theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_15

Lord Cashman:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help London boroughs address the estimated £330 million overspend in their homeless services’ budgets. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness.

Allocations for London boroughs for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Homeless prevention Grant (pdf, 139.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Rock:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that the number of equipped council farms is likely to fall as a result of their proposed local government reorganisation, and if so, what plans they have to ensure continued access to residential starter and progression holdings for new entrants into the farming sector. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: On 5 February the government formally invited unitary proposals from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring small unitaries. It is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area.

During the local government reorganisation process, it is expected that assets and liabilities remain locally managed by councils. There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils. These general regulations provide transitional and supplementary arrangements, so that the councils can undertake specific functions to enable a successful move to the single tier of local government. These provisions relate to continuity of services and functions, staffing, local authority plans and schemes, transfer of assets, property and reserves, and can include farm estates. We will review and if necessary update relevant legislation to ensure that powers currently designated to county councils are provided to new unitary councils.

The Government has not made an assessment of the impact of local government reorganisation on council farms. Although local government reorganisation may impact who administers farming tenancies, it will not alter council farm tenants' succession rights.

We are committed to working with colleagues across Government, and with the LGA and its sector support group to ensure councils have the information, tools and expertise to develop the solutions that are right for their area, so new authorities are set up for success. I am happy to meet Noble Lords at any point to discuss local government reorganisation, and Baroness Hayman and I stand ready to meet Baroness Rock to discuss the issues she has raised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what statistical source and metric they used for the basis that the £2 billion investment to support social and affordable housebuilding is the biggest in a generation; and what length of time that generation time period covers. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the noble Lady to the answer given to Question UIN 41449 on 3 April 2025.

PQ 41449 (pdf, 81.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total annual expenditure on defence by (1) the UK and EU countries combined, and (2) Russia. \p Lord Coaker: The UK Ministry of Defence has no way of verifying other countries' defence expenditure figures, nor does it endorse any specific publication.

However, based on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figures, the UK and EU's total defence expenditure in 2024 was $434 billion compared to an estimated $151 billion for Russia.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Lexden:To ask His Majesty's Government how many claims have been made under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme; how many of them were settled by 31 May; and what steps have been taken if any, to process claims more rapidly. \p Lord Coaker: The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) launched in December of last year, and as of 2 June 2025, the Scheme has received 1,054 applications, and 39claims have been settled. .

The first payments were made within 16 weeks of the Scheme opening and payments are continuing to be made. The Independent Panel and Appeals Board Members were both recruited on 13 May, and the Independent Panel had their first sitting on 21 May.

We are mindful of the need for timeliness, although it is a complex process, and the Scheme needs to be delivered effectively and correctly. The Scheme continues to make progress with applications, with process capacity expected to increase in the coming months. The FRS is continually looking for opportunities to automate processes where possible, to streamline processing and to work as efficiently as possible processing applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Goldie:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the Royal Air Force in redesigning uniform and any relevant body or safety protection apparel to fit the anatomy of women. \p Lord Coaker: The Royal Air Force has made significant progress in redesigning uniform and safety protection apparel for the female anatomy.

These include improvements to uniform fitting and size ranges, allowances for provision of sports bras, re-issue of uniform post pregnancy and menopause, and better fitting body armour. Research and development of a female specific flying suit and immersion protection garment is ongoing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Goldie:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the Royal Navy in redesigning uniform and any relevant body or safety protection apparel to fit the anatomy of women. \p Lord Coaker: The Royal Navy daily working uniform for Service Women (Rig 22) is currently in the procurement phase. To alleviate any issues during this time, Service personnel have been recommended to utilise the Special Fit clause in current regulations to allow Crown Expense tailoring where current sizes don’t quite fit adequately.

The Rig 22 thermal layer includes a female fit, with both jackets having been very well received during trials. A full maternity variant of Rig 22 is in the procurement phase, while a maternity outwear layer is already available.

The Royal Navy is also seeking to improve the current in-service base-layer for both warm weather, temperate and cold weather climates. This project will include such considerations as Public Sector Equality Duty, ensuring a better fit for all, as well as improving comfort/interoperability with the Rig 22 layering system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Goldie:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by the British Army in redesigning uniform and body protection apparel to fit the anatomy of women. \p Lord Coaker: Over recent years, the Army has undertaken significant work to improve the daily experience for servicewomen by providing more suitable uniform and body armour. Examples include the implementation of a professional sports bra ‘fit and issue’ service, the introduction of an improved fit for the Multi-Terrain Pattern Barrack Shirt and the provision of female-fitting combat footwear. The Army will continue to scope further opportunities to develop the suitability of uniform for servicewomen.

