theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_26
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_26

Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of TransPennine Express services were cancelled in each month from May 2022 to May 2024. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Information on train cancellations is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and can be found on their data portal. This data is not available by calendar month, but is published periodically, by rail periods which are 28 days in duration apart from period 1 (starts on 1 April) and period 13 (ends on 31 March). Each financial year (April to March) consists of 13 railway periods.

Table 1 shows the number of trains that were either partially or fully cancelled, and the proportion of planned services that were partially or fully cancelled by TransPennine Express, for each period from 1st April 2022 to 25th May 2024.

Table 1. The proportion of planned services for TransPennine Express that were partially or fully cancelled, each period from 1 April 2022 to 25 May 2024

Rail period

Proportion of planned trains cancelled (%)

Moving annual average of cancellations (%)

1 April 2022 - 30 April 2022

4.6

3.4

1 May 2022 - 28 May 2022

4.5

3.0

29 May 2022 - 25 June 2022

5.6

3.6

26 June 2022 - 23 July 2022

8.2

5.3

24 July 2022 - 20 August 2022

6.2

5.3

21 August 2022 - 17 September 2022

4.9

3.6

18 September 2022 - 15 October 2022

6.4

3.5

16 October 2022 - 12 November 2022

7.9

4.4

13 November 2022 - 10 December 2022

6.3

4.1

11 December 2022 - 7 January 2023

11.8

7.9

8 January 2023 - 4 February 2023

8.9

3.1

5 February 2023 - 4 March 2023

7.2

2.9

5 March 2023 - 31 March 2023

5.7

3.3

1 April 2023 - 29 April 2023

4.5

3.0

30 April 2023 - 27 May 2023

6.0

3.0

28 May 2023 - 24 June 2023

6.0

4.1

25 June 2023 - 22 July 2023

5.1

3.6

23 July 2023 - 19 August 2023

6.4

4.4

20 August 2023 - 16 September 2023

3.4

3.6

17 September 2023 - 14 October 2023

5.0

3.7

15 October 2023 - 11 November 2023

6.6

5.1

12 November 2023 - 9 December 2023

6.4

5.1

10 December 2023 - 6 January 2024

5.2

5.9

7 January 2024 - 3 February 2024

4.3

3.4

4 February 2024 - 2 March 2024

2.2

3.2

3 March 2024 - 31 March 2024

2.3

3.0

1 April 2024 - 27 April 2024

2.3

3.2

28 April 2024 - 25 May 2024

3.6

3.5

Source: DfT analysis of ORR Table 3124
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_27
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_27

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Yazidi community are able to return to Sinjar; how many aid projects they fund for that purpose; and how that aid is distributed, via the government of Iraq or the United Nations. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK's embassy and consulate-general in Iraq regularly speak to the Iraqi government about this issue. Most recently on 24 April, the Deputy Head of Mission met the Iraqi Prime Minister's adviser on Yazidi affairs to discuss the importance of the Sinjar agreement and reconstruction for the safe return of Yazidis to Sinjar.

The UK's 'Building Peace and Stability in Iraq' (BPSI) programme, extended to Sinjar in 2025/2026, supports the return and reintegration of internally displaced people into communities. BPSI funding is allocated to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Programme and the International Rescue Committee, not to the Government of Iraq. The UK also funds the UN Durable Solutions Adviser, who coordinates UN efforts on tackling displacement.

Until April 2025, UK funding through the IOM went towards strengthening Iraq's General Directorate of Survivors' Affairs, ensuring they effectively deliver reparations and rehabilitation to Yazidi (and other minorities) survivors of Daesh violence as per the Yazidi Survivors' Law.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_28
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_28

Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt regarding the investigation carried out by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in January 2024 which reported that refugees from Gaza are denied entry to Egypt unless they buy a permit. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Egyptian borders are a matter for the Egyptian government. We maintain a close dialogue with Egypt on a range of issues relating to the conflict in Gaza and strongly support the efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that offer the best hope of alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza and deliver a permanent and sustainable peace.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_29
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_29

Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the Law Regarding the Asylum of Foreigners (Law No. 164 of 2024), enacted by the Parliament of Egypt in December 2024, on Egypt's obligations under international refugee and human rights laws. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is committed to working with the Government of Egypt to ensure that the application of its new asylum law adheres to international standards when it is implemented. Officials at our Embassy in Cairo are regularly engaging with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to this end. The UK advocates for the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_30

Lord Watson of Invergowrie:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the effectiveness of their guidance for tackling low school attendance and lost learning. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: In the last academic year, around 1.5 million children are persistently absent, missing a day a fortnight, and 171,000 are severely absent, missing 50% of time in school or more (compared to 150,000 the previous year). These levels are unacceptably high, and the government is strongly committed to reversing the trend, but it will take time to unwind the legacy.

The department’s ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance became statutory in August 2024 and is based on our engagement with the strongest schools, trusts and local authorities across the country. We review all guidance on an ongoing basis and make changes as necessary.

Schools also have access to an attendance toolkit, developed in collaboration with the sector. The toolkit provides practical resources to support schools to identify the drivers of absence and adopt effective practice to improve attendance.

The department regularly publishes attendance data which shows how pupil attendance is changing over time. The data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools. Thanks to the efforts of the sector, overall absence is moving in the right direction, with children attending over 3.1 million more days this year compared to last, and over 100,000 fewer children persistently absent. However, this still leaves around one in five pupils currently missing 10% or more of school.

That is why we are working with the sector to bring breakfast clubs to all primary schools so that every child is in on time and ready to learn, rolling out Attendance and Behaviour hubs providing support to schools to help them improve, and tackling mental ill-health among young people by providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_31
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-09 conversation_31

Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that employment data submitted to public regulators such as Companies House, the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and the Mutuals Public Register are standardised, include full-time equivalent figures, and are accessible in machine-readable formats. \p Baroness Twycross: All charities registered in England or Wales, regardless of their annual income, must send a digital annual return to the Charity Commission. These returns are publicly available in a machine readable PDF format on the Charity Commission's website.

The Charity Commission is committed to further digitalisation of the submission of annual accounts information and will continue to explore solutions which are proportionate, affordable and minimise the regulatory burden on charities.

Currently, there are no steps being taken to standardise full time equivalent employment data across companies, charities and mutuals filed with regulators/registrars.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_1

Baroness Bull:To ask His Majesty's Government why dyscalculia is not included in the NHS A-Z Conditions, while dyslexia and dyspraxia are included. \p Baroness Merron: Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty that affects the ability to use and acquire mathematical skills. We want all children who struggle with maths or any other subject to be able to receive the appropriate support so they can succeed in their education. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child or young person with special educational needs and/or a disability does not require a diagnostic label or test.

NHS England advises that the NHS.UK website is not intended to cover every condition, treatment, or service the National Health Service provides. If something is not currently covered, it does not mean the NHS does not recognise it. The key factors considered include:

NHS England appreciates the importance of providing information for conditions like dyscalculia and will continue to review and assess requests to ensure the NHS website best serves the needs of the public.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_2

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to extend beyond visual line of sight drone trials in the healthcare sector. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to innovation in drones and other growth sectors, and work is ongoing across the Government, including between the Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), to support the safe and effective introduction of drones into medical logistics. Further information on the work ongoing across the Government is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

The Department continuously reviews the available evidence surrounding the use of drones in medical logistics and is supportive of new trials to further build this evidence base, in particular regarding the benefits of the use of drones to deliver urgent medical supplies in remote and urban areas.

The Future of Flight Programme, led by the Department for Transport and taking place across the Government, will deliver routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone use in the United Kingdom by 2027. As part of this programme the Department for Transport, the Department for Health and Social Care, and the CAA continue to work closely together to unlock BVLOS drone use cases for the National Health Service. Enabling drones to safely operate to trial NHS services currently requires airspace segregation to ensure the safety of other crewed aircraft. This is a complex process, and the CAA and the Department for Transport are working to simplify it as part of the Future of Flight Programme and the Airspace Modernisation Strategy while we work towards full airspace integration. Progress on this work is monitored through the Future of Flight Industry Group which is co-chaired by the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security.

