theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Leigh of Hurley:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024, published on 12 December 2024, and specifically to pages 21 and 69, which senior officials had use of the official car services contracted from the Government Car Service, other than the Cabinet Secretary. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles in line with the Civil Service Management Code. For security reasons the details of specific allocations are not released.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 7 April (HL6019), whether the Cabinet Office holds unpublished internal guidance on the performance management process for Permanent Secretaries; and, if so, whether they will place a copy of that guidance in the Library of the House. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: There is no unpublished internal guidance on the performance management process for Permanent Secretaries. The process follows the principles outlined in the performance management guidance for Senior Civil Servants which is published on GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a391127da1f1ac64e5ff25/Final_2025-26_SCS_PM_Framework_published.pdf
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of overseas demand for UK goods in April, and the consequential impact on private sector output. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord Taylor of Warwick

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

1 May 2025

Dear Lord Taylor of Warwick,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the level of overseas demand for UK goods in April, and the consequential impact on private sector output (HL6970).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK trade in goods data is currently available up to February 2025[1]. March data will be published on 15 May 2025, while April data will be published on 12 June 2025.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/uktrade/february2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment for the gov.uk One Login programme. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: It is not a mandatory requirement to publish a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). We do have an obligation to let citizens know how we are processing their data, which we do via a privacy notice published on GOV.UK. We continually develop our DPIA to take into account the new identity verification journeys, such as the no photo ID route. Nevertheless, we are working on a publishable version of our DPIA which will be easy to digest for the public. The One Login programme meets with the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) on a monthly basis, engaging openly on programme developments, including iterations of the DPIA, and has been doing so since 2022.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government how many men aged 16 to 24 years old were employed in the agriculture sector in April. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the acting National Statistician of the UK Statistics Authority.

Emma Rourke | Acting National Statistician

The Baroness Stedman-Scott OBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

12 May 2025

Dear Lady Stedman-Scott,

As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many men aged 16 to 24 years old were employed in the agriculture sector in April (HL6966).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The responses allow us to estimate how many people are in employment, as well as information on their age and sex. In addition, working respondents report the industry they believe best reflects their workplace. These responses are classified using the Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC07).

Unfortunately, estimates for April 2025 will not be available until 10 June 2025. In the period December 2024 to February 2025, the latest LFS data available, the number of men aged 16 to 24 years who were working in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry sector was 15,000. Please note that this estimate is based on a small sample size. This may result in less precise estimates, which should be used with caution.

The ongoing challenges with response rates, response levels and weighting approach mean that labour market statistics based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to increased volatility and are considered ’official statistics in development’ until further review.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Rourke
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the video game industry to economic growth and job creation; and what steps they are taking to support the development of the industry. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector as part of the upcoming creative industries sector plan, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.

We recognise that the UK’s video games sector brings economic, cultural and social benefits across the UK. DCMS estimates the UK video games sector generated £2.1bn in GVA in 2023, with industry trade body Ukie estimating that 26,000 are people employed directly in the sector in the UK.

To support the growth of the sector, the Government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, UK Global Screen Fund, and can access support from the Create Growth Programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to protect vulnerable populations from drug-resistant fungal infections by assessing the risks of agricultural fungicide use for the emergence of clinical anti-fungal resistance within the environment, in line with recent US and EU risk assessment frameworks. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: This Government recognises the importance of carefully managing pesticide use – including fungicides – to protect the environment and human health, and address the risks of resistance.

The UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP), published in March, sets out the actions we will take to support effective and sustainable pest management. A key goal in the NAP is increasing uptake of integrated pest management – a holistic approach that reduces the likelihood of resistance building by minimising and optimising pesticide use.

When authorising pesticide products, the regulations require the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to consider the potential for resistance development in the target pest organism. Where such resistance is known or anticipated, HSE will place specific limitations on the use of the plant protection product to help mitigate the likelihood and speed of resistance development. Authorisation holders are also required to monitor the resistance situation and report significant changes in resistance status to HSE.

