theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_4

Baroness Sheehan:To ask His Majesty's Government how international organisations of which the UK is a member are documenting and responding to allegations of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza, such as schools and hospitals. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We are aware of a number of international organisations who are documenting and responding to allegations of violations during the conflict in Gaza, including agencies of the UN system. We consider all such reports seriously. We are clear that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_5

Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made a recent assessment of reports that the Palestinian Authority is making monthly payments to Hamas fighters imprisoned in Israel. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave on 26 September to Question HL10094.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-07 conversation_6

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts:To ask His Majesty's Government how many National Insurance numbers were issued to individuals outside the United Kingdom in the past twelve months for which figures are available. \p Baroness Sherlock: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_1

Baroness Penn:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of eligible businesses have reclaimed statutory paternity pay in each of the past five years. \p Lord Livermore: A breakdown of total reclaims for the financial years 2019–20 to 2023–24 is available below. However, data for 2024–25 has not yet been analysed as the tax year has only recently ended.

Further breakdowns of information by size of business are not currently available from published statistics, and collating and verifying the relevant data solely for the purpose of answering this question would incur disproportionate cost.

Date

Sum Recoveries

Count Recoveries

19/20

£50,300,000

55,100

20/21

£43,800,000

44,200

21/22

£52,400,000

53,600

22/23

£52,600,000

54,600

23/24

£61,500,000

56,200

Notes:

1) Data collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and extracted in December 2024. RTI is subject to revision or updates.

2) Sum recoveries rounded to nearest £100,000.

3) Count of recoveries rounded to nearest 100.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_2

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to page 40 of their policy paper Spending Review 2025: Departmental Efficiency Plans, published on 11 June, what were the total administrative costs of the Valuation Office Agency in 2024–25; and what is the breakdown between cash-releasing and non-cash-releasing efficiencies of the projected 5–10 per cent savings from integrating the Valuation Office Agency into HMRC by 2028–29. \p Lord Livermore: The Valuation Office Agency’s total administrative costs in 2024-25 were approximately £27m.

The cash releasing and non-cash releasing breakdown (by 28/29) of efficiencies from integration with HMRC is yet to be determined as detailed plans are still being developed.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_3

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to their policy paper Spending Review 2025: Departmental Efficiency Plans, published on 11 June, which states that a zero-based review will help the Treasury "get smaller", whether they will publish the outputs of this review; and what proportion of administrative functions are expected to be outsourced, automated, or removed entirely by 2028–29. \p Lord Livermore: As part of the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury, alongside all government departments, undertook a zero-based review (ZBR) of its expenditure. This review was performed as per the requirements of the Spending Review. The outputs are intended for internal decision-making processes, not for publication. The Spending Review settlement for HMT means the department will need to get smaller, delivering a 10% reduction in its admin budgets by 2028-29. The detailed business planning process to achieve those reductions, including a review of administrative functions, over the Spending Review period is currently in progress. The outputs from the ZBR are being used to support this.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_4

Lord Hain:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 18 June (HL7933), what would be the anticipated net revenue gain from maintaining the Winter Fuel Payment for all citizens of age except higher-rate taxpayers. \p Lord Livermore: The Government has been clear that it wants more pensioners to benefit from Winter Fuel Payments. More than three quarters - the vast majority of pensioners - will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment. The threshold is also broadly in line with average earnings and ensures the means testing of Winter Fuel Payments has no effect on pensioner poverty.

Taxing the Winter Fuel Payment would go against the general rule that income replacement benefits are taxable but those such as Winter Fuel Payments, which are designed for specific costs, generally are not.

The Winter Fuel Payment remains tax free, ensuring those pensioners on lower and middle incomes receive the full benefit of the Winter Fuel Payment, which would not be the case if it was a taxable payment. The new £35,000 threshold ensures those pensioners with the highest incomes do not benefit from the payment and ensures fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.

There are about 2 million pensioners with an income above £35,000. Based on 2023-24 data, the last publicly available estimates of this data, about 750,000 pensioners were higher rate tax payer and around 90,000 were additional rate tax payers.

