theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_10

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara:To ask His Majesty's Government how many data protection complaints were lodged with the Information Commissioner's Office in 2024; of these, in respect of how many the ICO took regulatory action; and what conclusions they draw from comparison of those figures. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The ICO received 41,271 complaints from January to December 2024. In that same period, the ICO issued two monetary penalty notices under GDPR totalling £757,500 and 13 monetary penalty notices under Privacy and Digital Marketing Regulations, totalling £1,270,000.

Unlike an Ombudsman, the ICO does not take regulatory action on each case but uses the information to guide its strategic direction and ensure effective use of resources. When compliance issues are identified, the ICO often provides advice to improve information rights handling, leading to significant improvements.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_11

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the AI Opportunities Action Plan is followed and is successful. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will lay the foundations for AI growth, drive adoption and build the UK’s AI capabilities.

The government welcomes the Action Plan and will take immediate action to take forward its 50 recommendations. In the response, government has outlined how it will implement the plan. This includes the steps needed to collaborate with industry, while also investing in the required infrastructure.

For example, we are immediately doubling the AI Research Resource capacity, establishing new AI Growth Zones, and renewing our focus on skills.

We are also establishing a new function in Government to ensure the UK can remain at the forefront of AI development. Matt Clifford has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s AI Opportunities Adviser to support this work.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_12

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of levels of anti-Palestinian racism in the media and political discourse; and what steps they are taking to reduce levels of anti-Palestinian racism. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government strongly opposes all forms of racism, and is committed to promoting tolerant society for people of all ethnicities, religions and nationalities.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_13

Baroness Harris of Richmond:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered automating the visa extension process for Ukrainians living in the UK whose visas are about to expire. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The UK has offered or extended sanctuary to over 300,000 Ukrainians and their families under the Ukraine Schemes, thanks to the immense generosity of the British public. We are determined to continue to provide stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and who still need our sanctuary.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025, is intended to allow those with existing Ukraine Scheme permission, who have been living in the UK and who continue to require sanctuary in the UK, to complete and application online for further permission to stay in the UK.

An automatic extension of existing permission would mean inadvertently providing further permission to a person who has now left the UK and is no longer in need of temporary sanctuary in the UK.

Nevertheless, UPE will be one of the first immigration routes to reuse existing biometric records, removing the need for the majority of Ukrainians to attend a UK visa and citizenship application services centre. This will create a faster and more streamlined customer journey. We will roll-out the option to reuse previously submitted biometrics using a phased approach.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_14

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the rise in shoplifting. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Under the previous Government, shop theft soared to record highs and it continues to increase at an unacceptable level, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shop workers. We will not stand for this.

Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work and this Government is committed to tackling retail crime.

We will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.

As set out in the Autumn Budget 2024, we will provide over £7 million over the next three financial years to help police in tackling retail crime and supporting local businesses.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_15

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce knife crime among young people. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government's Safer Streets mission and we are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition and keep young people safe.

We have already implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes approved by Parliament in April. The ban came in to force on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We are now going further, and on 13 November we launched a consultation on a ban of ninja swords, which has recently concluded.

We also know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives online which is why last October, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, as the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. The report was received at the end of January and will be published imminently, but as a first step the Home Secretary has announced that the Government intends to strengthen age verification controls and checks for all online sellers of knives at the point of purchase and on delivery, to prevent lethal blades from ending up in the wrong hands.

We have set up a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce, which brings together Ministers, Chief Constables and others working across criminal justice to take immediate action to tackle the fastest rising type of knife crime.

And finally, we have also created a new Young Futures programme, which will include the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.

These are just some of the first steps we are taking to tackle the scourge of serious youth violence on our streets.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_16

Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many contractors they have engaged to assist with the management of asylum seekers, and what fees those contractors have been paid in (1) the last financial year, and (2) the current financial year to date. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The requested data is not centrally held in an easily accessible form, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_17

Lord Young of Acton:To ask His Majesty's Government, following Non-Crime Hate Incidents: Code of Practice on the Recording and Retention of Personal Data, published in June 2023, whether police forces in (1) England, and (2) Wales, have deleted historic non-crime hate incidents recorded in relation to the behaviour of under18-year-olds before the new Code of Practice was introduced in June 2023, given the higher standards for collection and retention with respect to children in the new guidance. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office does not currently collate data on the number of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). This data should be held at a force level.

