theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants were recorded in the last 12 months who were categorised as (1) refugees, (2) having pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, (3) having settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, (4) having indefinite leave to remain, and (5) having limited leave to remain. \p Baroness Sherlock: To access Universal Credit a person must be British, Irish, have a right of abode, or have a valid UK immigration status that permits recourse to public funds as well as meeting all the other entitlement conditions. The Department recently published Universal Credit Immigration status and Nationality summary statistics through ODS tables on GOV.UK.

For statistical production purposes, immigration status data has been categorised into 8 groups (see attached document).

Taken from the published statistics, the following table shows the number of people on Universal Credit by immigration status for each month from August 2024 to July 2025. The additional breakdowns requested for the EU Settlement Scheme are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.

Total number of people on Universal Credit by Immigration status each month from August 2024 to July 2025, Great Britain

Immigration status by month

CTA - UK, Ireland, Right of Abode

EU Settlement Scheme

Humanitarian

Refugee

Indefinite Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme)

Limited Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) including Family Reunion

Other

No immigration status recorded on digital systems

Jul-25

6,702,864

770,213

54,259

120,040

213,666

75,471

33,387

31,340

Jun-25

6,567,506

764,429

53,810

117,623

210,513

74,694

32,998

29,912

May-25

6,457,433

763,687

78,323

90,709

208,348

74,322

32,880

30,789

Apr-25

6,400,356

765,451

78,780

90,217

204,378

75,506

33,300

31,468

Mar-25

6,321,762

764,489

76,418

91,350

198,973

76,960

32,829

32,315

Feb-25

6,249,383

762,478

75,466

90,619

194,303

76,918

32,866

33,054

Jan-25

6,138,815

757,768

68,526

95,882

187,556

77,237

31,908

34,060

Dec-24

6,104,580

759,179

53,291

112,472

179,482

79,539

32,141

34,792

Nov-24

6,034,441

755,941

52,210

113,186

165,869

86,973

31,783

35,770

Oct-24

5,935,808

748,299

51,214

110,816

160,615

89,054

30,840

37,059

Sep-24

5,862,022

739,155

51,132

110,535

159,504

88,326

29,957

38,184

Aug-24

5,760,130

734,637

51,309

110,834

155,939

87,182

29,451

39,332

Source: Universal Credit Immigration status and nationality summary statistics

Notes

Table Guidance (docx, 16.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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The Lord Bishop of Leicester:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effectiveness of benefit sanctions in supporting claimants into sustained employment. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Department for Work and Pensions published a draft report on the Impact of Benefit Sanctions on Employment Outcomes, on the 6th April 2023.

The draft report is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-impact-of-benefit-sanctions-on-employment-outcomes-draft-report

And can also be found in the attached document.

Document 1 (pdf, 575.6KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Leigh of Hurley:To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions their representatives have met or had discussions with members or representatives of Hamas since 7 October 2023. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK continues to engage with international and regional partners to support a framework for peace and transitional governance in Gaza. Discussions have focussed on supporting the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate governing body on the vital reforms they have committed to make. We have made clear that Hamas will play no future role in the governance of a Palestinian state.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a BBC journalist in Vietnam has had her passport and identity card withheld and been subject to questioning, and whether they will raise that case with the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam during his visit to the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We remain concerned by the reported harassment of non-governmental organisations (NGO), journalists, and rights activists and communities in Vietnam and continue to raise these concerns directly with our Vietnamese counterparts. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific raised this case with Vice Foreign Minister Hang on 13 October, as did the Prime Minister with General Secretary To Lam of Vietnam on 29 October, and the Foreign Secretary with Vietnamese Foreign Minister, Le Hoai Trung on 30 October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Bailey of Paddington:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure those committing atrocity crimes in Myanmar are held to account, through either the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice or alternative accountability mechanisms. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK acknowledges the report and shares its concerns regarding human rights violations in Myanmar. We condemn the Myanmar military's airstrikes on civilian infrastructure. The UK is clear that no country should provide arms, funds, or fuel to the Myanmar military. We have implemented 19 sanctions packages since 2021, including 10 targeting aviation fuel imports.

