judicial function. HM Courts & Tribunals Service works in liaison with the judiciary reviewing and prioritising cases when listing trials, in accordance with the sitting day allocation.

In some Crown Court centres across the London region, cases listed for trial in June 2025 were given dates in 2028 and 2029 – with a very small number being listed into the summer of 2029. However, the vast majority of the trial load is listed before the end of 2026.

The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on ineffective trial rates, and the general reasons behind ineffective trials (including witness absence/withdrawal), here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

This Government has funded a record-high allocation of Crown Court sitting days – 110,000 days this financial year, 4,000 more than the previous Government – to tackle the outstanding caseload. We also commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to consider the merits of longer-term reform and the efficiency of processes in the criminal courts. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals in more detail before setting out the Government’s full response to the report in the autumn.

As part of our commitment to bearing down on the criminal caseload we have increased magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 months to 12 months’ imprisonment for single triable-either way offences. This will free up capacity in the Crown Court.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency; what steps they are taking to ensure that legal aid providers are being remunerated for their work despite any disruption; and when the Agency's online digital service will again be operational. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: On Wednesday 23 April, the Department became aware of a cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) online digital services.

To ensure the best chance of reaching as many potentially impacted individuals as possible the Ministry of Justice acted quickly. A notice was published a notice at 08:15 on the 19 May on GOV.UK.

This has been an unprecedented event and every effort is being made to restore services following the criminal attack on our systems. The LAA digital services have been taken offline to negate the threat and prevent further exposure of legal aid providers and users. We have been able to return some systems to internal use, enabling an improved ability to support criminal legal aid applications and payments.

We cannot confirm a specific timescale for full service restoration. In the interim, the LAA will continue to provide updates as soon as they are available and will work closely with representative bodies to ensure any extended or refined contingency measures support providers and their clients to the maximum extent. All updates, including contingency arrangements, are published on the LAA’s dedicated cyber security incident webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/legal-aid-agency-cyber-security-incident.

Our priority remains to maintain access to justice and to ensure legal aid providers can continue to be paid in a timely manner. These enhanced measures are designed to support legal aid providers and their clients and to prevent a significant case backlog while contingency measures are in place.

The data breach is the result of serious criminal activity, but it was enabled by the fragility of the LAA’s IT systems as a result of the long years of underinvestment under the last Conservative Government. By contrast, since taking power this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the LAA digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government how many queen honeybees have been imported into Great Britain via Northern Ireland since 2021. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: All consignments of honey bee queens imported into Northern Ireland (NI) must be accompanied by health certificates confirming that the area the bees originated from is free of certain pests and diseases. The health certificate must be issued no more than 24 hours prior to dispatch and the certifying officer must also confirm that a pre-export inspection took place. When the imports arrive in NI they are cleared by NI officials. Great Britain (GB) officials do not have access to the systems used by NI so we do not have figures for how many queen honeybees have been imported into NI. Once the imports have been cleared by NI officials, the bees can be moved to GB without any further controls so information about the number of queen honeybees moved from NI to GB is not collected.

NI officials have shared intelligence that since 2021 they have received increased numbers of queen honey bee imports into NI while the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit has recorded fewer imports of queen honey bees into GB.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 16 June (HC57265), whether the strengthened local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises will be used to assist the housing of asylum seekers. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Government committed to strengthening existing local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises in the Devolution White Paper. It is for local authorities to decide how to use these powers and there is no requirement to use these powers to secure asylum accommodation. We are committed to empowering local authorities to continue using the range of powers and incentives that they have to tackle long-term empty homes, given that these properties can attract anti-social behaviour and exacerbate local housing shortages.