The Non-Crime Hate Incidents Code of Practice already makes clear that where incidents are reported in schools or between school-aged children, an NCHI record “should not be made on policing systems, and the personal data of the subject should not be recorded”.

The Home Office has agreed that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), supported by the College of Policing, will conduct a review on the use and effectiveness of NCHIs, including looking at the relevant force-level data.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_18

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 29 January (HL4121), whether they intend to make an assessment of the number of parents illegally accessing cannabinoid epilepsy treatments for their children. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: There are currently no plans to make such an assessment but the Government keeps all regulations under close review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_19

Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend the Prevent programme to continue to fund Prevent education officers. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office will continue to provide dedicated Prevent funding to 27 local authorities considered to face the highest threat from terrorism to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the statutory Prevent duty. This funding can be used by local authorities to fund dedicated Prevent posts, including Prevent Education Officers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_20

Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to take forward proposals from the Fairer food labelling consultation, which ran from 12 March to 7 May 2024. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_21

Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to begin phasing out the use of cages for hens and pigs; and if so, when. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

The use of cages and other closed confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_22

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the King Charles III England Coast Path to be completed. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The King Charles III England Coast Path is expected to be completed by Spring 2026. This government has inherited a delivery programme that has been delayed by several factors such as rising costs of materials and constrained capacity in local authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_23

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are committed to a target for Government procurement spend with small and medium-sized enterprises, and if so, what percentage of annual procurement this represents. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth, supports small businesses, champions innovation, and creates good jobs and opportunities across the country.

On 13 February the Government published a National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), which sets out our priorities for public procurement and maximises the impact of every pound spent. New measures to support the transformation of public procurement and to deliver on the Government’s Plan for Small Businesses includes requiring all government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs (from 1 April 2025) and VCSEs (from 1 April 2026) and publish progress annually.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_24

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Deed of Variation to contract 2887470\5, published in the procurement notice on 24 January, what consideration they gave to conducting a new competitive procurement instead of extending a contract first awarded in 2010; and what assessment they made of whether the modification is permissible, including (1) whether the terms of the original contract explicitly provided for a £18.6 million increase, (2) whether the increase affects the contract’s nature or economic balance, and (3) whether the extension and changes to service provisions, including the introduction of training outside the UK, were envisaged within the original scope of the contract. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Deed of Variation to contract 2887470\5, enables the transition of the Emergency Planning College (EPC) to the UK Resilience Academy from 15 April 2025 to deliver strategic national resilience training and exercising outcomes.

Given the complexities of the contract covering the management of the physical site, coupled with the provision of training services, the Authority determined that a medium-term permitted extension would allow for better development and planning for a new competitive procurement opportunity, whilst maintaining continuity of key services.

The contract provides for an extension of not less than 2-years and not more than 5-years, and does not include any financial values or thresholds. The extension does not change the economic balance of the Agreement in favour of the Contractor. International sales were covered within the Bidders' Brief as part of the original tender and subsequently the contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_25

Baroness Falkner of Margravine:To ask His Majesty's Government how many departmental reviews since 2015 (1) had within their terms of reference the power to recommend individual compensation payments, and did so; (2) did not have the power within their terms of reference to recommend compensation payments, but did so. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The terms of reference for a public inquiry determine an inquiry’s scope. Since 2015, none of the terms of reference for public inquiries (whether or not led by a judicial chair) have specifically required an inquiry to make recommendations related to compensation. We do not hold data centrally on departmental reviews.

The Infected Blood Inquiry - a judge-led inquiry - specifically recommended the provision of compensation payments. The Inquiry did so in response to Sir Robert Francis’ framework into compensation payments for victims of infected blood which was commissioned by the Cabinet Office. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) - an inquiry with a non-judicial chair - made a recommendation for a redress scheme for victims and survivors of sexual abuse.

We are not aware of any other inquiry since 2015 which made recommendations for compensation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_26

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 8 January (HC21054) and the report by the Crown Prosecution Service, Annual Report and Accounts 2013–14, published in July 2014, what plans they have to publish full details of the 2013’s pension scheme benefits and terms &amp; conditions. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The pension scheme was made by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. A copy of the scheme is held by the Journal Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_27

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many statutory public inquiries have been established under the Inquiries Act 2005; what were the names of each inquiry; what were the projected costs of each inquiry at the time of its establishment; and, for those that have concluded, what was the final cost of each inquiry upon its conclusion. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office collects data on the duration and cost of inquiries from departments, inquiries’ own reports, and other publicly available information.