The Department of Health and Social Care has not conducted a formal cost-effectiveness assessment of drone versus traditional delivery methods. Outside of trials, drones are not currently integrated into NHS logistics or emergency response frameworks.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce waiting times for diagnostic cardiology services, and what assessment they have made of the potential role of digital health solutions in improving patient outcomes. \p Baroness Merron: We inherited a broken National Health Service, and reducing elective waiting lists is a key part of getting it back on its feet and building an NHS that is fit for the future. To that end we have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. Cutting waiting times for diagnostic tests, including those for cardiology, is a crucial step in reducing the elective waiting list.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the October statement £600 million of capital to support the reduction of diagnostic waiting lists, which includes continued investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs), new acute hospital diagnostic equipment, and investment in digital diagnostic capabilities.

Between July 2024 and August 2025, existing CDCs have carried out a total of 286,260 echocardiography tests and 260,040 electrocardiography tests. Many CDCs are also implementing innovative cardiac pathways to speed up diagnosis and access to treatment for patients with symptoms suggestive of cardiac disease. Our Elective Reform Plan commits to building up to five new CDCs in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The NHS is investing in digital health solutions to improve patient outcomes in cardiology. This includes enabling remote patient monitoring, early intervention, and greater patient engagement through personalised management plans and educational tools. These solutions allow for continuous data collection from home, which helps clinicians detect and respond to deterioration sooner, potentially preventing hospital admissions and improving long-term health management. They also support early detection, diagnosis, and monitoring.

In addition, NHS England has invested in digital capability which is helping to speed up the reporting of tests routinely used in cardiology services, including artificial intelligence cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_4

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the treatment and care of patients with cardio-renal-metabolic diseases is looked at holistically rather than in isolation; and what assessment they have made of whether multi-disciplinary teams are an effective way of joining up care. \p Baroness Merron: Multi-disciplinary teams are essential to the delivery of holistic care, including for complex conditions such as cardio-renal-metabolic diseases. Multi-disciplinary teams, which enable care to be centred around patients and increasingly delivered in the community rather than in hospital settings, are a key part of delivering the radical shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_5

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of using the NHS number as the consistent child identifier in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill; and whether they will publish their assessment of the ability of the NHS to issue new NHS numbers in bulk, following reports of NHS numbers being stolen following a cyber attack in June 2024. \p Baroness Merron: The potential for the National Health Service number to be used as a single unique identifier (SUI) for children is being explored in a series of pilots, which will include consideration of risk. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill does not specify the use of the NHS number as an SUI, but allows regulations to do so, if it is appropriate.

There is no expectation that the NHS will need to issue new NHS numbers in bulk. Misuse of personally identifiable information is guarded against via governance processes that are the responsibility of data controllers and processors.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_6

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of abortion decriminalisation on public confidence in the protection of unborn children and wider societal attitudes towards the value of life. \p Baroness Merron: No assessment has been made. It is for Parliament to decide the circumstances under which abortions should take place. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance, and parliamentarians individually decide whether and how they wish to vote.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_7

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential risks of decriminalising abortion to vulnerable women, including those who may be subject to coercion or abuse; and what safeguarding measures they plan to put in place to protect them. \p Baroness Merron: No assessment has been made. It is for Parliament to decide the circumstances under which abortions should take place.

As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance, and parliamentarians individually decide whether and how they wish to vote.

The House of Commons has voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which disapplies the criminal offences related to abortion from women in relation to her own pregnancy. These offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967.

