theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the National Shipbuilding Office about the requirements of the vessels needed as part of the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts. \p Lord Coaker: The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did engage with the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) on the requirements of the vessels. The NSO’s recommendations were considered by the Ministry of Defence alongside other criteria. The Government is committed to supporting British industry in the future and programme teams will continue to engage the NSO.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government which minister in the Ministry of Defence has responsibility for the National Shipbuilding Office, and how many times they have met in the past six months. \p Lord Coaker: The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry oversees the work of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) in the Ministry of Defence. The NSO also works closely with Ministers and their officials in all Departments with interests in shipbuilding.

The National Shipbuilding Office's senior leadership has attended several meetings in the past six months with either the current Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry or his predecessor as Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry. The team continues to engage with the Minister formally and informally on an ongoing basis, including through his chairing of the Small Ministerial Group on Shipbuilding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions about the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts. \p Lord Coaker: The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did not seek tenders directly for the Vessel Replacement Programme (VRP), as the endorsed procurement strategy was to include this as part of the broader In-Port Services contract. Tenderers for the main contract were expected to select their own supply chain to deliver the VRP and Serco made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group.

While there was no policy requirement to engage for this procurement, and there are no records of discussions with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions specifically on the DMS-NG contracts, the Department remains committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and to supporting UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy and associated initiatives. The Ministry of Defence now engages regularly with industry bodies and trade unions in accordance with the 2025 Defence publication “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what contracts they have made with Serco under the heading “Defence Marine Services - Next Generation”, and what is the value of each of those contracts. \p Lord Coaker: The following contracts were awarded to Serco under the Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS – NG) programme. All have start dates of 1 October 2025. Each contract was advertised and sourced via competitive tender, although Serco was the only tenderer for the In-Port Marine Services contract (inclusive of the Vessel Replacement Programme):

In-Port Marine Services and the Delivery of a Vessel Replacement Programme (10 years)

£878 million

Inshore Support to Military Training, Testing and Evaluation (5 years)

£62 million

Offshore Support to Military Training and Exercises (10 years)

£94 million

Note: These are contract costs at time of award and do not include Authority Costs and Risk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the invitation to tender for vessels for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts included any requirement for the employment of trainees or apprentices. \p Lord Coaker: Each of the four Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts includes Social Value requirements, which are based on the most appropriate outcomes and themes as set out in the Social Value Model. The DMS-NG invitations to tender included education and training, requiring tenderers to support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications. They did not prescribe or constrain how the tenderers should meet the requirements and did not specify requirements for trainees and apprentices separately in relation to the Vessel Replacement Programme (which is to be delivered as part of the In-Port Marine Services Contract).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of Damen to deliver as a subcontractor under the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts following Damen's receipt of an emergency loan from the Dutch Government. \p Lord Coaker: The Defence Marine Services Next Generation procurement was carried out in accordance with the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (DSPCR), under which Serco, as prime contractor, was free to select its own supply chain. The Procurement Act, which came into force in February 2025, offers greater flexibility to prioritise British companies in strategically important areas.

The Ministry Of Defence (MOD) is aware of ongoing legal proceedings against Damen in the Netherlands, it continues to monitor proceedings and will take appropriate action should a conviction occur.

The MOD is aware of the loan provided by the Dutch Government to Damen. Serco, as prime contractor, has undertaken its own analysis of Damen’s financial position and has advised that there is no immediate risk to delivery of the Vessel Replacement Programme. Both the MOD and Serco will continue to monitor the situation as part of routine contract management.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Robertson of Port Ellen:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to lead a national conversation on defence as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review 2025; and, if so, who will be leading it. \p Lord Coaker: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Armed Forces (Al Carns DSO OBE MC MP), in the House of Commons on the 2 December 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge) in response to Question 93395.

Defence (docx, 15.8KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Robertson of Port Ellen:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to explain the whole-of-society approach to defence as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025 to the wider public. \p Lord Coaker: The whole-of-society approach to deterrence and defence sets out how Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our national defence and resilience. This addresses the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack.

The Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme, in which Defence plays a key role, has begun this work by starting to familiarise the public with their role in national security and resilience.