We have provided details on all statutory inquiries established since 2005 in the table below.

We do not hold information on projected costs; under section 17 of the Act, the procedure and conduct of an independent public inquiry are a matter for the Chair, including acting with regard to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost.

Inquiry

Sponsor Department

Legislative Basis

Year established

Duration in months (from announcement to publication of final report)

Reported final costs where publicly available

Jalal Uddin Inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2023

Ongoing

-

Thirlwall Inquiry

DHSC

Inquiries Act 2005

2023

Ongoing

-

Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing

NIO

Inquiries Act 2005

2023

Ongoing

-

Independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan

Ministry of Defence

Inquiries Act 2005

2022

Ongoing

-

Dawn Sturgess Inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2022

Ongoing

-

UK Covid-19 Inquiry

Cabinet Office

Inquiries Act 2005

2022

Ongoing

-

Lampard Inquiry

DHSC

Inquiries Act 2005

2021

Ongoing

-

Jermaine Baker inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2020

29

£4.1m

Post Office Horizon IT inquiry

DBT

Inquiries Act 2005

2020

Ongoing

-

Manchester Arena inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2019

41

£35.6m

Brook House Inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2019

46

£18.7m

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Cabinet Office

Inquiries Act 2005

2017

90

£177.6m

Infected Blood Inquiry

Cabinet Office

Inquiries Act 2005

2017

Ongoing

-

Anthony Grainger Inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2016

40

£2.6m

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2015

99

£192.7m (as of Dec 2022)

Undercover Policing Inquiry

HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2015

Ongoing

-

The Litvinenko Inquiry

HO, FCO and 3 x Intelligence Agencies

Inquiries Act 2005

2014

18

£2.4m (exc. VAT)

The Leveson Inquiry

DCMS and HO

Inquiries Act 2005

2011

16

£5.4m

The Azelle Rodney Inquiry

MoJ

Inquiries Act 2005

2010

40

£2.6m

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry 2013 / The Francis Inquiry

Department of Health

Inquiries Act 2005

2010

36

£13.7m

The Al Sweady Inquiry

MoD

Inquiries Act 2005

2009

61

£24.9m (exc. VAT)

The Bernard (Sonny) Lodge Inquiry

MoJ

Inquiries Act 2005

2009

10

£0.4m

The Baha Mousa Inquiry

MoD

Inquiries Act 2005

2008

39

£13m
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_28

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office on 16 January (HC22995), on what date the decision was taken to refurbish the media room in 9 Downing Street; what was the total cost and budget for the works; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the business case for the refurbishment of the media room. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the Noble Lady to the answer of 21 January 2025, Official Report, PQ HC 25454.

Question:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 13808 on 9 Downing Street: Media, what (a) alterations and (b) other works have taken place in the media room since November 2024; what the cost of those works was; which contractors were used; and which Department authorised the cost of these works.

Answer:

A one-off refresh of the facility was undertaken in December 2024. This has restored the room back to its original politically neutral state. The cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns. The works were carried out by OCS, and authorised by the Cabinet Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_29

Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reports of fraud in the letting of development contracts for Euston station by the Department for Transport to Lendlease, whether the Cabinet Office has any plans (1) to undertake an investigation, (2) to void the existing contract, and (3) to retender the development work at Euston station, in accordance with government procurement rules. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport do not recognise the reports of alleged ‘foul play’ in the letting of these contracts. HS2 Ltd acted as agent on behalf of Network Rail and DfT in procuring the Master Development Partner for the Euston Over-site Development. I have been assured that HS2 Ltd had in place rigorous procurement processes, which were aligned to all necessary legislation and best practice on public procurement, including in respect of the identification and management of conflicts of interest. The contracting approach and contract award were further scrutinised and approved by the department. Given this, the Department has no cause to further investigate or void the contract.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_30

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the remedial agreement letter between the Secretary of State and XC Trains Limited, whether they will release in full the redacted ‘Annex – 1: Remedial Commitments’ to ensure transparency as to what XC Trains is contracted to do and by when. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Remedial Agreement letter has been published on the .gov website. Redactions have been made using the exemptions permitted under both section 40(2) (personal information) and 43(2) (commercially prejudicial information) of the Freedom of Information Act. A public interest test was conducted as part of the consideration process. The Remedial Agreement runs until March 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_31