This government are committed to developing a long-term strategy for asylum accommodation which will deliver a better long-term model of accommodation supply to reduce the use of hotels and competition for affordable housing. As allocated through the Spending Review, the government will be investing £500 million in a more sustainable accommodation model, delivered by MHCLG in partnership with the Home Office and developed in consultation with local authorities in order to deliver better outcomes for communities and taxpayers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Baroness Gohir:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Khan of Burnley on 13 March (HL Deb col 821), how they will allocate the remaining £350,000 of the £1 million committed to programmes to combat hatred against Muslims, following the allocation of £650,000 to the British Muslim Trust; and what plans they have to allocate these remaining funds to Muslim communities. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: As per the Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund: prospectus - GOV.UK, the allocated funding for the Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund was £650,000 for financial year 2025/26.

The government will announce other measures to support community cohesion, including for Muslim communities, in due course.

Prospectus (pdf, 280.3KB)
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current number of rough sleepers. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: Local authorities in England submit monthly management information on the number of people sleeping rough in their area. The Government publishes this information quarterly on Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK.

Homelessness Statistics (pdf, 506.8KB)
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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any research into or evaluation of the potential risks and benefits of digital identity systems, including with regard to impacts on privacy, inclusion, and interoperability. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA), part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, enables the use of secure digital verification services for those who want to use them. In May 2024, OfDIA commissioned research on the UK digital identity market, including a consumer survey on the benefits and barriers to digital identity use. The findings are published on GOV.UK alongside a report on the inclusivity of the certified digital identity market. OfDIA will continue to publish these reports annually.

For the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, OfDIA conducted a De Minimis assessment of the economic costs and benefits of the digital verification services provisions. This is available on GOV.UK and a post-implementation review will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Al-Sharaa administration in Syria on ways to end the violence directed at the Druze minority community in the Al-Suweida province. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We continue to engage with the Syrian Government on the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians regardless of religious or ethnic background, improving their response to sectarian violence, and holding all those responsible to account. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues during his visit to Damascus and in his recent call with Foreign Minister Shaibani. During the call, he also expressed concerns about the violence in Suwayda and underlined the importance of investigating the causes and bringing an end to the fighting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Gulf Strategy Fund was (1) allocated to Bahrain, and (2) spent in Bahrain, in 2024–25. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: For Financial Year 2024/25, £900,000 was allocated to Bahrain. The actual spend was £896,594.
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Lord Farmer:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussion they have had with other governments in the region of Afghanistan to secure the release of Peter and Barbie Reynolds from imprisonment. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We are supporting the family of Peter and Barbara Reynolds who are detained in Afghanistan. The Minister for the Middle East met their family on 2 April and 25 June. Our priority is ensuring their welfare. In all consular cases, we take all allegations of mistreatment extremely seriously and will always raise these with the relevant authorities with the individuals' consent. We are unable to provide comment on the detail of individual consular cases in line with relevant UK data protection legislation: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/personal-information-charter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Twycross on 22 July (HL Deb col 136–40), what consideration they are giving to the legal opinion by Tom Cross KC on 16 July that the Secretary of State is required to undertake a fuller investigation of the proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by Redbird Capital, having particular regard to evidence of the latter's links to China; and whether they will issue a response to that opinion. \p Baroness Twycross: The Secretary of State takes her quasi-judicial responsibilities under the Enterprise Act 2002 very seriously. She will take all relevant information available into consideration when determining whether any of the public interest tests or conditions for foreign state influence are met in any proposed purchase of the Telegraph Media Group. DCMS will keep Parliament updated on decisions relating to the transaction.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the UK's trade relations with the EU could harm the UK's trade relations with the United States. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Prime Minister has made clear that the UK is not choosing between the US and the EU. As set out by the Chancellor, we recognise that our markets are highly interconnected. This government's main priority is growing the UK economy - strengthening trade with our most economically important markets is a major part of that.