The possible development of resistance in non-target organisms, for example through indirect exposure or the transfer of resistance genes, is not specifically considered. This mirrors international plant protection standards. HSE is considering the latest evidence relating to fungal antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in particular the recent European Food Safety Authority publication.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes annual figures on drug-resistant fungal bloodstream infections, and on the use of antifungal drugs in the human healthcare sector.

Fungaemia (including candidaemia): annual data from voluntary surveillance - GOV.UK (copy attached to this answer)

English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report - GOV.UK (copy attached to this answer)

UKHSA is one of many collaborators working with the One Health collaborative PATHSAFE programme and the recently announced UK Research and Innovation Fungal One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Network, both established to develop new approaches to tackling AMR.

Attachment 1 (pdf, 521.2KB)

Attachment 2 (pdf, 3927.3KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of wildfires on (1) the stability of different landscapes, and (2) slope stability. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra has not made an assessment of the impact of wildfires on (1) the stability of different landscapes, and (2) slope stability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase coverage rates for the childhood flu vaccination programme. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is working to improve the uptake of our vaccination programmes, including children’s flu uptake.

The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to take steps to promote uptake by providing diverse delivery methods to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-served groups, and raising awareness of the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases, including flu. Paid for marketing campaigns to support the uptake of childhood flu and other vaccinations have been run over the past year, with evaluation showing positive results.

Along with this work, the Department is also looking at how it can go further, exploring new ways to boost uptake by supplementing the general practice offer already based in communities through health visitors.

The UKHSA has continued to undertake annual surveys of parents to develop an understanding of how knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake decision-making.

It is important that children are vaccinated for flu, as it is the best way to help protect them from flu, which can cause serious harm. The children’s flu vaccination also helps prevent flu transmission in the community.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number of doctors who have applied for specialty training across all 65 medical specialties in terms of (1) individual applicants, and (2) numbers of applications, in each of the past five years; and what is the number of training places available per year in the same time period. \p Baroness Merron: The following table shows the total number of applications across all medical specialties for recruitment rounds from 2020 to 2024 in the United Kingdom, alongside the total number of posts available:

Entry year

Number of applications across all specialty training pathways

Number of posts cross all specialty training pathways

2020

28,124

11,779

2021

31,890

11,579

2022

36,563

12,105

2023

42,794

12,680

2024

59,698

12,743

Source: NHS England, Medical Specialty Training Competition Ratios.

This data covers all round one and round two specialty training pathway programmes. The Department does not hold information on the number of individual, or unique, applicants that this comprises of. Data for individual specialties is published annually by NHS England and can be found on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This is central to the vision in our 10 Year Plan.

We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address (1) the under-representation of women in health data, and (2) the lack of female-only UK clinical trials. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is committed to ensuring that women are represented across all forms of health data, including National Health Service patient data and data that is used for research. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and recognises that increasing the diversity of people taking part in research is key to ensuring the evidence and data generated by research is relevant for the whole population.

On 10 March 2025, the NIHR launched its sex and gender policy, which is expected to come into force later in 2025. A document containing the NIHR’s sex and gender policy is attached. This outlines an NIHR statement of intent on integrating sex and gender into health and care research. Implementing such a policy will ensure research accounts for sex and gender across every stage of the research cycle, thus facilitating funding into topics that impact males and females and, crucially, a greater understanding of how males and females might be impacted differently by the same health condition.

The Department and NHS England fund the Research Engagement Network Development Programme, which aims to increase diversity in research participation through the development of research engagement networks with communities who are often underserved by research, and by ensuring diversity in research is considered by integrated care systems.

Additional Document (pdf, 7.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to fund research to establish safe microplastic exposure thresholds and identify key interventions to improve neglected areas, including soil and air quality. \p Baroness Merron: The UK Health Security Agency carried out research to understand if there are potential health risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. This was part of the National Institute of Health and Care Research funded Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health.