The Ministry of Defence is already delivering on reconnecting Defence with society. For example, an extra £70 million funding has been allocated to kickstart the cadet growth programme, expanding the cadet forces by 30% by 2030, and will continue to work to strengthen civilian-military links with communities and industry. This was a Strategic Defence Review recommendation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of the supply chain of the contract for the vessels being constructed for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts. \p Lord Coaker: The Vessel Replacement Programme within the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract represents approximately £200 million, 22% of the total In-Port Services contract value. Serco, as the prime contractor, is responsible for managing its supply chain and made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group. The Ministry of Defence monitors prime contractor reporting to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and value-for-money principles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Serco about the delivery of the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts and the ability of Damen to deliver as a subcontractor. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence holds regular and detailed discussions with Serco, the prime contractor for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract, regarding the delivery of the contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the current and future responsibilities of the Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory in light of the UK-Mauritius treaty on the Chagos Archipelago. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The responsibilities of the Commissioner are set out in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Constitution Order (2004). Clause 2 of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill will revoke this Order and the role will cease to exist on entry into force of the Diego Garcia treaty. Future governance arrangements for Diego Garcia, including any necessary Orders or Ordinances, will be made using the relevant powers in the Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Goudie:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to ratify the 2019 amendment to Article 8 of the Rome Statute. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Government's position on these issues was set out most recently by Lord Collins of Highbury in response to a House of Lords debate on the use of starvation as a weapon of war held on 16 October 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of India concerning the recent denial of burial rights to Christian families in the state of Chhattisgarh. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the ability to conduct burial rites with dignity, is a fundamental right. The UK is committed to promoting and defending FoRB as a core element of our foreign policy, and we encourage all governments - including India's - to ensure that individuals can practise their faith freely and without discrimination.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Sheehan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the treatment of a Palestinian child, Osaid Mahfouz, in Megiddo Prison, in particular in regard to severe medical neglect and poor hygiene conditions. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 13 October to Question 76963, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

The UK regularly raises our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We are clear that children must always be protected, and their rights upheld in accordance with international law. We are horrified by reports of mistreatment or abuse of Palestinian children in detention and call on the Israeli authorities to investigate these urgently and to ensure any perpetrators are held to account. Children must only be detained in line with internationally agreed juvenile justice standards or other applicable international law, and we call for an end to the military detention of Palestinian children where this is incompatible with those principles. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government how often the UK Special Representative to Sudan has consulted the Sudanese diaspora about humanitarian needs in Sudan; where those meetings have taken place; and who those meetings were with. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Our Special Representative for Sudan and officials regularly meet with a wide range of Sudanese civil society and diaspora groups in the UK and across the region to listen to their concerns, gain their valuable insights, and help to build an inclusive, united approach for transitioning to a civilian-led government once a lasting ceasefire is in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they will take to ensure that countries that supply weapons to militia in Sudan abide by international conventions aimed at preventing mass atrocities. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Noble Lord to the statement on Sudan I made in the House on 19 November, and to my remarks in the House of Lords debate on Sudan on 27 November. I will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on the progress we are making to reach all the people and regions currently in desperate need of humanitarian support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Sugg:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of staff reductions on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s ability to mainstream gender equality across international development and foreign policy. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to becoming a smaller, more agile organisation, better able to deliver tangible benefits for the British people. Staff reductions are being made strategically, with decisions guided by an organisational prioritisation exercise to ensure we retain the capability to deliver UK strength, security, and prosperity.

As this transformation progresses, we remain fully committed to promoting equality for women and girls as a core objective across all major sectors of the Official Development Assistance budget, and as set out in her speech in the FCDO on 24 November, the Foreign Secretary is personally committed to putting the issue of violence against women and girls at the heart of the UK's foreign policy agenda.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Oates:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance funding for education programmes on children in low-income countries. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: A formal Equality impact assessment of Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2025 to 2026 was published on 2 September 2025, and is available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-official-development-assistance-programme-allocations-2025-to-2026-equality-impact-assessment/equality-impact-assessment-of-official-development-assistance-oda-programme-allocations-for-2025-to-2026).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Somalia through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative about evidence of sexual violence by the Somali National Army; and what support, if any, they have provided to the government of Somalia to prevent further sexual violence. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK remains concerned by the human rights situation in Somalia, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and regularly raises these concerns with the Somali Government. Through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), the UK provides funding to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict in Somalia to strengthen the capacity of Somalia's national security sector to prevent CRSV.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have offered support in improving prison conditions through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo following reports of rapes at Makala Prison. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: In total, the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) has supported over 1,000 survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to rebuild their lives, and access justice, and we continue to raise human rights violations and prison conditions with the Government of DRC, including the mass rapes that took place at Makala prison in September 2024.