Our Winter Fuel Payment policy is in line with our wider welfare reforms – ensuring support is targeted and that it is a responsible use of taxpayers’ money.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_5

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force monitoring the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK has been clear that the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) remains vital for stability at this pivotal moment for Syria and the wider region [we said this at the last public meeting on UNDOF in January - https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-uk-will-continue-to-support-unifils-essential-role-in-maintaining-calm-along-the-blue-line-uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council] and we have called for all parties to respect the terms of the Agreement. We participate regularly in UN Security Council Meetings on UNDOF, most recently consultations on 12 June 2025. In December 2024, the Prime Minister reiterated, along with G7 partners, his support for UNDOF. [G7 Leaders' Statement on Syria: 12 December 2024 - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g7-leaders-statement-on-syria-12-december-2024].
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_6

Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of implications for international law of the decision of the United States of America to bomb Iran. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: It is not for the UK to comment on the US' legal position and the UK did not participate in these strikes. We expect all parties to abide by international law. Our priority is stability in the Middle East and we have been clear with all sides that restarting the conflict is in nobody's interest.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_7

Lord Callanan:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon. We will use all diplomatic levers at our disposal to support a negotiated outcome and ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon including through the UN snapback mechanism, if necessary.

The ceasefire provides a diplomatic window for US/Iran talks to resume. Through numerous bilateral conversations with counterparts since 13 June, the UK is urging Iran to engage urgently and directly in negotiation and working with the US to support this.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_8

Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government how they marked the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June; and what plans they have to promote the introduction of international controls on weapons and equipment that could be used for torture, including at this year’s UN General Assembly. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government remains committed to preventing torture and tackling impunity for those who torture others. It is essential for safeguarding our security and integral to a fair legal system and the rule of law.

At the UN General Assembly, we will continue to work with allies to encourage all states to uphold their international human rights obligations. As a member of the Global Alliance on Torture Free Trade, the UK supports the initiative to stop the trade of goods used for capital punishment and torture. Goods are subject to export restrictions if they can be used for torture, capital punishment, or cruel and inhuman treatment. Export licence applications are considered against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Government will not grant a licence for items where we determine there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate internal repression.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_9

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the execution of Turki al-Jasser, and about the reported increase in executions, including for non-violent offences. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights and officials in our Embassy in Riyadh have raised Turki Al-Jasser's case with the Saudi authorities. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_10

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the Palestinian organisations and individuals that are currently subject to UK sanctions. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK currently sanctions Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-CG), and a number of individuals that support the use of violence. All UK sanctions designations are available to the public via the UK Sanctions List: docs.fcdo.gov.uk/docs/UK-Sanctions-List.html
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_11

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that international law is upheld in the current situation in Iran. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK has engaged with a wide range of partners during the current crisis, emphasising that stability, de-escalation and restraint are key, and urging all parties to seize the opportunity for a diplomatic solution. We have consistently stressed that all sides must abide by international law.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_12

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the governments of Mauritius and Russia have agreed to strengthen their relationship on fishing and marine research; and what implications this will have for the United Kingdom’s military base on Diego Garcia. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Treaty explicitly grants all rights and authorities that the United Kingdom requires for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the Base. Mauritius as a sovereign nation has agreements with many countries on a range of issues which have no bearing on the Treaty. We will retain full control over Diego Garcia with robust provisions to keep adversaries out. These include unrestricted access to and use of the base for the UK and US; a buffer zone around Diego Garcia; a comprehensive mechanism to ensure no activity in the other islands threatens base operations; and a ban on the presence of any foreign security forces.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_13

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2020 the Pension Protection Fund has had to replace an external fund manager for reasons of performance, governance failure, or credit downgrade and what the financial and administrative cost of each replacement was to the Fund. \p Baroness Sherlock: The day-to-day fund management of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assets is performed both by the Chief Investment Officer (with authority to delegate to an in-house team of investment professionals) and by reputable external professional fund managers (each of which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or a similar local regulatory authority as required).

At any point in time, PPF will have approximately 70-80 external fund managers working on its behalf, across 140 different strategies within 15 separate asset classes.