In addition, the potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The most recent statement was published in 2024, a copy of which is attached.

Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. The project also included a socio-economic assessment. This project is expected to report in early 2025. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.

HL7275 Document (pdf, 1243.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people and how many full-time equivalent posts work in the Child Maintenance Service (1) as civil servants, and (2) as contractors. \p Baroness Sherlock: As of 30th March 2025, the number of employees working for the Child Maintenance Service is 5,055. This equates to the full-time equivalent (FTE) of 4449.65

The breakdown for (1) civil servants, and (2) contractors are as follow:

Number of Employees

FTE

DWP Civil Servants (GB)

4,078

xx-xxxx-xxxx

DfCNI Civil Servants (NI)

651

620.92

Contractors (Recruitment Agency NI)

326

326
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many, and what proportion of, parents in arrears on Child Maintenance Service payments are unemployed. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison.

If a paying parent is in receipts of benefits due to being unemployed, the CMS can set up a deduction from the benefit to collect ongoing maintenance, or arrears in the case of Collect and Pay. The CMS can deduct £8.40 a week towards ongoing maintenance or arrears from certain prescribed benefits. Deductions towards arrears and ongoing maintenance are not taken at the same time. Arrears deductions are taken only after ongoing liability has been satisfied.

The Information on the full arrears status of those parents is not readily available and to providei t would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how much Child Maintenance Service payment was reduced to receiving parents because of “special expenses” relating to travel to visit family in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, (3) 2022–23, and (4) 2023–24. \p Baroness Sherlock: Special expense variations allow the Child Maintenance Service to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. A parent may apply for a variation at any time during the life of their case. If we accept a variation and it subsequently succeeds, we adjust the maintenance calculation accordingly.

Special expense variations are:

The Child Maintenance Service holds collective data for all special expense variation categories but we do not hold specific data for each individual category. As data is not readily available, to provide this would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of successful claims for (1) personal independence payment, and (2) universal credit with a limited capability for work and work-related activity payment, were made without any supporting medical evidence in the most recent 12-month period, broken down by (a) age cohort, (b) primary medical condition category, and (c) assessment modality. \p Baroness Sherlock: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department does not hold data centrally on whether any supporting medical evidence was provided for a claimant’s application. Obtaining such data would require a manual search of individual records.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the impact assessment of the Spring Statement's announcement of health and disability benefit reforms, which estimates an additional 250,000 people will be in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029–30, what assessment they have made of the likely increase in homelessness. \p Baroness Sherlock: No assessment has been made. The figure quoted does not take account of additional employment arising from the enhancements to employment support announced in the Green Paper, about which the Office for Budget Responsibility has announced that it will produce an impact assessment in the autumn. It also does not take account of any measures to be announced in the forthcoming Child Poverty strategy.

Further information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, in addition to the information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional tax revenues that would be raised if the tax-free allowance for dividends was abolished. \p Lord Livermore: HMRC publishes estimates of the direct effects of illustrative tax changes, including changes to the dividend allowance, which are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes

The additional revenue gained from abolishing the dividend allowance may not be completely scalable to the published ready reckoner because the distribution of dividend income may not be uniform and therefore scalable. Furthermore, the assumed behavioural responses may not be scalable either.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a tourism tax. \p Lord Livermore: Tourism is a significant economic, cultural and social asset to the UK. The sector is a powerful engine for economic growth and job creation across all regions. Tourism contributes not only economically, but also in creating pride in local communities and contributing to the UK's soft power.

The Government regularly receives representations about visitor levies in England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulation of cryptocurrency to encourage public investment in digital assets; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that regulation on the economy. \p Lord Livermore: The Government published draft legislation for the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets on 29 April, with final legislation planned for before the end of the year.

The Government’s regulatory approach is seeking to strike the right balance between protecting consumers and giving the sector the space and flexibility to innovate.