In her role as a supporter of PSVI, the Duchess of Edinburgh raised the ongoing investigation into those rapes during her visit to the DRC in October, and secured a commitment from Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa, that the DRC Ministry of Justice will be pursuing accountability in these cases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent reports of kidnappings of Christians, including a Baptist minister and Catholic priests, in Cameroon and Nigeria. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK strongly condemns the kidnappings affecting Christian communities in both Cameroon and Nigeria, including schools and churches. Everyone should be safe to exercise their fundamental human rights to education and freedom of worship. The UK is continuing to work with both countries to tackle kidnapping and address the root causes of violence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Oates:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consider child rights in (1) foreign policy, (2) international development policy, and (3) humanitarian policy. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. These principles are embedded across our foreign, development, and humanitarian policies. We work with international partners to deliver better outcomes for children, including through education, health, and nutrition programmes. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and we continue to support global initiatives that strengthen child protection systems and uphold children's rights in all contexts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include&nbsp;training on the implementation of the duty in section 19 of the Environment Act 2021 to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement in the new cycle of the Statutory Instrument Capability Programme&nbsp;due to launch in November. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Training is available to all civil servants on the environmental principles duty. The Statutory Instrument Capability Programme is a series of monthly seminars designed to advise civil servants on the management of Statutory Instruments, including the role of Impact Assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the findings of the report published on 20 November by the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, Module 2, 2A, 2B, 2C Report: Core decision-making and political governance, what assessment they have made of the advisability of lockdowns in a future pandemic. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government remains committed to learning the lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and to better prepare the country for future pandemics.

The Government will consider the findings and recommendations in the Module 2 report in detail and respond in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Watson of Invergowrie:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure opportunities for artists are spread more evenly across the country. \p Baroness Twycross: The government prioritises making creative careers accessible for everyone and we are working closely with the arts sector to address barriers.

With regards to improving access to creative careers, the government has committed to delivering a refreshed UK-wide £9 million creative careers service. We will partner with industry to equip the next generation of young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries and arts. We have also invested £500,000 to expand the King’s Trust Creative Futures programme, which is designed to break down barriers to jobs in the creative industries for young people across the country who are, or at risk of being, not in education, employment or training (NEET).

In February this year we announced a review of Arts Council England which will examine how the Arts Council can be best positioned to unlock creativity and cultural excellence in every corner of the country - making sure its structure and decision-making truly work for all communities.

Further, Arts Council England (ACE) is targeting 54 areas in England where cultural engagement and investment have been historically low through its Priority Places programme. In the 2024/25 financial year, ACE invested almost £27 million through National Lottery Project Grants (NLPG) into Priority Places.

In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government has committed to revitalising arts education through a reformed curriculum and through support for teachers. A new National Centre for Arts and Music Education will improve social mobility by ensuring high quality arts education is an essential part of the broad and rich curriculum every child deserves. It will achieve this through three key areas: supporting excellent arts teaching, developing sustainable partnerships and promoting arts education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Watson of Invergowrie:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle low pay for visual artists. \p Baroness Twycross: Low pay and precarious work can deter people from less advantaged backgrounds from creative careers, including in the visual arts. We will continue to back the industry's Good Work Review action plan to improve job quality and support the self-employed. We have also committed to appointing a Creative Freelance Champion by the end of 2025, who will advocate for freelancers within Government and on the Creative Industries Council. Further information on support for freelancers can be found on the Arts Council England’s website.

Arts Council England has also taken steps to encourage fair pay in England’s cultural sector, including through terms and conditions on grants, and guidance documents such as the attached Fair Pay Guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Bakewell:To ask His Majesty's Government what data they are using to inform regulatory decisions on adult gaming centres. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government makes use of a wide range of the best available evidence to inform gambling policy decision making, including policy around the operation and regulation of Adult Gaming Centres. This includes data collected by the Gambling Commission and local government, academic research, data provided by industry and evidence from those with lived experience of gambling harm.

The Government will continue to carefully consider all available evidence before making any decisions around previously announced reforms to the Adult Gaming Centre sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for political asylum have been made in Northern Ireland in each of the past eight quarters; and what are the ten countries from which the most applications have been received. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Information regarding basis of claim is not published and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Earl Russell:To ask His Majesty's Government when their response to the Net Zero Ports consultation will be published; and whether their response will include a detailed implementation timeline for emissions reduction measures at berth. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: In March, the Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports which asked about potential options to reduce emissions from vessels at berth. This includes whether an at berth emission requirement would be effective in reducing air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate emissions, and what technologies could help achieve it. We continue to analyse responses and will publish a summary of responses and set out next steps in due course.