We are clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. The UK has provided £900,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since 2021 and established the Myanmar Witness program to collect evidence of human rights violations. As penholder on Myanmar at the UN Security Council, we have convened four meetings this year to maintain international focus and press for accountability. We co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution in April and coordinated a joint statement in May calling for an end to violence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Cruddas:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the interim report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review Committee, published on 18 March, (1) what evidence has the Committee considered in relation to GCSE Maths and English results, including pass rates in resits, and (2) whether the Committee has taken account of quality and consistency of teaching across schools and regions. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s work has been informed by a wealth of evidence from experts, stakeholders and the public, including over 7,000 responses to the call for evidence, and a range of research and polling. The Curriculum Review’s final report and the government’s response were published on 6 November.

​As set out in the interim report, regarding mathematics and English GCSE resits, the Review has considered a range of evidence, including student attainment and progress in these subjects, the characteristics of students studying these subjects and the impact of studying and achieving these subjects on students’ further studies and future lives.

​The post-16 education and skills strategy white paper introduces a package of support to improve the teaching of English and mathematics in further education, and enable more students to make progress towards and achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and maths. This includes offering students new level 1 'preparation for GCSE' stepping stone qualifications that support students with lower prior attainment for successful GCSE resits the following year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Allen of Kensington:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help ensure that post-16 education provides the necessary skills to support the economy. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department published its Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper on 20 October 2025, which sets out a comprehensive strategy to build a world-leading skills system to break down barriers to opportunity, meet student and employers’ needs, widen access to high quality education and training support innovation, research and development, and improve people’s lives.

Central to the department’s reforms will be Skills England providing an authoritative voice on the country’s current and future skills needs. Its work will inform policy and funding decisions, supporting employers in closing skills gaps.

The department is investing over £1 billion in skills packages in key areas identified in the Industrial Strategy. We are also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer. In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships, and will introduce short, flexible training courses to meet business needs from April 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Wolf of Dulwich:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were enrolled on courses leading to Higher Technical Qualifications in the academic years 2023–4 and 2024–5. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: As of September 2025, there were 281 qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These encompass thirteen occupational routes:

The list of approved qualifications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the second year of the HTQ rollout, the department estimates that 4,370 students were enrolled on HTQs based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and Individualised Learner Record student records.

Data covering participation and completion rates for HTQs in the 2024/25 academic year is not currently available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the proposal to increase student fee caps in line with forecast inflation in academic years 2026–27 and 2027–28, what estimate they have made of the level of average student debt when students become liable to repay tuition fee loans; and what percentage of those students they expect to pay off those loans in full. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: For students starting in the 2024/25 academic year, the department estimates the average loan balance at the point of repayment to be £45,600, including interest accrued during study. This data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2024-25.

Under Plan 5 loan terms, 56% of these borrowers are expected to repay their loans in full and had assumed inflationary fee increases. Figures include balance associated with both maintenance and fee loans.

Borrowers will be liable to repay at a fixed percentage of earnings only when earning above the applicable student loan repayment threshold. Repayments are linked to the earnings, and not the rate of interest or the amount borrowed. Those earning below the student loan repayment threshold repay nothing. Where a borrower does not repay their loan in full by the end of the loan term, the remaining balance is cancelled, with no detriment to the borrower.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Johnson of Marylebone:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 22 October (HL Deb col 898), what modelling of the elasticity of demand for international students they have used to inform the decision to implement the international student levy. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The technical annex to the White Paper ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ set out the initial modelling assumptions, which used the London Economics estimates of price elasticity commissioned by the department.

The department is doing further work on this and will set out further details on the levy at Autumn Budget.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Wei:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Early Education on 30 May (HC50978) which stated that they were conducting a data protection impact assessment and further to remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 22 May (HL Deb col 443) stating they were consulting the Information Commissioner’s Office in connection with the ‘child not in school’ registers, when they plan to publish that data protection impact assessment, and whether it will cover the use of consistent identifiers. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department intends to publish the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for the Children Not in School (CNIS) registers prior to their implementation. We are continuing to engage with the Information Commissioner’s Office on the DPIA to ensure that all data protection risks have been identified and mitigated before any processing of data begins.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Bull:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to close the research funding gap between dyscalculia and dyslexia, where the funding for dyscalculia research is significantly lower than that of dyslexia, despite research suggesting that the two conditions have comparable prevalence rates and life consequences. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not fund specific standalone research into either dyscalculia or dyslexia

Recently published evidence reviews from University College London ‘Identifying and supporting children and young people with cognition and learning needs: a rapid evidence review’ will help to drive inclusive practices as they highlight what the best available evidence suggests are the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people (0-25) with different types of needs. This report is attached.