Since 2020, PPF has changed 10 external managers on performance grounds. PPF has not replaced any managers on grounds of governance failure or credit downgrade.

The administration cost of changing a manager varies between strategies. However, PPF works to a budget of approximately £30,000 per change of manager.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_14

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of graduate-level jobs currently available, and whether the increased use of artificial intelligence is affecting those employment opportunities. \p Baroness Sherlock: Data from the Department for Education (Graduate labour market statistics, Calendar year 2024 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK) shows that graduates aged 16-64 years old in 2024 in England continue to have high employment rates, which exceed the employment rates of non-graduates:

Graduates are also more likely than non-graduates to be in high-skilled work than non-graduates and the proportion of working-age graduates in high-skilled work has increased on the year:

This data also refers to people who are aged 16-64 years old in England in 2024. High-skilled employment is defined as being in Standard Occupational Classification 2020 major occupation groups 1-3.

The Office for National Statistics publish data on labour demand by occupation and how it is changing over time, which can be found here:

Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK - Office for National Statistics

Textkernel new online job adverts - Office for National Statistics

No current assessment has been made on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on graduate job opportunities.

The Department for Education has published research on the potential impact of AI on different occupations:  GOV.UK Impact of AI on UK jobs and training
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_15

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current price of energy in the United Kingdom; and whether they plan to increase reliance on non-renewable energy sources as part of their future energy strategy. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_16

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, whether they will publish a full breakdown of how the £50 million Transformation Fund allocation for civil service learning and development will be spent, including any evaluation criteria, delivery partners, expected cost per learner, and projected savings against current spend. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office has secured £50 million from the Transformation Fund to increase workforce productivity, including supporting the implementation of a future skills model for government by May 2029 when the next iteration of the learning framework contracts will expire. We are now establishing the programme of work to make this phased transition, including undertaking full business cases where appropriate.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_17

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to adopt the recommendations in the report Climate and Energy Lobbying in the UK, published by InfluenceMap on 26 June. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: In addition to steps this Government has already taken to improve transparency, in particular through the introduction of the monthly register of ministers' gifts and hospitality, the Government continues to develop its broader work on ethics and standards and will provide an update in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_18

Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the working group with the Northern Ireland Executive established by the Government under paragraph 157 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper has met; and to which ministers it reports. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Windsor Framework Working Group committed to in paragraph 157 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper has met formally three times. It is jointly run by the Cabinet Office and the Executive Office in Northern Ireland. My Rt. Hon. friend Nick Thomas-Symonds MP is the responsible Minister in the Cabinet Office.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_19

Lord Lebedev:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the findings in the report National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June, what plans they have to provide compensation to victims. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government is making reforms to better support victims of child sexual abuse and prioritise their rights, including making it easier for victims to pursue compensation claims in the civil court.

The Government has included a measure in the Crime and Policing Bill to remove the three-year time limit for victims to bring civil personal injury child sexual abuse claims, so that claims do not need to be brought within three years of turning 18. This change is significant because we know that it can take decades for survivors to disclose sexual abuse.

Victims, including children, who suffer a serious physical or mental injury as a direct result of a violent crime such as physical and sexual abuse, may also be able to access compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Payments under the Scheme are an expression of public sympathy and are intended to be an acknowledgment of the harm that eligible applicants have experienced.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has worked to improve its service for compensation applicants, including providing its staff with specific training on the impact of psychological and emotional trauma in sexual abuse cases, and guidance on applying the exceptional circumstances discretion to sexual abuse cases - particularly child sexual abuse.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_20

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking, if any, to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: We will continue to consider the full range of tools and powers available to tackle the threats that we face from Iran. That is why the whole of the Iranian state - including the IRGC and MOIS - will be placed on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme which will go live on 1 July.

On 19 May, the Home Secretary announced that we will be taking forward Jonathan Hall KC’s recommendations in his review of State Threats legislation, including the creation of a new State Threats Proscription-like Tool. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

As a matter of longstanding policy we do not comment on whether or not an individual organisation is being considered for proscription.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_21

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government how they propose to prevent migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The government is pursing a strategic shift in Border Security, focusing on long-term systemic improvements, smarter, intelligence-led interventions and stronger partnerships across agencies and with countries upstream to target the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings.