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend the current remedial agreement or agree a new remedial agreement with XC Trains Limited beyond March 2025. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The current Remedial Agreement with XC Trains Limited that was agreed in August 2024 runs until March 2025. The Department is considering what further actions might be appropriate, if any.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_32

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect XC Trains Limited to meet its contractual commitments to deliver the May 2025 timetable uplift or whether they have requested any alterations to the CrossCountry timetable from May 2025; and, if so, whether any such requests have been agreed. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: All operators are required to meet their contractual obligations as set out in their National Rail Contract. Failure to comply with those contractual obligations leaves operators open to enforcement action.

It is public knowledge that CrossCountry is both reinstating services on some routes and amending the times of some services from May 2025. The Department has not agreed any alterations to the CrossCountry May 2025 timetable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lord Hampton:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require train companies to refund passengers by the same payment method with which the ticket was originally purchased. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Under the National Rail Conditions of Travel which set out the contract which applies when a passenger buys a ticket to travel on the National Rail Network, train companies are required to offer to refund passengers by the same payment method with which the ticket was originally purchased.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_34

Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what changes are forecast in the use of sustainable aviation fuel in the next (1) 10, and (2) 20, years. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate – which came into effect at the start of this year - is the UK’s key policy to decarbonise jet fuel. It obligates the supply of an increasing amount of SAF in the overall UK aviation fuel mix; starting at 2% in 2025, reaching 15% in 2035 and 22% in 2040. Targets beyond 2040 will remain at the same level (22%) but will be kept under review – and can be increased as the market develops.

The UK is already making significant progress in the supply of SAF. 97 million litres of SAF were supplied in 2023, equivalent to 77 kilotonnes or 0.7% of all jet fuel supplied in the UK that year, and double the amount in the previous year. In 2023, 99.6% (96.3 million litres) of SAF was from used cooking oil and 0.4% (0.3 million litres) was from food waste.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_35

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Disabled Persons Railcard will be made available for sale by independent retailers; and if so, when. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Rail Delivery Group administer the back-office systems that allow third-party retailers to sell railcards. They maintain regular dialogue with retailers, including how retailers might be able to expand their offer of products such as disabled person's railcards.

This government has set out its ambition to simplify fares, ticketing and passenger compensation systems to drive innovation across the network and improve the passenger experience. We will share further details of progress in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_36

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 3 February (HL Deb cols 474–5), whether they will publish the analysis which suggests that a third runway is compatible with their net zero target. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: DfT analysis shows that we can achieve aviation net zero 2050 under a range of assumptions about future technology development, without the government needing to intervene directly to limit airport expansion. This analysis is set out in the technical annex of the Jet Zero Strategy, which is published on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reintroduce double track railway lines on the Tisbury loop between Salisbury and Gillingham, Dorset. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will be concluded in June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reliability of South Western Railway Sunday services between Yeovil and London Waterloo. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: South Western Railway Sunday services between Yeovil and London Waterloo have been challenging. Over the past 13 rail periods, 79.04% of services have departed within three minutes of their advertised departure time, with 96.73% departing within fifteen minutes. I am meeting South Western Railway on performance issues, as is being done with all Operators, later this month.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_39

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government whether XC Trains Limited were in default of their contract regarding any of their contractual performance indicators in (1) October 2024 (2) November 2024 and (3) December 2024; and, if so, whether they were given relief from such defaults through an extended remedial agreement. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: All operators are required to meet their contractual obligations as set out in their National Rail Contract, including contractual performance indicators. Failure to comply with those contractual obligations, once Force Majeure claims have been taken into account, leaves operators open to enforcement action.

The Department is currently assessing if XC Trains Limited exceeded the default threshold, for any of the relevant indicators in these periods, once Force Majeure claims have been taken into account.

The current Remedial Agreement with XC Trains Limited that was agreed in August 2024 runs until March 2025. There has been no amendment to the existing Remedial Agreement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_40

Lord Mawson:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet experts in the road maintenance industry, including the RAC, Road Surface Treatments Association, the Road Emulsion Association, and the Asphalt Industry Alliance, to discuss best practice. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department’s officials meet regularly with local authority representatives and other experts in the road maintenance industry to discuss best practice. Ministers have also met with key stakeholder groups, including the Pothole Partnership which comprises organisations representing road users and industry.