In addition, the What Works in SEND research programme, led by a research team from University of Warwick and supported by special educational needs and disabilities academics from the University of Birmingham, is researching tools settings can use to identify the needs of neurodivergent children and young people.

Both of these programmes will support the teaching of children with special educational needs, including dyscalculia.

HL10763_pdf (pdf, 775.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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The Earl of Clancarty:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the relationship between (1) the level of initial teacher training bursaries, and (2) targets for teacher numbers, for each subject area; and what criteria are used to assess those targets. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: ​​Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. Therefore, they are reviewed annually to take account of the need for trainee teachers by subject. Recruitment against the postgraduate ITT targets set by the Teacher Workforce Model is one factor that influences the level of bursaries, but we also take account of the impact of the economy and graduate labour market on ITT recruitment.

​The Teacher Workforce Model is a national, stocks and flows model covering all state-funded primary and secondary schools, academies, and free schools in England. The model estimates the number of qualified teachers required for both primary and each secondary subject; and by considering the number of teachers that will leave or enter service in future, estimates the postgraduate ITT targets needed to supply sufficient teachers. The ITT Census is published in December each year to provide the numbers and characteristics of new entrants to ITT, and compares recruitment against the postgraduate ITT targets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Maclean of Redditch:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue immigration rules on the weight immigration tribunals should put on baptism while in asylum accommodation in the UK when assessing an asylum claim on the grounds of religious conversion. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: No, however all asylum and human rights claims, including those based on religious conversion, are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin. Assessments are made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. The credibility of a conversion to a particular faith needs to be established, and therefore a claimant’s personal experiences and journey to their new faith are explored in the round, including an assessment of what has happened in their country of origin and in the UK. Claims based on religious conversion do not guarantee a grant of refugee status. It is upon the claimant to establish that a religious conversion is genuine to the’ balance of probabilities’ standard of proof.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Jones of Penybont:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make bilingual birth and death certificates available in Wales. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Bilingual birth and death certificates are already available where the event hasbeen registered bilingually in Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Alan Turing Institute's new cyber-defence programme does not impact funding of its non-defence AI research. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: In July, the then DSIT Secretary of State wrote to the Chair of the Alan Turing Institute’s (ATI) Board of Trustees proposing a set of changes to the organisation that would shift its focus to national security, defence and sovereign capability. These reforms will build on the institute’s existing strengths and increase its capacity to deliver real value for the British public.

Under its Turing 2.0 strategy, ‘Defence and National Security’ is one of the institute’s three grand challenges, with the others being ‘Transformation of Health’ and ‘Environment and Sustainability’. The Turing’s recently announced Critical National Infrastructure mission has been launched within that framework.

Government welcomes the ATI Chair’s commitment to doubling down on defence, national security, and sovereign capability, and we will continue working closely with the institute moving forward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, in considering legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, what powers they are considering in relation to superintelligent AI that poses a threat to national security. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: There is considerable debate and uncertainty around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), but the possibility of their development must be taken seriously.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already regulated in the UK, and a range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality and sectoral regulation. But it is clear that the most advanced AI systems pose distinct opportunities and risks.

The AI Security Institute (AISI) has already deepened our understanding of national security risks, but the Government remains committed to taking further steps where required to ensure that the UK is prepared for the changes that AI will bring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of poor media literacy on young people's employability. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. FutureDotNow research funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology showed that improving essential skills such as media literacy delivers measurable value to society and the economy.

The government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. Through our Tech First programme, we are committed to giving one million students in schools and colleges across the UK the chance to develop their digital skills. We welcome the report of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 4 November, which recommends children should be taught how to spot fake news and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and develop critical thinking skills to help protect themselves online.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Cromwell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a difference between the responsibilities of a local authority for clearing, or paying to clear, waste illegally placed by third parties (1) within 10 metres of a public highway for which the local authority is responsible, and (2) more than 10 metres from such a highway; what is the legal basis; and what assessment they have made of whether there is sufficient legal certainty of those responsibilities. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 imposes duties on local authorities to ensure that certain land is, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse provides guidance on discharging these duties. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-on-litter-and-refuse (attached).