We are committed to continuing our work with both the US and the EU to remove barriers to trade and help UK businesses grow.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards agreeing a trade deal with the United States. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The UK-US trading relationship is already worth around £300 billion, supporting over a million jobs and representing 17% of total UK trade. This government's priority is economic growth and increasing trade with international partners is a major part of that. The Prime Minister had a warm call with President Trump on 26 January where they discussed trade and the economy and agreed to meet soon for further discussions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enhance productivity in the UK; and whether artificial intelligence has a role to play in achieving this. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The UK Government is committed to building a world-leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector, encouraging investment, and enabling adoption across the economy. Our ambition is to shape the AI revolution on principles of shared economic prosperity, improved public services and increased personal opportunities.

On 13 January, the Prime Minister announced the AI Opportunities Action Plan.  This Government is committed to implementing all 50 recommendations outlined in the Plan. Delivering the Plan will lay the foundations for AI growth, drive adoption across the economy and build UK capability.

The Technology Adoption Review will also provide practical recommendations on how the Government can work with businesses to address barriers they face when adopting both established and novel technologies, with a focus on the 8 growth-driving sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy green paper.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions ministers have met representatives of Stonewall, and on what dates, since 4 July 2024. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Ministers’ meetings are a matter of public record, and are published periodically on gov.uk.
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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to fast-track visa applications from skilled engineers to support industry investment in the UK’s energy grid capacity. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Skilled Worker visas are normally processed within 3 weeks. Priority services are available for those who require a faster decision.

Further details on the Skilled Worker visa can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what financial allowances their contractors are permitted to provide to asylum seekers per month for (1) food, (2) clothing, (3) mobile phones, (4) education, (5) leisure activities, (6) accommodation, and (7) transport. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office has a legal obligation to meet the essential living needs of asylum seekers or dependents who appear to be destitute or are likely to become destitute within a prescribed period, while their asylum claim is being considered.

Details of what is considered essential can be found in the annual asylum support rate review reports, published on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about its negotiations with the European Union on trade. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive and the other devolved administrations to ensure that every part of the UK benefits from an improved trading relationship with the EU, as part of our wider reset

The Paymaster General and Minister for EU Relations most recently chaired a meeting of the Interministeral Group on UK-EU Relations in December 2024, which was attended by the First Minister and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. The Government will seek to continue this cooperation as the UK-EU reset progresses.
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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government which government departments have relationship managers with Fujitsu. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: HMRC, the Home Office, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence have allocated officials to manage the relationship with Fujitsu. In addition, as one of the Government's 39 cross-government strategic suppliers, Fujitsu is managed by the Cabinet Office, with the support of a Crown Representative.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Prime Minister, Plan for Change, on 5 December 2024 and to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 24 January (HC24441), what was the evidential basis for the Prime Minister’s remarks on there being a “tepid bath of managed decline” in Whitehall; and what representations the Prime Minister has had from the Civil Service on such comments. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the noble lady to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office of 24 January 2025, Official Report, PQ 24441.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any written undertakings regarding immunity from disciplinary action have been issued to Crown servants giving evidence to inquiries since 2005; and if so, how many, broken down by department and public body. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office does not hold this data. It is not Civil Service practice to provide immunity from disciplinary action in such circumstances. The Cabinet Secretary or departmental Permanent Secretaries may, where appropriate, provide letters of assurance to those giving evidence to inquiries to encourage them to provide open and honest answers to questions posed.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to the Prime Minister on 14 January and to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 23 January (HC24438), whether (1) the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team, and (2) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, had access to information held by (a) the International Anti-Corruption Coordinate Centre, (b) the International Centre for Asset Recovery, and (c) any other information stemming from the National Crime Agency’s support into tackling corruption in Bangladesh. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Tulip Siddiq MP referred herself to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on 6 January 2025. As is set out in the Independent Adviser’s terms of reference, “Information provided to the Independent Adviser for the purposes of their functions is provided in confidence” (paragraph 4.2).
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Lord Woodley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences who were recalled in each of the past five years were recalled less than (1) one, (2) two, (3) three, (4) six, (5) 12, (6) 24, (7) 36, and (8) 48, months after release; and what percentage of IPP prisoners this represents in each case. \p Lord Timpson: This information is not readily available at this time.