For the body armour aspect of the question, I refer the noble Baroness to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry (Ms Eagle), in the House of Commons on 29 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Swindon North (Mr Stone) in response to Question 49080.

Armed Forces: Body Armour (docx, 16.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Booth:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual costs of the office of the Armed Forces Commissioner. \p Lord Coaker: The financial implications of establishing and maintaining the office of the Armed Forces Commissioner are estimated to be within the range of £4.5 - £5.5 million. This figure is only an initial estimate and represents a significant uplift on the annual budget of the Service Complaints Ombudsman, which was £1.9 million in 2024.  We are committed to delivering value for money while ensuring the Commissioner has the resources they need to make the real difference our Armed Forces deserve.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of cost of providing an 'Iron Dome' style defence system to protect the United Kingdom from missile attack. \p Lord Coaker: Iron Dome is Israel’s approach to Integrated Air and Missile Defence, it is based upon the threat Israel faces, its geography and capability. The Strategic Defence Review has considered similar factors for the UK Homeland and announced up to £1 billion investment in air and missile defence of the UK. Specific decisions on the UK’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence will follow through the Defence Investment Plan which is in development within the Ministry of Defence and due for publication in autumn 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what parts they own of the St Lucia Barracks in Omagh. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence owns what is known as the historic core at St Lucia Barracks and the St Lucia Cadet Centre.

The remainder of the site is owned by the Northern Ireland Executive.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to use St Lucia Barracks in Omagh as a museum of the service of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment. \p Lord Coaker: There are no plans to use any part of the site for a military museum.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government why Sea Cadets are not allowed to be issued with drill firearms for parade training. \p Lord Coaker: The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) is an independent charity responsible for the Sea Cadets and therefore operates in a different but albeit collaborative manner from the other Royal Navy Cadet Forces. The MSSC is formally sponsored by the Ministry of Defence via a Grant in Aid from the Royal Navy. Therefore, the equipment provided for Sea Cadets is a matter for MSSC to best determine within extant resources.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government whether cadets in the three cadet forces are allowed to attend any function where alcohol is served for adults. \p Lord Coaker: Cadets may be allowed to attend functions where alcohol is served for adults. Alcohol should not be served at events where cadets are present ‘at the table’, for example at a formal dinner. However, if cadets attend in another capacity, such as stair lining, serving of alcohol would be permitted to adults. There is a strict no-drinking policy for cadets or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers on duty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government what individual diversity networks, and trade union diversity networks, are recognised by the Ministry of Defence and each of the Armed Forces. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises a comprehensive range of diversity networks which are listed below.

In addition, the MOD recognises five main Trade Unions, (Prospect, PCS, FDA, GMB and Unite). The MOD’s Trade Unions have Diversity and Inclusion networks aimed at supporting their members however the MOD does not recognise nor engage directly with those networks.

Race Networks

Disability and Carers Networks

Gender Networks

LGBT Networks

Families Networks

Faith and Belief Networks

Social Mobility Networks

Wellbeing and Support
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the total value and percentage rate of fraud and error, (2) the number and value of loans flagged for suspected fraud, (3) the number and value of guarantee claims paid on loans with fraud indicators, and (4) the total value of recoveries to date, for the (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, (b) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and (c) Recovery Loan Scheme. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Recovery Loan Scheme 1 & 2, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme (CBILS) and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme (CLBILS) are now closed.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme

As at 31 December 2024, lenders have identified facilities with an aggregate drawn value of £55.44m as suspected fraud. This equates to 0.21% of the total drawn down value.

As at 31 December 2024, a total of £0.02 billion has been settled (paid under the Government backed guarantee) with a suspected fraud flag. Recoveries figures are not published.

Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme

As at 31 December 2024, no CLBILS loans subject to the guarantee have been flagged as suspected fraud by lenders.

Recovery Loan Scheme

As at 31 March 2025 lenders have identified 92 RLS 1&2 facilities with an aggregate drawn value of £32.84m as suspected fraud. This equates to 0.46% of the total number of drawn facilities and 0.76% of the total drawn value.