HM Treasury will publish full impact assessments alongside its final legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, In-person debt advice, what steps they are taking to expand access to and fund free debt advice services authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. \p Lord Livermore: The Government regularly engages with the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to monitor personal finances and debt levels. The Money and Pensions Service conducts an annual survey of people in financial difficulty. The results of their latest survey were published on 29 February 2024.

To support those in debt to manage their finances, the Government funds national and community-based debt advice services, through the Money and Pensions Service, for hundreds of thousands of individuals and families in need across England. The Government also provides funding for debt advice in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As debt advice is a devolved matter, responsibility for delivering these services rests with those devolved governments.

Funding levels for both the Money and Pensions Service and the devolved governments are regularly reviewed to reflect demand, inflation, and evolving needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Baroness Curran:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the government of Scotland, and (2) the government of Wales, to facilitate economic growth across the United Kingdom. \p Lord Livermore: Economic growth is the central mission of this Government, as it is vital to raising prosperity and living standards across all parts of the UK.

The Government established the biannual Council of the Nations and Regions on 11 October 2024. This forum brings together ministers from the UK government and the devolved administrations, reaffirming a shared commitment to work collaboratively to unlock investment, support regional economies, and drive economic growth across the UK.

In addition to this forum, ministers and officials regularly engage with their counterparts in the Scottish and Welsh Governments to discuss the delivery of the growth mission.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government whether a treehouse within the curtilage of a domestic dwelling is deemed to be a material consideration by the Valuation Office Agency when a property is valued for council tax in Wales. \p Lord Livermore: The Valuation Office Agency considers each property valuation on a case-by-case basis, considering the impact that any features could have on the property’s value and whether any such features would be classified as a self-contained unit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Farmers' Union of Wales in the past nine months regarding the impact of their policy of inheritance taxation for agricultural land. \p Lord Livermore: The Government has received representations about inheritance tax from several agricultural organisations in the past nine months, including from the Farmers' Union of Wales. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and other Ministers have also participated in several meetings with agricultural organisations, including with the Farmers’ Union of Wales, since the Budget in October 2024 to listen to their views.

After listening, the Government continues to believe its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government how much HMRC received in voluntary National Insurance contributions between 1 October 2024 and 31 March 2025, and what estimate they have made of the projected total lifetime cost of the associated state pension entitlements. \p Lord Livermore: HMRC does not have comprehensive records showing the total number of people who have purchased missing qualifying years, or the full value of these contributions paid across the range of available payment channels. As such, DWP have not been able to estimate the additional State Pension lifetime entitlement associated with these payments.

However, since the online State Pension forecast service was launched on 29 April 2024, 138,000 people have paid £180 million of contributions through this service.

HMRC collects residency and tax contribution history as part of the application process for paying voluntary National Insurance contributions . However, the cost of producing reliable statistics would represent a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 1 April (HL5869), and in the light of the requirements of the Government Efficiency Framework, published 19 July 2023, whether they will publish (1) the full disaggregated breakdown of the £45 billion estimate in annual savings and productivity benefits by department and public body; (2) the corresponding cash-releasing and non-cash-releasing savings; and (3) the estimated investment required to achieve these savings. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Details on the £45 billion figure were published as part of the State of Digital government review. The £45 billion figure referenced reflects an estimate of potential long-term annual benefits from digital transformation across the public sector, covering simplifying and automating routine tasks, shifting transactions to cheaper digital channels, and reducing fraud and error. Estimates include both cash-releasing and non-cash-releasing benefits. The estimate is designed to highlight the value at stake and not to inform specific organisational implementation through disaggregation. The Government Efficiency Framework (GEF) does not require savings estimates to be disaggregated or published. Any implementation of projects to deliver this value will require further departmental analysis and appraisal, including cost and benefit realisation in accordance with the Green Book.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with BT about publishing a geographical timetable for the Digital Voice rollout, particularly for rural areas. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Government is determined to ensure that any risks of the industry-led migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

Communication providers, including BT, signed a voluntary PSTN Charter in December 2023, committing them to protecting vulnerable consumers during the PSTN migration. In November 2024, providers agreed to additional safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist. The Government is engaging regularly with the signatories of the Charter to monitor their plans and to ensure compliance with the Checklist.