The Border Security Command, created in July 2024, and is leading the national response to prevent small boats crossing the English Channel. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give it statutory authority to coordinate across government and law enforcement.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will also enhance powers for the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, and police, enable earlier intervention in smuggling operations and improve the ability to detect, prevent, and prosecute smugglers.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_22

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to withdraw the report Group-based child sexual exploitation: characteristics of offending, published by the Home Office on 15 December 2020; and if so, when. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: On Monday 16 June 2025 the Home Secretary set out the Government’s response to Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation in England and Wales, accepting all 12 recommendations it made.

That includes making it a requirement for the police to collect ethnicity and nationality data in every case of child sexual exploitation and abuse. We will announce further details on this measure in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_23
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_23

Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 June (HL7863), what action has been taken by police and local authorities under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 against exhausts and silencers that have been deliberately modified or not kept in good working order. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.

In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_24
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_24

Lord Young of Acton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been referred to Prevent because they are cultural nationalists since 1 January 2024. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office routinely publishes information on the number of individuals referred to Prevent by type of concern in the table attached.

Referrals for the period April 2024 to March 2025 will be released later this year.

Individuals referred to Prevent (docx, 27.1KB)
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_25

Lord Polak:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to consult communities and experts on developing a long-term counter-extremism strategy aimed at building democratic and societal resilience, strengthening cohesion and reducing extremism and other societal threats. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office keeps all polices relating to national security and public safety under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_26
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_26

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the cost per metre of the security fence on the West Front of the House of Lords, and what were the total costs for that project. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In publishing the costs of a security asset, an adversary would be provided with information about the level of and efficacy of the mitigation we have in place. For these reasons the costs of the newly installed Abingdon Street fence are not in the public domain. The fence is not ‘off the shelf’ and incorporates security measures specifically designed to keep out a wide range of hostile actors.

In order to balance transparency with security, the House of Lords Finance Committee will undertake an enhanced programme of scrutiny of both costs and performance of security works, on a quarterly basis.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_27
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_27

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government when the current consultation on banning bottom trawling in designated marine protected areas will conclude, and what timeline they anticipate for implementing any resulting protections. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The consultation will close on 1 September 2025. Any resulting protection will be implemented as soon as is reasonably practical, but we cannot pre-judge the outcome of the consultation.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_28
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_28

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their consultation on banning bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs), whether the 42 sites currently under consultation are in addition to the MPAs in which bottom trawling is already banned. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The proposed restrictions to bottom trawling in the consultation are in addition to those currently in place in the Marine Protected Areas. The level of protection from bottom trawling varies in each site, with some sites currently having no protection and others having partial bans. Full details of what is being proposed in each site can be found in the consultation document, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stage-3-consultation-document.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_29
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_29

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace custodial sentences of 12 months or fewer with community sentences. \p Lord Timpson: The Independent Sentencing Review has recommended that the Government limit the use of short custodial sentences, a position we support.

We know that community orders and suspended sentence orders can more effectively reduce reoffending when compared to short sentences of immediate custody. While short custodial sentences may be useful in some circumstances, they often fall short in the meaningful rehabilitation of offenders and have a limited deterrent effect. Instead, more of those individuals should be dealt with through tough community sentences that incentivise them to turn their lives around.

Following the Independent Sentencing Review, we will bring forward legislation, in the coming months.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_30

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to enforce the ban on the sale and use of illegally modified e-bikes, referred to as "fake e-bikes" in the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking, Unregulated and Unsafe: The Threat of Illegal E-Bikes, published on 16 June. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: I thank the APPG for their report into this important topic, on which there is cross-Government work to tackle the issues raised and make sure e-bikes are safe to buy and use. Our product safety framework makes clear that consumer products can only be placed on the UK market if they are safe and comply with relevant laws. Businesses, including those modifying or servicing electric bikes, have responsibilities for the safety of those products. The Office for Product Safety and Standards and local authorities enforce the regulations.