Lenders have currently identified 18 RLS 3 facilities with an aggregate drawn value of £5.04m as suspected fraud. This equates to 0.12% of the total number of drawn facilities and 0.21% of the total drawn value.

The number and value of guarantee claims paid on RLS facilities with fraud indicators is not published. Recoveries figures are not published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether their discussions under clause 6(a) of the UK–USA Economic Prosperity Deal will include measures to search cargo plans from Xinjiang to ensure that they are not carrying goods made with forced labour. \p Baroness Gustafsson: We have concluded a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This is a unique deal that ensures UK industries are protected; talks with the US are ongoing. Conversations on labour practices, including forced labour in supply chains will form part of the broader discussions on a wider UK-US Economic Deal.

This government will continue to stand firm on human rights in China, including the repression of people in Xinjiang, and will continue to hold China to account. I raised the UK's concerns over human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang, with counterparts during my recent visit to China.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Gohir:To ask His Majesty's Government how many calls the ACAS helpline received in each year between 2016 and 2024; of those, how many and what percentage of calls were about religion and belief; and how many and what percentage of calls were received from those who identified as Muslim. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Between the years 2016 and 2024, the Acas helpline received the following numbers of calls. Acas’ data on calls is not broken down into different religions and beliefs.

Year

Number of calls

Calls related to religion and beliefs

Percentage of helpline calls on religion and beliefs.

2016

960,400

1,262

0.13%

2017

776,400

977

0.13%

2018

710,000

843

0.12%

2019

784,000

1,084

0.14%

2020

750,100

805

0.11%

2021

662,200

1,002

0.15%

2022

640,200

1,009

0.16%

2023

621,500

1,121

0.18%

2024

569,300

1,179

0.21%
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences the Department for Business and Trade holds under contracts or terms of reference for (1) grants, (2) pre-procurement or proof of concept work, and (3) procurement; how many of those have sub-licensing rights; how many of those have resulted in sub-licensing; and how many of those sub-licences are for patents, and for which countries. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The requested information is not readily available in respect of grants, pre-procurement proofs of concept or contracts. Investigation work in order to collect relevant information would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ban import of electric vehicles that use software from Chinese or Russian companies in order to implement clause 5(b) of the UK–USA Economic Prosperity Deal. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Government continually monitors its policies to understand and mitigate potential security threats from a wide range of technologies. The UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal does not preclude us from making independent decisions and we will ensure that any action we take is appropriate for our circumstances. This is a unique deal that ensures UK industries are protected. For the car industry, we have negotiated a 100,000 unit quota that reduces tariffs from 27.5% to 10%.

As set out in the General Terms, negotiations with the US will build on our close collaboration to further increase the resilience of our supply chains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will review the China Investment Corporation's board seat and 10-percent stake in Heathrow Airport as part of measures to implement clause 4(b) of the UK–USA Economic Prosperity Deal. \p Baroness Gustafsson: We have concluded a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This is a unique deal that ensures UK industries are protected; talks with the US are ongoing.

The UK will continue to use investment screening measures that are already in place. The agreement is an opportunity to build on our economic security collaboration and further increase the resilience of our supply chains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Nash:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any capped return or fee offset mechanisms were used in funds backed by the Long-term Investment for Technology and Science; if so, what their expected cost is; and how clawback will be triggered if fund performance falls below target. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: This information is not publicly available. Fees paid by the British Business Bank are the same as other investors and in line with market standards for the asset class.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Nash:To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £250 million of public capital committed under the Long-term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative has been (1) drawn down to date, and (2) deployed to portfolio companies; whether any LIFTS-backed fund has deployed capital outside of the UK; and if so, what proportion of the total fund portfolio is composed of non-UK investments. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: In November 2024, the British Business Bank announced it had completed its £250m investment alongside Phoenix Group with Schroders Capital under the Long-Term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative.

This was matched by £250m of pension investment from Phoenix Group, creating a £500m investment vehicle. Schroders Capital began making its first investments in January 2025. UK businesses which have received investment include the AI company Synthesia. Schroders Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF) Direct Investments are only made in companies based in the UK; LTAF Funds may invest in the UK and internationally.