The safeguarding of children, young people, and adults who are at risk is a fundamental obligation for everyone who works in the National Health Service and its partner agencies. If decriminalisation of abortion for pregnant women acting in relation to their own pregnancy becomes law, the Department will consider whether sufficient safeguards are already in place or whether additional guidance is needed.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_8

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the use of urine tests to detect chronic kidney disease among patients with cardiovascular risk markers. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England is trialling home testing for kidney disease through urine tests. Kits have been sent to individuals considered to be most at risk including people with diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_9

Lord Bassam of Brighton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish figures identifying the number of successful prosecutions of race hate crimes for each of the past five years since 2020. \p Lord Hermer: This Government is committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms, including race.

The table below shows the number of convictions and prosecutions by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for defendants flagged with a racial hate crime monitoring flag for the five financial years from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025. In the last year alone, prosecutions have increased by 16%.

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Convictions

7,115

8,426

7,630

7,848

9,202

% Convictions

86.7%

84.6%

83.6%

84.7%

85.6%

Prosecutions

8,202

9,961

9,123

9,267

10,750

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

The CPS defines racial hate crime as any incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s ethnicity or perceived ethnicity.

The volumes reported above for the financial year 2020/21 reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including court closures from mid-March to the end of June 2020 and the subsequent recovery period. Caution should therefore be exercised in making comparisons with previous or later years.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_10

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to revising upwardly the 1850 cut-off date for listed buildings being subject to greater selection, as per the general principles of listing relating to age and rarity. \p Baroness Twycross: The Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings set the criteria used to determine whether a building is of special architectural or historic interest. Currently, the Principles of Selection state that “from 1850 to 1945, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, progressively greater selection is necessary”. We do not currently have plans to revise this but continue to keep the Principles of Selection under review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_11
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_11

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the preservation of buildings of historic interest remains a Government priority. \p Baroness Twycross: This government remains committed to the preservation of buildings of historic interest.

For example, this year we announced nearly £20 million new capital funding to support heritage through the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and Heritage Revival Fund, and over the last 12 months around 150 buildings were added to the National Heritage List for England.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_12

Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people currently receiving personal independence payments live in Scotland. \p Baroness Sherlock: The powers to make provision for extra costs disability benefits were devolved to the Scottish Parliament under the Scotland Act 2016. The Scottish Government has replaced Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with Adult Disability Payment (ADP). There have been no new claims to PIP in Scotland since the end of August 2022. Since Summer 2022, all existing PIP claims in Scotland have been transferring from the Department for Work and Pensions to Social Security Scotland and ADP has been put into payment.

As of July 2025 (the most recent available data), the number of people who live in Scotland receiving personal independence payment is 2,568. This data can be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml).

From July 2025 onwards, any data appearing in Stat-Xplore for PIP activity in Scotland relates to cases where a person moves to Scotland from England or Wales while in receipt of PIP and are in the process of having their benefit transferred.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_13

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of expenditure on each major working-age benefit was accounted for by claimants from non-UK immigration status groups in (1) 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, and (2) 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Department recently published new Universal Credit - Immigration Status and Nationality statistics. Further breakdowns of these statistics are not currently available.

The department does not hold data for other Working Age Benefits expenditure broken down by immigration status.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_14
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_14

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage active pensioners to work beyond retirement age. \p Baroness Sherlock: Now that the default retirement age has been abolished, most people can work for as long as they want to and are able. Our concept of ageing in the workforce and retirement must move with the times as the population demographics change and we have an increasingly older workforce. We know that work helps people to play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department is committed to supporting older workers through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility, and progression. This includes promoting age-inclusive practices, supporting workplace health, policy and service reform and removing age related barriers to employment. The Department has also signed up to and actively promotes the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, encouraging employers to adopt flexible working, age-positive hiring, and career development.

Most people do not pay National Insurance contributions once they reach State Pension age, even if they continue working and individuals can continue to receive their State Pension in full, regardless of how much they earn from employment or self-employment. This can make employment more financially attractive for older workers.