Landowners are responsible for clearing waste from land that they own.

Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (pdf, 772.5KB)
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Lord Cromwell:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 29 October (HL11074), whether they will make an assessment of the responsibilities of local authorities in relation to clearing up fly-tipping that takes place on a private land more than 10 metres from the highway. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: There is no plan to make an assessment of the responsibilities of local authorities in relation to clearing up fly-tipping that takes place on a private land more than 10 metres from the highway.

Landowners are responsible for clearing waste from land that they own.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that asset managers issuing tokenised investment funds implement robust cybersecurity measures. \p Lord Livermore: The Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy sets out a comprehensive ten-year plan to deliver growth and attract investment. Championing innovation is a key priority within this strategy, and the Government is working closely with industry stakeholders and regulators to remove barriers and unlock opportunities presented by new technologies.

Using distributed ledger technology to tokenise funds could support financial market efficiency by enabling more efficient, real-time data sharing which could lower operational costs and enhance resilience.

The Government has published its Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy, which sets out the key steps the UK has to take to digitalise its financial markets, including through the tokenisation of assets. The Government is taking forward various measures in this space, in particular the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). The DSS provides a bespoke regulatory framework that enables firms to test, scale and roll out the tokenisation of securities.

Cyber security is a top priority for the Government, and HM Treasury works with the financial authorities, industry and with international partners to strengthen the financial sector’s resilience to threats and hazards of all origins, including cyber risks. This includes the Financial Conduct Authority, whose cyber security requirements mandate firms to have robust governance, effective systems and controls, and comprehensive incident management and business continuity plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the fintech sector, following reports that British firms secured half of the top 10 European fintech investment deals in the third quarter of 2025. \p Lord Livermore: The UK is a world leader in Fintech, and attracted attracted $3.6 billion of investment in 2024, second only to the US.

The Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy set out a comprehensive package of reforms to preserve the UK’s leadership in this area. Measures include streamlining the regulatory environment, initiatives to support UK Fintechs to scale up, and steps to accelerate progress in Open Finance and Smart Data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enforce the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to prevent anti-competitive practices by major digital platforms. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: As the UK’s independent competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for enforcing competition law. Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and take appropriate action if it finds that businesses are behaving anti-competitively. This includes bespoke powers to address the practices of large technology firms that have substantial and entrenched market power.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Rooker:To ask His Majesty's Government whether Equality and Human Rights Commission's guidance on single-sex spaces following the Supreme Court decision requires either a general impact statement or a regulatory impact statement; and who makes the decision. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer the noble Lord to my contribution in Hansard, Volume 849, column 1924: debated on Wednesday 5 November 2025: Equality and Human Rights Commission: Draft Updated Code of Practice:

"…the EHRC has not been asked to carry out a full regulatory impact assessment, but rather to provide a minimum proportionate cost assessment to evidence exclusion from a full regulatory impact assessment and enable us to take an informed decision. Understanding costs and impacts is not new; it would have been a consideration in the 2011 code.”
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk presented by unregulated private pregnancy scans; what actions they plan to take on the issue; and what other consideration they have given to strengthening consumer and health protections on private medical testing, particularly the use of tests not used by the NHS. \p Baroness Merron: The Government has not conducted a formal assessment of the risk presented by private pregnancy scans.

Sonography, the use of diagnostic and screening procedures that use ultrasound to examine the body, is a regulated activity in England under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This means that any organisation providing pregnancy scans in England, including those carried out in the private sector, must register their services with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet certain legal obligations.