E-bikes used illegally on public land is an enforcement matter for the police.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_31
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role the planned AI supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh will have in driving artificial intelligence innovation across the UK; and what is the proposed timescale for its deployment. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: As outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the Government committed to increase the UK’s AI compute capacity by twentyfold by 2030.

That is why we have committed £1 billion to deliver this expansion and up to a further £750m for a new national supercomputer at Edinburgh, which will replace the UK’s current leading scientific supercomputer ARCHER2. These commitments will position the UK as a leader in AI and high-performance computing, driving innovation and scientific discovery. It is important to note that exascale compute is not necessarily for AI and has many other uses.

The Department will now work closely with UKRI and the University of Edinburgh to deliver the new national supercomputer. We will provide updates in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_32
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_32

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many public contracts across all departments currently include the “security schedules” referenced in the Government Cyber Security Strategy: 2022–2030; and what steps they are taking to ensure full implementation of proportionate cyber requirements across all commercial agreements. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: It is long standing policy that Government does not disclose the specifics of its security arrangements, including with suppliers.

In recognition of the fact that not all government departments have the resources or expertise to include bespoke security requirements of every single commercial arrangement, GSG has developed and published Modular Security Schedules. These schedules provide departments with industry best practice security requirements to be included in commercial agreements. They have been tailored to meet a whole range of scenarios and risks.

These schedules are now publicly available on security.gov.uk and have been widely adopted by government departments. We are actively running training sessions for commercial teams to aid their implementation. Furthermore, they are now included in the standard, Model Services Contract, Mid-Tier Contract and Short Form Contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_33

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the NHS has sufficient cyber security defences in place to protect systems. \p Baroness Merron: In the past year we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.

The health and social care supply chain is large and complex. We have a dedicated workstream in the Cyber Improvement Programme that is focused on this particular risk, developing tools and processes to increase cyber assurance and resilience.

Published in May 2025, the cyber security supply chain charter is designed to support suppliers and their customers in reducing the likelihood and impact of a cyber incident. The eight statements contained within the charter are fundamental security measures that should be reasonably expected from suppliers to help secure their organisation.

In September 2024, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework was implemented into the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) for large National Health Service organisations. This enables them to understand and manage their own cyber and information governance risks, while maintaining the high standards necessary to protect patients. Over 56,000 organisations completed a DSPT assessment for 2023/24. As of July 2024, 82% of NHS trusts, or 172 trusts, had met or exceeded the standard.

72% of adult social care providers are now compliant with the DSPT, and the Government funded Better Security, Better Care programme continues to support care providers to prioritise safety and security when handling the data of those drawing on care.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will help us address the evolving cyber threat to our supply chain. It will strengthen our defences and ensure that essential healthcare services are better protected.

Through the Cyber Operations division in NHS England, we are able to respond to the ever-changing threat landscape and monitor security threats to IT systems and networks. Cyber Operations provide a range of specialist services that help NHS organisations manage cyber risk, and these are delivered through a range of centrally funded products and services.

We work to ensure that patient data and information is stored in systems that are safe and secure. We do this by providing services, guidance, and support to health and care organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_34

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government whether construction of the first Fleet Solid Support ship has begun. \p Lord Coaker: Successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, which is currently in the design phase, remains a priority. The recent acquisition of Harland & Wolff (H&W) by Navantia UK, following the administration of H&W, has provided greater certainty to the delivery of the FSS programme and protects UK’s shipbuilding capability.

Construction has not yet begun, the design work is progressing well and production of the first FSS ship is expected to begin later in 2025, with all three vessels bolstering the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over the coming decade.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-03 conversation_35

Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage the Northern Ireland defence sector playing in delivering the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. \p Lord Coaker: AUKUS is a landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies. It is one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, while also delivering jobs and economic growth in communities across all three nations.

AUKUS benefits the entire UK, including Northern Ireland, by strengthening our defence industry, generating thousands of new jobs. We expect over 21,000 people to be working on SSN-AUKUS programmes at its peak, both in UK shipyards and across the supply chain.