The Department agrees that local highway authorities should focus on preventative rather than reactive maintenance activities, and this advice is set out in the Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure, which is available online. The Department is committed to updating this guidance and has begun work to scope out urgently which parts need updating and how. The Department strongly advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes, and encourages authorities to consider all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns, and not just the fixing of potholes or resurfacing of roads.

Decisions on how much to spend on their local highway networks each year are matters for local highway authorities, who have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highway network in their area. The Department for Transport collects and publishes on gov.uk each year data on authorities’ capital and revenue expenditure on their highway maintenance activities. The data shows that, at a national level, total spending on local road maintenance in the financial year 2022/23 was broadly similar to total spend in each of the previous five years.

This Government recognises the importance of well-maintained roads and has provided an additional £500m for highway maintenance for the year 2025/26 – a near 50% uplift on the current baseline. This has resulted in an 36% increase on average to individual local highway authority allocations, as well as providing highway maintenance funding top-ups to London authorities and mayoral areas already receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. These allocations can be found on gov.uk.

In addition, the Department is taking a number of steps to improve its understanding of the condition of local roads. It worked with the British Standards Institute and the highway sector to develop a new road condition data standard for local highway authorities, which was published last year. This will enable them to utilise new technologies, including AI, to identify potholes and other defects in their highway network more promptly.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_41
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_41

Lord Mawson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which local authorities in England divert money from their roads budgets to fund other policy areas. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department for Transport allocates capital funding to local highways authorities to enable them to maintain and improve their respective networks, based on their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. The funding is paid out as a grant under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003, and is unringfenced. It is up to each authority to decide how best to spend it to fulfil its statutory duty under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.

Revenue funding for highway maintenance is provided to local authorities each year by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. This funding is also unringfenced.

The Department publishes maintenance expenditure on local roads on gov.uk each year based on local authority outturn receipts. These show that capital expenditure on the local highway network is consistently higher than the funding provided by the Department for highway maintenance activities, which suggests that generally local authorities are not using the capital funding provided by the Department for other purposes.

The Department intends to introduce new reporting requirements on local highway authorities for the 2025/26 financial year, which will require them to provide further information to ensure residents can see how they intend to use the funding provided by the Government.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_42
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_42

Lord Mawson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of road accidents in England in the last 10 years where potholes and poor-quality road surfaces were a cause. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Statistics on reported road injury collisions in Great Britain are published based on data reported by police via the data collection known as STATS19.

Within STATS19, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 factors which they believe may have contributed to the collision, including ‘poor or defective road surface’. Contributory factors are assigned based on the opinions of the reporting officer at the scene or within a short time of the collision, rather than a detailed investigation.

The number of collisions in each of the last 10 years with the factor ‘poor or defective road surface’ assigned is published in table RAS0701 on gov.uk and reproduced below:

Year

Reported road collisions in England with ‘poor or defective road surface’ assigned as a contributory factor

2014

660

2015

544

2016

519

2017

465

2018

446

2019

437

2020

376

2021

429

2022

432

2023

532
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_43
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_43

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were involved in the decision-making process to withdraw the direct train service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport; and, if so, whether they support the withdrawal of this service. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: This service was withdrawn in December 2022 in the timetable developed by the Manchester Task Force, a cross-industry group comprising of Transport for the North, train operators and Network Rail, to deliver more reliable services through Manchester.

The task force identified the Sheffield-Manchester Airport service, which reverses at Manchester Piccadilly, consuming two train paths in each direction, as one of the worst performing, with a significant impact on delays across the network.

The new timetable has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, though there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_44

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the condition of Redheugh Bridge; and whether they intend to provide funding for its restoration. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council, as local highway authorities, are responsible for the condition and maintenance of Redheugh Bridge through the Newcastle and Gateshead’s Joint Bridges Committee". Both Councils are members of the North-East Combined Authority (NECA).