A list of registered providers is available on the CQC website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of genomic testing on the UK’s position as a global centre for clinic trials and investment. \p Baroness Merron: The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to ensuring that the NHS Genomic Medicine Service works closely with industry to align genomic testing with clinical trial requirements and improve access to precision medicine. NHS England, in collaboration with partners such as the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, is aligning the National Genomic Test Directory, which sets out the genomic tests available in the National Health Service, with clinical trial targets. A list of cancer genomic targets has been agreed with national experts and will be incorporated into routinely used next-generation sequencing panels and whole genome sequencing. This will allow these targets to be reported as part of standard care, enabling rapid patient enrolment into clinical trials. From 2025/26, NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs have begun reporting a small number of clinical trial targets, with plans to expand this coverage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) appointments, (2) tests and (3) operations were delivered by independent providers for NHS patients in (a) 2022–23 and (b) 2023–24. \p Baroness Merron: Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service as trusted partners to recover elective services by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog whilst delivering value for money.

Independent sector providers delivered 3,265,305 outpatient appointments in 2022/23 and 4,156,770 outpatient appointments in 2023/24, including first appointment and follow-up.

They delivered 1,523,195 tests in 2022/23 and 1,876,989 in 2023/24. This includes only the 15 key diagnostic tests and excludes activity subcontracted from NHS trusts where responsibility for the pathway remains with the trust.

There were 761,420 inpatient admissions in independent sector providers in 2022/23 and 970,865 inpatient admissions in 2023/24. This includes ordinary electives and day case electives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Lord Moraes:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Royal College of Nursing's analysis that there has been a 55 percent increase over the last three years in nurses facing racist incidents at work; and what assessment they have made of the reason for this increase. \p Baroness Merron: Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.

NHS Staff Survey data shows that disabled staff, staff from an ethnic minority background, and staff with other protected characteristics face greater challenges when it comes to abuse, bullying, harassment, and career progression.

Recent incidents of antisemitism and racism in the health service have drawn stark attention to problems of culture and in the healthcare professional regulatory system. Action is being taken to address these issues, including an urgent review of antisemitism, other forms of racism, and the oversight and regulation of healthcare professionals. The NHS is also strengthening mandatory anti-racism training across the NHS. Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_1

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Equalities plans to take part in activities to mark Age Without Limits Day on 11 June; and what role they will play in highlighting ageism as a cross-cutting issue. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer the Noble Lady to my answer on 9 June 2025 (PQ HL7798).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_2

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement regulation on the use of facial recognition technology aided by artificial intelligence. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The Government believes that the vast majority of AI systems should be regulated at the point of use and that our existing expert regulators are best placed to do this. Oversight of this technology is distributed across several sectoral regulators and departments, including the Information Commissioner's Office, who ensure its compliance with data protection law. Through delivery of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are making sure regulation is well-designed and implemented, to fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_3

Lord Nash:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total value of innovation loans written off by UK Research and Innovation in each financial year since the scheme began in 2017. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: Since April 2018, £267.7m commitments have been made across 304 loans (including those approved and currently in execution). £221.2m in commitments are currently live across 248 loans, of which £191.9m is drawn. Under the terms of the loans with Innovate UK repayment of all of the loans in the current portfolio is due by 2033, with over half by 2028.

31 loans have already repaid in full, recovering £18.4m in capital. 16 defaulted loans with a combined outstanding exposure of £12.7m have completed the administration / recovery process, with £400k recovered and the remainder written-off. These write-offs occurred over following financial years as follows:

Year

Number

Value of write-off

2018-2020

0

0

2021

1

£1m

2022

1

£0.5m

2023

2

£2.4m

2024

4

£2.9m

2025

8

£5.5m

A further 59 loans are currently in default against their obligations. 40 of these (£28.3m total commitment) are subject to recovery action through legal recourse and administration; 19 (£12.5m commitment) are subject to restructuring within Innovate UK Loans Limited with a view to securing a realistic plan for repayment over time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_4

Baroness Gale:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits of investing in alternatives to animal testing for the UK life sciences sector. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will consider economic impacts including benefits.

Building on the UK’s strengths as home to world leading research and pharmaceutical businesses, the strategy will support the UK to capitalise on the global non-animal technologies market, estimated to be worth $29.4 billion by 2030, and on the scientific and economic advantages of more human-relevant methods for product development and testing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_5

Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue their funding for all local, main and strategic Darwin Plus projects. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The UK Government recognises the strong support from the Overseas Territories for the continuation of Darwin Plus.