The Government have not requested that providers publish geographical timetables. Providers are migrating customers only when the safeguards are in place. Further, providers are starting migrating the least vulnerable customers first, regardless of geography.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision to rename Ofcom's Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation the "Committee for Online Information"; and whether the Committee will still have the remit of tackling misinformation. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Ofcom and its advisory committees are independent of government. The name of the advisory committee is therefore a matter for Ofcom.

The Online Safety Act makes the Committee’s role clear. The Act mandates that the Committee must advise the regulator on how providers should address mis- and disinformation on their services. It also requires them to advise Ofcom on exercising their transparency powers and fulfilling their statutory duty to promote media literacy in relation to mis- and disinformation. These duties remain unchanged and will be the focus of the new Online Information Advisory Committee.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_45
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_45

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of BT’s Digital Voice rollout, what assessment they have made of residences lacking sufficient mains electricity supply to consistently run a router and a modern telephone. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Government is determined to ensure any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

In November 2024, providers, including BT, agreed to safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist including requirements to provide resilience solutions, such as battery back-up units, for vulnerable customers, including the landline-dependent, to enable access to emergency organisations for at least one hour in a power outage. A number of communication providers have gone beyond this minimum, providing solutions that provide 4 to 7 hours that customers can use to power their router during a power cut.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_46
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_46

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any disparity in treatment between landline-only customers and those with broadband packages by BT’s Digital Voice rollout; and whether those with copper broadband will be able to terminate their broadband contract and retain a copper landline for telephone use only. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: No assessment of any disparity in treatment has been made. It will not be possible to retain a copper landline for telephone use only. From April 2024 to March 2025, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), each affecting 500 or more customers. The decision to upgrade the PSTN has been taken by industry and is a necessity.

The PSTN migration does not affect the universal service obligations in the Electronic Communications Order 2003 which require the designated providers (BT and KCOM) to offer landline-only services throughout the UK. It is therefore possible to order a Voice over Internet Protocol landline without purchasing a general internet connection.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_47

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Cyber Security Centre has warned about shortcomings with the One Login system, including risks of bulk personal data breach and mass impersonation fraud; and whether such warnings were shared with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority or the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The GOV.UK One Login programme works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to identify and mitigate risks and align to the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF). NCSC advises One Login on any key risks which should be prioritised as part of our security efforts. This independent review by NCSC is something we encourage and have continued to prioritise since the programme was established. As a Government Major Projects Portfolio programme (GMPP), the programme is subject to regular internal and external scrutiny and reporting. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has reviewed the programme positively in the last three Assurance Gateway Reviews.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_48
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_48

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to exempt off-grid premises from BT's Digital Voice transition. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Government is working with the telecoms industry and Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, to ensure the migration happens safely. In November 2024 major communication providers agreed additional safeguards to protect vulnerable customers. It is for BT to determine their process for the migration, including for those in off-grid premises.

The Government is determined to ensure all risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_49
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_49

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government why they have not published a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment for One Login; whether they obtained explicit user consent for biometric processing prior to live rollout; and whether they conducted statutory prior consultation with the Information Commissioner’s Office. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: It is not a mandatory requirement to publish a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). We do have an obligation to let citizens know how we are processing their data, which we do via a privacy notice published on GOV.UK. We continually develop our DPIA to take into account the new identity verification journeys, such as the no photo ID route. Nevertheless, we are working on a publishable version of our DPIA which will be easy to digest for the public. The One Login programme meets with the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) on a monthly basis, engaging openly on programme developments, including iterations of the DPIA, and has been doing so since 2022. The lawful basis for data sharing in place has been agreed by the ICO.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_50

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any component of the One Login service was developed offshore without prior consultation with the National Cyber Security Centre; and whether the Government have retrospectively approved any such arrangements. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: No personnel developed components of the One Login service offshore without prior consultation with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). We undertook a risk assessment in consultation with the NCSC before any offshore development by a small number of developers took place.