In September this year, this Government announced an additional £448m of Research and Development investment for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme. Through previous rounds of UK SHORE, we have already funded clean maritime solutions, including nearly £20m for a shore power installation at Portsmouth International Port, which will soon allow visiting cruise ships to connect, reducing air pollution around the port. Future rounds of funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Framlingham:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have produced a final design for accommodating HS2 at Euston Station; and if not, when they expect to. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department is working with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for the Euston Station Campus, which will comprise the new HS2 station, upgrades to the Network Rail station and enhancements to the London Underground station and local transport facilities along with a significant level of development. Significant progress has been made and we will set out more details in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the Department for Transport’s consideration of a review of L-Category licensing, as referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in February at the Motorcycle Industry Association annual conference; and when they expect to publish further details on the review’s scope and timetable. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing that take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 27 November (HL11894), why time changes of such small increments are used in the calculation of journey saving; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which time changes in these increments can be depended upon. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Our approach to the modelling and appraisal of journey time changes is intended to capture the behavioural choices of travellers, and the resulting impacts on the welfare of society.

There is evidence from everyday life of individuals making choices that suggest they value very small time savings. For instance, pedestrians may choose to cross rather than wait for traffic lights to change, while travellers may rush to catch an underground service, to save 1-2 minutes.

The most recent national study into passenger values of time (Arup et al, 2015), considered this issue, and we provided the rationale for capturing the full range of sizes of time saving as part of our 2016 consultation response on values of travel time.

Firstly, that appraisals are carried out ‘at the margin’ for an incremental scheme, and hence capturing time savings of any size and valuing them at a constant unit value provides a robust mathematical framework to aggregate impacts in a consistent fashion across appraisals.

Furthermore, to ensure a representative approach, we want to reflect the full spectrum of sizes of time saving attributable to different kinds of schemes and different modes. Our approach to the capturing of small time savings is consistent with appraisal frameworks in other countries, for example Sweden.

We intend to gather further evidence on the value of small increments of time savings as part of the next national value of time study, currently being planned.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the Welsh economy of the delay to the work on the Oxford to Milton Keynes passenger service. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Major infrastructure work for the first phase of East West Rail has been delivered, and the Department for Transport is working with industry partners to start passenger services as quickly as possible. The UK government continues to fund, deliver and manage rail infrastructure enhancements across both England and Wales to support growth and connectivity in both countries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the provision of a wider range of railway services on Boxing Day in 2026. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The department currently requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Typically, demand for services on Boxing Day is low and much of the network is closed to provide opportunity for essential maintenance. We expect operators and in future, GBR, to continue to consider the case for Boxing Day services where there is demand and they do not further increase the burden on taxpayers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact alcohol interlocks will have on improving road safety. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving. We intend to publish this by the end of the year.

In 2019 the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) was awarded a grant from the Department for Transport to undertake research into the feasibility of the using alcohol interlocks (“alcolocks”) as part of drink-drive offender rehabilitation programmes. This research examined alcohol interlock usage in other countries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to prevent cost-shunting from abolished district or county councils to town and parish councils as a consequence of unitary restructuring. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: We know from previous reorganisations that unitarisation can unlock significant savings and efficiencies when strong, sustainable councils are set up. Most savings come from the back office, and this money can be reinvested into the frontline to improve public services for communities.

Town and parish councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. Central Government also has no role in funding town and parish councils.

Local authorities may wish to collaborate with their town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to the delivery of services in future arrangements. In doing so, they may wish to consider the support town and parish councils will require to do so effectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 November (HC87207), whether unitarisation and local government restructuring meet the criteria for a "strong justification" to (1) postpone, or (2) cancel, scheduled (a) county, (b) district, and (c) unitary, elections in May 2026. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: As set out by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 November, single year election postponements in 2025 were intended to help deliver both devolution and reorganisation to the most ambitious timeline possible in the area, and in Surrey, in the context of specific financial challenges. Postponements have previously occurred in areas undergoing local government reorganisation only where councils requested or agreed to the postponement.

Where an election is postponed, the criteria for that postponement is set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to the required secondary legislation for the consideration of Parliament.