As the Fund is still new, no data is currently available on Fund deployment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Nash:To ask His Majesty's Government what performance indicators and evaluation mechanisms have been established for each fund supported by the Long-term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative; and what outputs have been delivered to date by the Schroders Capital LIFTS initiative, including the number of companies backed and capital deployed. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Schroders Capital invest across companies that are pioneering the development of long-term innovation themes such as life sciences and artificial intelligence. Following approval from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority in September 2024 to launch the first ever Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) dedicated to UK venture capital, Schroders Capital began making its first investments in January 2025.

As a new Fund, it is too early for data analysis to have taken place. UK businesses which have received investment include AI companies Synthesia and Luminance. Deployment of funds is overseen by the investment committee at Schroders Capital with monitoring by the British Business Bank.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Coussins:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure consultation of civil society stakeholders who may be affected by proposed mining operations in the review of the UK Critical Minerals Strategy. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Department for Business and Trade will publish a Critical Minerals Strategy this year that will refine our approach to promoting responsible and transparent practices in critical mineral supply chains, both across the UK and globally. We are engaging a range of stakeholders to gather expertise and insights to shape our approach, including civil society, standards-setting organisations and other key environmental, social and governance (ESG) stakeholders to inform our approach to the strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government how many criminal cases have been designated as being aggravated by a terrorism connection under section 1 of the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 where the alleged offence was not one of those listed in Schedule 2 to the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008. \p Lord Timpson: The Government does not hold central data on how many criminal cases are designated as being aggravated by a terrorism connection.

When deciding what sentence to impose, the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in line with any relevant guidelines from the independent Sentencing Council. This will include consideration of cases aggravated by a terrorism connection and whether an increase in the sentence length is required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Campbell-Savours:To ask His Majesty's Government whether records relating to marriage in England and Wales are to be made available for immediate access to the public. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: Polygamous marriages cannot legally be entered into in England and Wales law. We do not hold data on the number of polygamous marriages in England and Wales.

The Immigration Act 2014 extended the marriage notice period from 14 days to 28 days to help prevent sham marriages. The Government has no plans to review this.

The 28-day notice period remains in place not only for administrative reasons but also to support safeguards against sham marriages. While the Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the reform of weddings law, it did not propose changes to the current 28-day duration of the notice period for weddings. As a responsible Government, we need time to consider the Law Commission’s report, and we will set out our position in the coming months.

The Registrar General has a duty to provide an index of all marriages registered in England and Wales, which is available to the public to search and obtain a certified copy of an entry.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Best:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number of individuals (1) prosecuted, and (2) convicted, under the Vagrancy Act 1824 for each police force area in England and Wales in each year from 2021 for which figures are available. \p Lord Timpson: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions under the Vagrancy Act 1824 at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

The attached table provide the number of prosecutions and convictions by Police Force Area from 2021 to 2024 (latest available data) for offences under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Table (xlsx, 18.3KB)
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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies Spending on special educational needs in England: something has to change, published on 10 December 2024, and in particular its findings on special educational needs debt within local authorities. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.

The department is providing the increase in high needs funding to help meet the increase in costs local authorities will be facing this financial year, as they in turn provide support to schools and colleges, and ultimately to children and young people with SEND.

Nevertheless, the government recognises that the rising costs of SEND provision are putting a strain on local government finances, and in particular, the impact of dedicated schools grant deficits on councils’ finances. In the Spending Review on 11 June, we confirmed that the Core Schools Budget, which includes funding for local authorities’ high needs budgets, will rise to £69.5 billion by 2028/29. We intend to set out plans for reforming the SEND system in further detail later this year. Our objective is to ensure that local authorities, schools and colleges can deliver high quality services for children and young people with SEND in a financially sustainable way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 30 May (HL7441), what assessment have they made of whether making adjustments in the assessment and marking of work by students who self-declare the conditions referenced is "reasonable" when compared to those who do not. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not directly influence how universities assess a student's work. Universities have autonomy over their assessment methods and academic standards.

The Office for Students (OfS), established under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, regulates higher education providers in England. It ensures that universities meet certain standards for teaching quality, student outcomes and financial sustainability. While the OfS sets the regulatory framework, universities retain the freedom to design and implement their own assessment methods.