Any code in GOV.UK One Login that was produced by overseas staff was further subjected to a review by a staff member with Security Check clearance in the UK before it was deployed to production. As of March 2025, there is no longer any off-shored development on GOV.UK One Login.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_51
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_51

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government how many instances of production environment access to the One Login system were recorded in each month since July 2022; and, for each month, how many of those instances involved individuals who did not hold full Security Check clearance at the time of access. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GOV.UK One Login takes the security clearance and audit of personnel very seriously. Access to production is granted only to those that require it and is closely monitored. As part of strengthening our approach to privileged access management, all individuals with production access to GOV.UK One Login must undergo a Security Check (SC), alongside further two-person checks for changes and audit loggings of actions. One Login has implemented a policy of SC clearance for all development staff; this is higher than Baselines Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) which is considered sufficient across many parts of government.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_52
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_52

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Cabinet Office has quantified the likelihood and potential impact of insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise within One Login, as required by ISO 27001 standards and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre for cloud-hosted government services; and whether they will place copies of such assessments in the Library of the House. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The GOV.UK One Login team collaborates closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to assess and mitigate risks associated with insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise, aligning with the Cyber Assessment Framework outlined in the Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022-2030. Although the programme does not specifically pursue ISO 27001 certification, it adopts multiple overlapping controls and the risk management framework is based on the HMG Orange Book, which is closely aligned with ISO 27005 guidance on managing information security risks.

While assessments of insider threats have been made, copies of these assessments will not be placed in the Library of the House, as they are part of ongoing security measures and internal governance processes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_53
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_53

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government how many critical and high-risk vulnerabilities remained open in the live One Login system on 1 April, and what is the target date for full remediation. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GOV.UK One Login follows the relevant security standards for government and private sector services, and we take addressing security concerns very seriously. As of 1 May, all critical and high vulnerabilities have been addressed. Risk mitigation will continue to be central to our approach to ensure we keep pace with the constantly changing cyber threat landscape.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_54
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_54

Viscount Camrose:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has had with other Cabinet ministers on (1) the scarcity of cybersecurity skills in the UK, and (2) the potential impact of the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on the availability of cybersecurity talent. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: Cyber criminals are attacking our public services and businesses with increased frequency, costing billions of pounds per year. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will protect more digital businesses than ever, essential services that the public rely on and our national security. The government is committed to minimising additional costs to business and will set out a full assessment of this in an impact assessment, to be published upon introduction of the Bill.

My department is working across government, including working closely with departments who act as cyber sector regulators, to deliver the government’s commitment to reducing the gap in cyber skills. Our assessment of this is set out in the Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market Survey. The priority skillset for the Bill will be the Audit and Assurance specialism, as defined by the UK Cyber Security Council. We have made strides in reducing the gap in these skills this year with a reported fall to 18%, down from 28% in 2023.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_55
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_55

Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent study by the University of Manchester, reported in The Guardian, which found that, of 28 liberal democracies, the UK, Ireland and Barbados are the three countries where it is most difficult to register to vote. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Government is committed to improving electoral registration. We are exploring a wide range of options to deliver on our manifesto commitment, including making greater use of public data and online Government services. Any changes will be based on robust evidence and user research.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_56
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-14 conversation_56

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide funding to tackle anti-Palestinian racism in the United Kingdom. \p Lord Khan of Burnley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL6958 on 9 May 2025.

HL6958 (pdf, 109.9KB)