To answer the question, a manual check would be required of every instance of an offender serving an IPP sentence on licence being recalled to custody in the last 5 years, where data has been published (approximately 3,100).

This could be completed only at disproportionate cost.
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Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow HM Prison Service staff to shoot down drones near prisons. \p Lord Timpson: We are working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones to deliver contraband into prisons. We conduct vulnerability assessments across the prison estate to identify risks, and to develop and implement plans to manage and mitigate them. His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) uses targeted countermeasures including improvements to windows, netting and grills to stop drones delivering contraband such as drugs, mobile telephones and weapons.

We work across Government to examine options to mitigate the threat of drones to prisons. We are also engaging with international counterparts to develop our learning, support our strategy and share best practice. Our response to drone threats is specific to the individual prison site, but owing to operational sensitivities, we are not able to discuss in detail the tactics used by HMPPS to disrupt drones.

The Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021, which authorises the use of counter-drone technology, also enables the police to stop and search anyone suspected of committing drone-related offences.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_14

Lord Farmer:To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they are giving to courts to signpost separating couples to early advice in Family Hubs, including support to stay together where appropriate, before separating couples can initiate court proceedings. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: The Government recognises that early access to information for separating families is essential. This is why the family procedure rule committee has put in place Pre-Application Protocols to signpost separating couples to support which may help them resolve their dispute without court intervention. These protocols also outline the steps that couples are expected to take to try to resolve their dispute before making a court application.

If families do proceed to court, The President of the Family Division now sends a letter out to both the applicant and the respondent, pointing them towards a range of resources which may help them reach agreement away from court, where safe and appropriate, including the Government’s Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which offers £500 towards the cost of mediation.

Further Family Procedure Rule changes, which came into force in April 2024, encourage more people to attend Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) before court. The MIAM is a meeting with a mediator to discuss whether mediation or another form of non-court dispute resolution may be preferable to proceeding to court.

The Government is also working to improve the information available, both online through GOV.UK, and offline via sources such as family hubs, to help inform separating families of their options before applying to court.

Taken together, these measures help ensure that separating families are getting the information and support they need as early as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_15

Baroness Berridge:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the law on murder and manslaughter, following the Valdo Calocane case. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: The Government announced, on 6 December 2024, that it had invited the Law Commission to undertake a review of the law of homicide, including the full and partial defences to homicide, and the sentencing framework for murder. The Law Commission expects to begin work on this review later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_16

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the public sector to adopt artificial intelligence; and to ensure sufficient funding is allocated for artificial intelligence investment within the public sector. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the blueprint for modern digital government, both of which were published in January, the UK government has a vision for supporting the UK’s leading position in the global AI sector through the safe, effective, efficient and ethical adoption of AI in the UK’s public sector.

The UK government is in the process of a spending review which will be used to tackle the state of historic legacy IT, invest in cyber security, cloud-based computing, and the technologies that harness the benefits of AI for the public sector. The Government has a clear focus on taking advantage of new technologies such as AI to improve public sector productivity and deliver a better user experience for citizens.

The cross public sector AI community now has over 1000 members. The community meets every month to collaborate on AI use cases, best practice and trends.

On 10 February 2025 the GDS in collaboration with the AI community launched the AI Playbook on Gov.uk. The AI Playbook will help government departments and public sector organisations harness the power of a wider range of AI technologies safely, effectively, and responsibly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_17

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Cabinet Office Senior Officials’ Expenses, July to September 2024, published on 30 January, what specific business justification was documented for Christine Bellamy, the Government Chief Product Officer, travelling business class for a domestic flight to Manchester between 20 and 25 October which totalled £1,693; what alternative or cheaper travel options were considered; and whether this expenditure complied with internal value-for-money guidelines. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: There is an error in the data - this expense relates to a premium economy flight from Manchester, UK to Ottawa, Canada to enable Christine Bellamy to represent the UK Civil Service at the AccelerateGOV conference in Canada and attend a series of engagements recommended by the British High Commission. It was not a domestic, business class flight. Premium economy tickets are permitted within policy for flights longer than 5 hours - as was the case here.