The commitments made in the Strategic Defence Review will only serve to enhance AUKUS and continue to contribute to jobs creation and economic growth.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_1

Lord Allen of Kensington:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their Industrial Strategy; and whether it will include a road map for improved economic growth. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Industrial Strategy will be published in spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review.

The Industrial Strategy will set out a credible, 10-year plan to deliver higher growth – and improved living standards – by targeting growth-driving sectors and places with the greatest potential for growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_2

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of staff shortages in the hospitality sector; and what actions they are taking to address these shortages. \p Baroness Gustafsson: Between February and April 2025, there were 83,000 vacancies in the hospitality sector, which is 21% less than last year.

This is a significant improvement which can be credited to Government’s collaboration with the Hospitality Sector Council in addressing jobs shortages and building the sector’s talent pipeline.

As part of this, we are expanding Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which fast track individuals into hospitality vacancies by providing flexible training and support. SWAPs have already seen 10,000 starts in the sector in less than two years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_3

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of replacing the English language test for potential immigrants from the Patagonian Welsh community with a Welsh language test. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government immigration white paper via proposed immigration rules set out requirements in respect of applicants' English language ability.

We are continuing to give consideration to the issue of Welsh language.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_4

Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government, following their newly announced policies on immigration, whether they plan to conduct a review of current skill shortages in every part of the UK economy, provide an analysis of any additional skill shortages that new immigration policies will bring, and propose measures to ensure the effective provision of skills in the future for the UK economy. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The new approach the Government is setting out will mean much stronger links between the Points-Based System and training here in the UK. We will introduce requirements for workforce strategies and bring together a new Labour Market Evidence Group to work together to gather and share evidence about the state of each workforce in key sectors, training levels and participation by the domestic labour market.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_5

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions and consultation they have had with universities ahead of any new immigration and visa restrictions with regard to the impact on international students. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and other stakeholders, and we will continue to consult them as we implement the measures recently set out in the Immigration White paper, including in relation to student visas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_6

Lord Hayward:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of serving police officers in England are currently on restricted duties pending an investigation for non-criminal misconduct; and what is the average duration of time that such officers have been on restricted duties. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The requested data is not currently collected or held by the Home Office, and could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_7

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, when the Home Office expects to produce advice on the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and search policies adopted by police forces in England and Wales. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Along with all other public sector organisations, we are considering what the implications for the Home Office and policing will be of the Supreme Court ruling. It is important that our next steps are properly considered and aligned with legal advice and the Statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations, which the Equality and Human Rights Commission is updating.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_8

Lord Sedwill:To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans employed by NATO in Afghanistan have been admitted to the United Kingdom under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and other schemes. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: According to the latest published data, 19,201 Afghan nationals have been admitted to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and other schemes, but this total is not broken down by individuals' previous employment status.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_9

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what visits have been made by Royal Navy vessels (1) to ports in Tunisia, and (2) through Tunisian waters, since 2020. \p Lord Coaker: Royal Navy surface vessels have visited Tunisian ports and waters on four occasions since 2020. The visits took place in September and October 2020, April 2021 and November 2022.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-28 conversation_10

Baroness Crawley:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to retrospectively assess the awards and decorations given to the agents who fought for the UK in the F section of the Special Operations Executive in World War II, in particular (1) the small number of women who received military honours, and (2) the men who were killed but have no British award or decoration. \p Lord Coaker: There is no doubt that the actions of the agents of F section of the Special Operations Executive were very brave, and the Government remains grateful for their service and sacrifice. Indeed, many were recognised with gallantry awards, such as the awards of the George Cross to Odette Sansom, Noor Khan, Cicely Lefort, Diana Rowden and Lilian Rolfe.

It is the long-standing policy of the UK Government, that military and civilian gallantry awards cannot be awarded retrospectively more than five years after the service or actions in question. This policy has been in place since the end of the Second World War and was approved by King George VI. Successive Governments have seen fit not to change it. It is a long-held belief that people making decisions at the time were better placed to make judgements about an individual’s actions than we can be now at a distance of many years and without information about other people’s contemporary actions for comparison.