We will shortly be finalising our plans to fund successful 2025/26 project proposals. For projects extending beyond that, we will update applicants following the completion of the multiyear spending review and internal business planning and publish this on the Darwin Plus website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_6

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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 Hayman of Ullock: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Our standard terms and conditions have clauses setting out ownership, rights and permitted use of intellectual property (IP) assets created in the course of suppliers’ work for DEFRA. We do not keep a central register of IP assets and rights; these are the responsibility of contract owners and contract managers across DEFRA group.

To answer the noble Lady's question, we would have to access all individual contracts to ascertain what IP licensing terms have been put in place. This would mean that this request is manifestly unreasonable on the grounds of cost and time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_7

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase global cooperation to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The UK Government is fully committed to preventing, deterring and eliminating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Global cooperation and collaboration are key to tackling this issue, as highlighted at this week’s United Nation Oceans Conference in Nice.

To deliver this objective, we are taking forward a wide range of actions, including, but not limited to, being a co-founder and active member of the IUU Fishing Action Alliance; prioritising tackling IUU fishing within all international fisheries governance forums, of which the UK is a Party; and delivering support and capacity-building to combat IUU fishing through international funding programmes, such as the Blue Belt Programme and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_8

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area with the European Union will include provisions to restrict or ban the use of added nitrites in processed meats, in the light of scientific evidence linking nitrites to cancer. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: As outlined in the 19 May UK-EU Summit common understanding document, an SPS Agreement will cover sanitary and phytosanitary standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards- as well as pesticides. The details of the Agreement are subject to negotiation, but the Government is committed to high food standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_9

Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps will be taken by the Circular Economy Taskforce to engage with small and medium-sized enterprises about the development of the circular economy strategy. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Circular Economy Taskforce has already begun extensive engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the Strategy reflects the needs and insights of all involved. The Taskforce will continue its engagement efforts with events taking place through to the summer and beyond. These engagements are crucial for developing a comprehensive Strategy and we encourage all stakeholders, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to actively participate in these engagements and share their perspectives to help shape a sustainable and prosperous future for the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_10

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether internal drainage boards are subject to a biodiversity duty, as set out in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and amended by section 102 of the Environment Act 2021. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: It is Defra's position that Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) are subject to the biodiversity duty, as set out in section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 (as amended by section 102 of the Environment Act 2021). Defra’s view is that under the 2006 Act, IDBs are captured under section 40(4)(c) as public bodies and under 40(4)(d)(ii) as they are created or continued in existence by a public general Act (the Land Drainage Act 1991) which empowers the Secretary of State to establish them by Order.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_11

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the vape ban in Australia when considering the single-use disposal vape ban in the UK. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: On 1 June 2025 the sale and supply of disposable vapes across the UK was banned. Officials considered other international bans, such as the one in Australia, as part of the work to develop this policy, but did not formally assess them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Conservators of Ashdown Forest are considered to be a public authority. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Whether the Conservators of Ashdown Forest are considered a public authority depends on the specific legal context. There is no general or universal definition of a public authority in UK law. It may include any individual or organisation that carries out functions on behalf of the public or a particular section of the public. Where an organisation needs to understand if it is defined as a public authority in a particular context, it will need to seek its own independent legal advice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_13

Baroness O'Neill of Bexley:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 7 April (HC40908), what is the evidential basis for the designation of the site of special scientific interest that prevented the development of the town due to jumping spiders. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Natural England (NE) notifies areas as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which, in its opinion are of special interest by reason of their flora, fauna, geological or physiographic features.

The Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI is a corridor of habitats connecting Ebbsfleet Valley with the southern shore of the River Thames between Dartford and Gravesend. It is considered by NE to be of special interest for its:

The more detailed evidence base for the designation of the SSSI is publicly available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-16 conversation_14

Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to section 3 of the Government Communication Service's SAFE Framework: the 4 principles for HMG Brand Safety, whether the expression of gender-critical comments would be considered as "content that could be perceived as offensive to protected groups in society". \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The current SAFE Framework outlines four principles to ensure brand safety in government advertising: Safety and Suitability, Ads Context, Freedom of Speech, and Ethics and Enforcement.

Within the 'Safety and Suitability' principle, the framework emphasises that government advertising must not appear alongside content that:

Protected groups are defined under the Equality Act 2010 as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.