By removing financial disincentives and promoting flexible working opportunities, the Government aims to ensure that those who wish to work longer can do so in a way that suits their circumstances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_15

Lord Davies of Brixton:To ask His Majesty's Government, given the figures for the consumer prices index and national average earnings indices, and the percentage increases in those indices that are published by the Office for National Statistics, how each of those figures are used to determine increases in state pensions, including what rules are used to round the relevant figures. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review State Pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where the relevant State Pension or benefit rates have not retained their value, legislation provides that the Secretary of State is required to, or in some instances may, up-rate their value. Following this review, State Pension and benefit rates are increased in line with statutory minimum amounts and others are increased subject to Secretary of State’s discretion.

Although the statutory minimum for the increase in basic State Pension and the full rate of the new State Pension is at least the growth in earnings, the Government has a manifesto commitment to up-rate those benefits using the Triple Lock (the highest of the growth in prices, average earnings or 2.5%) throughout this Parliament.

The percentage rate chosen in the Secretary of State’s Review is applied to the current full weekly rates of the basic and new State Pensions. The resulting amounts are rounded to the nearest 5p. This results in a percentage rate which is applied to each individual’s existing pension payment.

The Triple Lock does not apply to other elements of the State Pension – such as the additional State Pension, Protected Payments, deferred increments and other elements. These are all up-rated by prices (CPI). After applying the CPI percentage to the amounts in payment, the resulting weekly amount is rounded to the nearest penny for these components.

The Office for National Statistics will publish the average weekly earnings (AWE) figure for year to May to July 2025 on 14 October and the consumer price index (CPI) for year to September 2025 on 22 October. This year’s up-rating review will commence once the ONS figures for AWE and CPI are released and will conclude at the end of November.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_16

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants recorded to be in non-UK immigration status groups are (1) in work, and (2) not in work; and what proportion these claimants represent of the total Universal Credit caseload. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Department recently published Universal Credit Immigration status and nationality summary statistics and the relevant information from those statistics is displayed in Table 1 below.

For the purpose of statistical production, immigration status data has been categorised into the following 8 groups:

Table 1: Number and proportion of People on Universal Credit by immigration status and employment status June 2025, Great Britain

Immigration status

Not in employment

% of all on UC

In employment

% of all on UC

Total

CTA - UK, Ireland, Right of Abode

4,418,544

56.3%

2,148,966

27.4%

6,567,506

EU Settlement Scheme

403,956

5.1%

360,473

4.6%

764,429

Humanitarian

32,085

0.4%

21,726

0.3%

53,810

Refugee

90,403

1.2%

27,214

0.3%

117,623

Indefinite Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme)

141,958

1.8%

68,558

0.9%

210,513

Limited Leave to Remain (not EU Settlement Scheme) including family reunion

50,010

0.6%

24,692

0.3%

74,694

Other

21,705

0.3%

11,289

0.1%

32,998

No immigration status recorded on digital systems

19,258

0.2%

10,646

0.1%

29,912

Total

5,177,927

65.9%

2,673,559

34.1%

7,851,487

Source: Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) Extract

Notes
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Lord Touhig:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people with autism they estimate are seeking full-time employment. \p Baroness Sherlock: DWP analysis of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Population Survey (APS) shows there were an estimated 40,000 people with Autism who said they were looking for full-time employment in 2024/25.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_18

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 9 April (HL5959), what progress has been made in identifying and possibly contacting civil servants dismissed from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a result of the then-ban on homosexuals serving in the Diplomatic Service. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Cabinet Office is continuing to review this matter, given the wider implications beyond former Foreign & Commonwealth Office staff, and they will update Parliament on the outcome in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_19

The Lord Bishop of Oxford:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will work with international partners to ensure that the proposed Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization upholds (1) international human rights standards, including safeguards for equity, mental integrity and privacy, (2) the precautionary principle, and (3) protections for children and other vulnerable groups. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK actively participated in developing the draft United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology. The Government sought to ensure that the draft Recommendation is consistent with international human rights law, including the right to privacy. We welcome that the Recommendation aims to prevent harm in line with international law and covers specific vulnerable groups, including children and persons with disabilities. The Recommendation will be considered for adoption by the UNESCO General Conference in November this year and we hope that this debate will enable important progress towards mitigating risks arising from the use of neurotechnology.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_20