Christine Bellamy represented the UK Civil Service as an expert speaker at the AccelerateGOV conference in Ottawa, Canada and while in-country undertook a series of engagements with - and on behalf of - the British High Commission. Meetings included with senior government counterparts from the Canadian Digital Service and Shared Services Canada; with the British Consul General and with a number of Canadian academic institutions and think tanks involved in GovTech, AI and civic society.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_18

Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with news broadcasters such as talkSPORT regarding the exclusionary impact on those unable to use a smartphone of requiring people to use smartphones to log in to access their services. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government does not regulate the use of smartphone log ins to access radio services. The department has raised your question with talkSPORT, who have contacted you in response.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_19

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 16 December 2024 (HL3009), whether the review mentioned in the Answer has been concluded; and, if so, whether any further consideration has been given to making some or all of its findings public. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The review of the Gulf Strategy Fund's FY2023/24 thematic summary and how the data will be published from FY2024/25 is ongoing. Once agreement is reached on how we can best present Gulf Strategy Fund data in future, we will action the agreed approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_20

Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Minister for Africa held during his recent meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights and sexual and reproductive rights. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government is committed to championing the human rights of women, girls, LGBT+ people, and those belonging to other marginalised groups. In my meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, I raised a variety of issues relating to the UK-Nigeria bilateral relationship, including the importance of championing human rights, inclusive economic growth and supporting women's participation in politics. Through programmes and advocacy, the UK government is supporting women and girls affected by conflict in North-East Nigeria; helping girls access education; supporting women's economic empowerment; tackling gender-based violence; and improving access to health services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_21

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the case of civil society activist Sombath Somphone at the UN's fourth Universal Periodic Review of Laos on 29 April. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK will continue to use the UN Human Rights Council as a platform to raise the case of Sombath Somphone and other human rights cases. In the upcoming Universal Periodic Review in April, the UK will urge the Lao Government to follow and implement the recommendations from Member States. This includes undertaking impartial, thorough, and transparent investigations into all enforced disappearances, including Sombath Somphone.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_22

Lord Lexden:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 27 January (HL3999), whether they have examined the evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Indonesian forces in West Papua included in the documentary film Frontier War recently released by Paradise Broadcasting. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Noble Lord to my response to Parliamentary Question HL3999 on the 27 January 2025.

The Noble Lord may be referring to allegations from 2018 of the use of white phosphorus by the Indonesian Armed Forces towards civilian population in Papua. While the use of white phosphorus as a weapon does not fall under the Chemical Weapons Convention and is not a matter for the OPCW, contemporary media reports suggested that it was used in a manner that may have violated international humanitarian law. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) monitored these allegations at the time and found no compelling evidence of white phosphorous being used in an illegal way.

The FCDO continues to monitor all reports of violent incidents in the Papua region. We regularly raise human rights issues, including the protection of civilians in Papua, with the Indonesian government.

The Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, visited Indonesia in January 2025 and raised the human rights situation in Papua in her meeting with the Coordinating Minister for Law and Human Rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_23

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to counterparts in Laos regarding the fate of civil society activist Sombath Somphone. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We remain very concerned as to the whereabouts of Mr Sombath Somphone. The UK regularly raises the disappearance of Sombath Somphone bilaterally and through the UN Human Rights Council. Most recently, on 15 December 2024 our Embassy in Laos publicly raised the disappearance and continued to push for a thorough and impartial investigation into this case. We intend to continue to raise the case at the highest levels and to continue to stay engaged with Sombath's family who are still based in Laos.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_24

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent reports they have received on the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: There are no recent reports from the Lao authorities on the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone. During a bilateral meeting with the UK's Minister for the Indo-Pacific in 2023, the Lao Government stated that they were continuing to investigate the disappearance but had no new information.