The Department does not hold a central contingency fund to pay for repairs of this sort but is always willing to discuss with individual highway authorities what support might be available. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, which will allow authorities to undertake more repairs of this sort. As part of the funding uplift, NECA will receive an additional £21.7 million, on top of its existing City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. It is a matter for the Mayor to determine how to allocate this funding to NECA’s constituent authorities to allow them to maintain their highway networks, including bridges and other assets.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_45
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_45

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to announce whether they will provide the remaining £6.2 million necessary to restore the Tyne Bridge. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: All capital funding within the Department for Transport is subject to internal review which is feeding into the Comprehensive Spending Review; the outcome of which will be known later this year.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_46
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_46

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current UK inflation rate, and what steps they are taking to support progress towards the 2 percent target. \p Lord Livermore: Inflation has returned close to target, and while inflation may rise slightly in the near term, the OBR expect it to remain close to the 2% target across the forecast period. The Chancellor has commissioned the OBR to produce an update economic and fiscal forecast on March 26th, which will include their latest assessment of UK inflation as well as a forecast.

The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England are responsible for controlling inflation. We fully support them in maintaining price stability sustainably in the medium term.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_47

Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of staff the Financial Conduct Authority employs in each directorate. \p Lord Livermore: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The FCA will respond to the Noble Lord by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Lords.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_48

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to HMRC Government Major Projects Portfolio Data March 2024, published on 16 January, how they have revised their estimated monetised benefits for the Making Tax Digital programme from £2.1 billion to £6.3 billion in the most recent Annual Report; and what methodology changes were applied to account for this increase. \p Lord Livermore: Making Tax Digital (MTD) is key to tackling parts of the tax gap that result from error and failure to take reasonable care, and it is helping taxpayers reduce common mistakes in their tax returns. The benefits increase is mainly due to new and improved data.

In particular, the model was updated to better account for projected increases in customer income which increased the expected number of individuals within the scope of MTD for Income Tax. It also reflects HMRC’s increased estimate of the proportion of the Self Assessment tax gap attributable to error and failure to take reasonable care which were included in the ‘Measuring tax gaps 2023 edition’ publication. Updates also incorporated findings from a published evaluation study on the impact of MTD on VAT.

Estimates will continue to be updated as new information and insight becomes available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_49

Lord Carlile of Berriew:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of money laundering in the online advertising sector, and whether they have proposals to deal with the issue. \p Lord Livermore: The Government recognises that online advertising may be targeted by criminals to commit fraud and that illicitly obtained funds from fraud can be laundered and used for further criminal purposes. The upcoming National Risk Assessment (NRA) for money laundering and terrorist financing will consider how the proceeds of fraud are laundered within the UK.

The Government welcomes pledges to prevent fraud by tech companies under the Online Fraud Charter and we are committed to working with industry to reduce fraud. The Online Safety Act will require the largest user to user and search services to take steps to prevent the publication or hosting of any fraudulent advertising on their service.

DCMS are leading the Online Advertising Taskforce, which is working to improve transparency and accountability in the online advertising supply chain. One of the Taskforce's key objectives is to improve the evidence around the scale and threat of the illegal harms.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_50

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government, in view of  the 12 per cent fall in vehicle manufacturing in the United Kingdom between 2023 and 2024, what plans they have to support that industry. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Our automotive industry directly supports over 150,000 jobs and contributes £19.4 billion to the economy - it is a growth sector. Production did dip last year, due in part to weaker global demand, but also because factories are retooling to build Electric Vehicles - so, we remain confident in the sector.

That is why the Budget included a £2 billion commitment to build on previous innovation programmes that have leveraged over £6bn of investment from the private sector. Just last month, this government, Nissan and JATCO (a component manufacturer) secured a £50 million deal to establish JATCO's first European manufacturing site in Sunderland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-18 conversation_51

Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for appropriate categories of prisoners to undertake work in the community, such as litter clearance. \p Lord Timpson: Prisoners currently can access community service work through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) during the custodial element within their sentence.

The Prison Rules in England and Wales provide that a prisoner may be granted leave from prison for short periods on temporary licence. ROTL is an important rehabilitation tool which allows prisoners to participate in activities in the community which have been identified as serving a particular purpose in meeting their individual resettlement objectives. Suitable, risk assessed prisoners may be allowed out during the day to, for example, work, attend college, attend an interview, maintain/re-establish links with their family or undertake community work such as litter clearance. This helps them develop responsibility and gain valuable skills.

The decision to allow temporary release is taken by the prison governor, on behalf of the Secretary of State, who must always balance the needs of the prisoner and the purpose of the ROTL applied for, against the need to maintain public safety and the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system. Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis to safeguard the public. Any breaches can result in more time behind bars.