The OfS requires universities to meet certain standards for accessibility and support for disabled students. This includes making reasonable adjustments in assessments to ensure that disabled students are not disadvantaged. These adjustments can include alternative formats for exams, extended deadlines, and other accommodations tailored to individual needs.

While universities retain autonomy over their specific assessment methods, they must comply with these broader regulatory requirements to ensure fair and equitable treatment of disabled students. This is also supported by guidance provided as part of the Disabled Student Commitment scheme launched by the Disabled Students' Commission.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of UK universities to meet increased demand for science and engineering degree programmes, and what steps they are taking to ensure that the availability of university places aligns with demand. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Universities are autonomous institutions and are therefore responsible for curriculum development and capacity planning. It is primarily for individual institutions to assess and manage their capacity to meet student demand for specific programmes, including those in science and engineering.

The government recognises the critical importance of science and engineering degree programmes in driving the UK's innovation and economic growth. We have recently announced that for the 2025/26 financial year we will be investing £845 million via the Strategic Priorities Grant in high-cost subject funding, which supports universities to deliver courses in various priority subjects, including science and engineering.

Skills England is the new national body for skills and it will play a crucial role in identifying skills needs and meeting those to support economic growth. Skills England will work closely with the higher education sector to identify and address local, regional and national skills priorities, including the science and engineering provision that is strategically important for our country.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_46

Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government how much money was raised by the skills levy on employers recruiting from overseas in the financial year 2024–25; and what allocation was made from this money to (1) apprenticeships, (2) further education, and (3) other areas. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not receive a hypothecated budget for the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC). Receipts from the ISC are paid to His Majesty’s Exchequer. The amount raised each year can be found in the Home Office's annual report and accounts.

The government will increase the ISC for the first time since its introduction, raising it by 32% to bring the ISC rates in line with inflation and will use income generated from the increased ISC, as set out in the Immigration White Paper, to support upskilling of the domestic workforce, including in priority sectors, reducing reliance on overseas labour.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_47

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been saved by reviewing the budget of the Department for Education. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department has made some tough decisions to ensure every pound of taxpayers’ money is driving high and rising standards for our children. By ending tax breaks for private schools, and undertaking a robust line-by-line budget review to identify poor value for money spend, we are able to deliver this investment in recruiting and retaining more expert teachers in our classrooms. We have driven efficiency through increasing digital capability both inside and outside of the department, reducing central headcount and removing duplication within programmes.

As we have made clear throughout the pay process, we are also asking schools and colleges to do their part in ensuring that we are driving productivity across all areas of the public sector, ensuring resources are deployed intelligently to maximise support for teaching and learning, freeing up educators to focus on what matters most, which is providing every child with the high quality education they deserve.

Schools will be expected to find approximately the first 1% of pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending to make every pound count. There will be those who say this cannot be done, but schools have a responsibility, like the rest of the public sector, to ensure that their funding is spent as efficiently as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_48

Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements are placed on universities to collect data on (1) sex, (2) gender, (3) gender identity or (4) gender reassignment, of students when (a) applying for university, (b) joining the university and (c) graduating from university, and whether they have reports showing what data are collected. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and specifies which data HE providers should collect from students. All HE providers with a statutory requirement to report data to HESA are asked to return data on students’ sex. HE providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are asked to return data on students’ gender identity (whether their gender identity aligns with their sex registered at birth), and providers in Scotland may optionally return data on students’ transgender status.

Certain HE providers in England, which are registered with the Office for Students, are required to provide data on the number of applications, offers, acceptances and completion rates by gender, under an ongoing condition of registration in respect of transparency information.

HE providers are required under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, but also to actively advance equality. This may include collecting relevant data to monitor and improve their policies and delivery of services.

All HE providers must adhere to data protection legislation when processing students’ personal data, ensuring that it is collected and processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and are required to publish privacy notices setting out what types of personal data they collect and how they will process it.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_49
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_49

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential carbon savings from equipping all suitable school buildings with solar panels; and what steps they are taking to accelerate the rollout of solar energy across schools in line with net zero commitments. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The education estate has around 55 million square meters of roof area. The department is already working with Great British Energy to harness the opportunity for solar generation by installing rooftop solar panels in this financial year on around 200 schools in an £80 million partnership programme. The first 11 schools are already benefitting from having had panels installed, as we announced on 3 June here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-schools-install-great-british-energy-solar-panels.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme also supports schools and other public sector bodies with funding to switch to cleaner heating and cut building emissions. Additionally, capital funding allocated by the department to the school sector each year can be used for projects that improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of school buildings, as well as improving the condition of the estate to keep schools safe and operational.