Our starting point is for all 2026 elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. There are no plans to cancel any May 2026 elections except in Surrey where elections to the new councils of East Surrey and West Surrey will replace scheduled council elections, subject to Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 5 November, whether the special provisions within the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on the private disclosure of information are being used in the Chinese Embassy planning case; and what steps they are taking to facilitate sharing of (1) sensitive information about the building plans by the applicant, and (2) sensitive information about the applicant and its potential use of the building for espionage or repression, including information held by the intelligence services which those services do not wish to share with the government of China or otherwise place in the public domain. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: All inquiry documents for this case are publicly available on Tower Hamlets (attached) website here.

Post-inquiry representations are routinely listed at the end of the final decision letter, and are also available on request once the decision letter has issued. The Secretary of State is able to issue a direction under section 321 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which allows specific evidence to be withheld from public inspection at a public inquiry. No section 321 direction has been made in this case.

Inquiry document (pdf, 138.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Berger:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for artificial intelligence chatbots being regulated as search services under the Online Safety Act 2023. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Last year, Ofcom published a letter that set out that if an AI service searches the live internet to return its results it will be regulated under the Act as a search service.

The Secretary of State has also confirmed in Parliament this week that the government will further consider the role of chatbots and how they interact with the Online Safety Act as part of its approach, urging Ofcom to use its existing powers to ensure they are safe for children.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Berger:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of artificial intelligence chatbots on the mental health of children. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: DSIT is conducting a range of research projects to advance evidence around the impacts of AI chatbots on users, including on their mental health. The Secretary of State has also confirmed this week that the government will further consider chatbots and how they interact with the Online Safety Act as part of its approach, urging Ofcom to use its existing powers to ensure they are safe for children.

Alongside this, DHSC’s 10 Year Plan sets out an ambitious reform agenda to transform mental health services to improve access and, treatment and promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Leigh of Hurley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) region, (2) ethnicity, (3) religion, (4) age, and (5) disability of parents with families of three children or more. \p Baroness Sherlock: Statistics related to households on Universal Credit with three or more children, affected by the Universal Credit two child limit policy, are published annually. The last publication was published on 10 July 2025 with data for April 2025.

The relevant information is shown in the data tables attached:

1, table 10A for country and region

2, table 09A for ethnicity

4, table 07A for age group of any claimant

5, table 04A for health and disability benefit entitlement

The full publication is available here: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK

Data broken down by 3) religion is not available.

Alternatively, statistics for the number of households on Universal Credit by family type and number of children are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore. Universal Credit statistics are available in the Households on Universal Credit dataset.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Tables (xlsx, 44.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Viscount Younger of Leckie:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the comments of the Minister for Pensions on the Making Money podcast on 17 November, whether the Pensions Commission is scheduled to report within 12 months; and what is the expected date of publication. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Pensions Commission has been tasked with considering how to deliver financial security in retirement and support those approaching retirement through a pensions framework that is strong, fair and sustainable. The Pensions Commission is expected to publish its final report in early 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average number of items received by successful applicants through Access to Work. \p Baroness Sherlock: Information on the number of items received by successful applicants is stored as descriptive free-text information. Providing an answer would require manual examination of individual applications, and would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have received wobble boards through Access to Work in each of the past five years, and what was the average cost of a wobble board. \p Baroness Sherlock: Details of the specific special aides/equipment an individual claims payment for is stored as descriptive free-text information and would require manual examination of individual applications to analyse and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are claimants of Access to Work whose employment is to help others claim Access to Work. \p Baroness Sherlock: This data is not held. Determining this would require a manual review of individual claimant applications to examine employment details, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of individuals who are eligible for health and disability benefits who have not claimed these benefits over the last five years. \p Baroness Sherlock: No estimate has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_70

Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will implement specific measures to support people with learning disabilities into work; and if so, when. \p Baroness Sherlock: People with learning disabilities often face very significant challenges in being able to find work. We know that most people with learning disabilities want to have a job, and evidence shows that they bring many positive benefits to their employers.

Connect to Work is our voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme which is rolling out this year and early 2026. This £1bn programme is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing more complex barriers to work and will support around 300,000 people by the end of the decade. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Local Authorities are required to follow two models of Supported Employment – Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter framework has been specifically designed, and has a proven track record, to support individuals with learning disabilities or who are neurodivergent to get into sustainable employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of AI on the number of individuals who will claim health and disability benefits over the course of this Parliament. \p Baroness Sherlock: No estimate has been made on the impact of AI on the number of individuals who will claim health and disability benefits over the course of this Parliament.