This is just one element of the department’s strategy to ensure that the school estate is sustainable. We are providing support for all schools and colleges to get started on their journey towards net zero via our new online sustainability support for education platform and our climate ambassador programme, Sustainability Support for Education, which can be accessed here: https://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_50

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government how the remaining £79.4 million of the previously allocated Youth Investment Fund is being utilised; and what criteria are being used to distribute these funds effectively. \p Baroness Twycross: In a written statement on 15 May 2025, the Secretary of State announced an investment of over £145 million in 2025/26 in youth programmes, to provide stability to the youth sector as we transition to a new National Youth Strategy.

The package of funding includes £79.4 million of the reprofiled Youth Investment Fund. The allocation of £59.3 million of capital and £20.1 million of revenue funding will ensure the successful delivery of new and refurbished youth facilities scheduled for completion in 2025/26. This includes the pipeline of 25 Modern Methods of Construction projects.

The Youth Investment Fund is a targeted fund aimed at youth services in some of the less advantaged areas of England. The eligible areas were identified and ranked using a combination of publicly available data for youth need and low provision.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_51

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are being taken to ensure grassroots youth organisations receive adequate funding and support to prevent closures and job losses in the sector. \p Baroness Twycross: In a written statement on 15 May 2025, the Secretary of State announced an investment of over £145 million in 2025/26 in youth programmes, to provide stability to the youth sector as we transition to a new National Youth Strategy, which includes funding for grassroots youth organisations. Further details on individual programmes will be shared in due course.

Additionally, on 2nd June we announced £132.5 million of Dormant Assets Funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

Following the recent spending review, future funding commitments will be dependent on the Business Planning process.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_52
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_52

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address ageism in advertising, the media and the creative industries. \p Baroness Twycross: The Equality Act 2010 already contains strong protections for older people against age discrimination in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits both discrimination because of age and harassment related to age.

We welcome the recent Women and Equalities Select Committee inquiry into the rights of older people, which made a number of recommendations relating to ageism. The Government’s response to this inquiry sets out our commitments to ensure the right support systems are in place for older people, including on employment, health care and digital inclusion. Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Independent Press Standards Organisation have also responded to the inquiry, with Ofcom providing reflections on the report’s recommendations on broadcasting.

In advertising, industry codes applied by the ASA prohibit adverts from causing serious or widespread offence, and outline that particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of protected characteristics, one of which is age.

All the creative industries have an important role in holding a mirror up to nature, exposing and understanding our common prejudices and challenging the stereotypes that hold us back socially and economically. The arm’s length principle wisely prevents government from lecturing the arts about how and when they should do this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_53

Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 21 May (HL7312), what recent assessment they have made of the merits of conducting an independent review of the impacts of gambling advertising. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government is committed to consulting the best available evidence on the impact of advertising from a wide range of sources when assessing best next steps in this space. Additionally, developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy, and up to 20% of funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill gaps in the evidence base, including on the impacts of gambling advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action where appropriate.

The Government currently has no plans to conduct an independent review on the impacts of gambling advertising. As part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005, an extensive call for evidence was conducted which included a range of questions on evidence on gambling advertising and its impacts.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_54
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_54

Baroness Neville-Rolfe:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to reduce public sector borrowing, following the release of the latest Office for National Statistics figures for public sector net borrowing. \p Lord Livermore: The Government’s approach to borrowing is set out in its fiscal rules – to move the current budget into balance so day-to-day spending is met by revenues, meaning the Government will only borrow for investment, and to reduce net financial debt as a share of the economy.

At the Budget in October, the Government took tough but necessary decisions on tax to put the public finances on a sustainable path. This is the responsible choice to reduce our levels of borrowing in the years ahead, so we can spend more on the priorities of working people and less on servicing debt.

The Chancellor has always been clear the fiscal rules are non-negotiable and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has confirmed the Government is on track to meet them. In its Spring forecast, the OBR forecast borrowing to fall in every year of the forecast – from 4.8% GDP in 2024-25 to 2.1% in 2029-30. By 2027-2028, the Government is funding day-to-day spending with revenues and only borrowing for investment.