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government how much they spent on fixtures, fittings, or refurbishment of the Ambassador's residence in Washington DC during Lord Mandelson's tenure as Ambassador. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Ongoing refurbishment work at our Embassy in Washington DC began in June 2019. The majority of work was completed in 2023, with limited aspects ongoing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_21

Baroness Whitaker:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Cuba regarding the recent increase in reports of repression against (1) activists and (2) human rights defenders; and what steps they are taking to support the promotion of freedom of religion and belief in the country. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Our relationship with Cuba allows for frank dialogue, including on matters on which we do not agree. Our Ambassador in Havana has raised recent human rights cases with the Ministry of External Relations, and we work with likeminded partners to make clear our shared position. We will continue to raise concerns where we have them through diplomatic channels, in both London and Havana. In July we launched the UK's international strategy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), which set out our firm commitment to defending FoRB for all, including through our multilateral and bilateral engagement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_22

Lord Farmer:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme in defending the freedom of religion or belief of persecuted Christians. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Through the SPRiNG programme, we have convened workshops to explore the root causes of conflict, including religious dimensions, and to introduce tools that enable political and traditional leaders to apply a Freedom of Religion or Belief and conflict sensitivity lens in their decision making.

The programme has achieved encouraging results in its first full year of implementation. For example, in Nasawara State, the programme supported mediation efforts through the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) which resulted in a negotiated agreement between the Bassa and Egbura People, enabling the return and resettlement of 5000 internally displaced persons. As of September 2025, SPRiNG interventions have directly benefited over 18,875 people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_23

Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of current surface access arrangements between London and Heathrow, and whether these arrangements make the best use of available infrastructure capacity. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Heathrow Airport has a wide range of surface access infrastructure, including rail services through Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line trains, underground services on the Picadilly line, a wide network of bus and coach connections as well as being close to the M25 and M4 motorways. This network supported 83.9 million passengers to access the airport in 2024.

The most recent Heathrow Surface Access Strategy covers 2022 – 2026 and sets out how Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) supports passengers, staff and freight to arrive at the airport, including the continued use of available infrastructure and sets out any new requirements. Any expansion proposals for Heathrow Airport are currently subject to the 2018 Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), which sets out targets for increasing public transport mode share and reducing staff car journeys which the proposals will need to meet. These targets will be reviewed as part of any future ANPS review, and the department will engage with promoters of a third runway to ensure future surface access arrangements make effective use of capacity to the airport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_24

Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that third rail extension projects include financial assessments of safety concerns, to ensure compliance with the Office for Road and Rail. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: We expect Network Rail to undertake an assessment of the costs and benefits for all its schemes, including safety aspects.

It has been encouraging to see recently that the new Chief Inspector at ORR has not closed his mind to further extensions of third rail electrification.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_25

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential mandatory training for those local authorities which, according to local road maintenance transparency reports, are not carrying out any preventative road maintenance. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: To qualify for their full share of this year’s £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice, including in relation to preventative maintenance which is more cost effective than the reactive patching of potholes. The findings from the transparency reports enable the department to identify where extra support may be needed to ensure compliance with best practice. The department will set out more detail on the further support and training it will make available to local authorities in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_26
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_26

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to help with the infrastructure needed for future electric or hydrogen heavy goods vehicles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government is supporting the uptake of zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and their supporting charging and fuelling infrastructure through initiatives such as the Plug-In Truck Grant, which is reducing the upfront cost of zero emission HGVs, the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme and the up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID). ZEHID has already funded over 300 Zero Emission HGVs and 73 planned infrastructure locations, representing over 360 chargers which will be operational by March 2026. We will set out further detail on our strategic approach to infrastructure, in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_27

Lord Ashcombe:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of enabling companions permitted to accompany workers at disciplinary or grievance hearings to provide legal representation or act as legal advocates for workers during those hearings. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The current legal framework on the right to be accompanied has been in place for a long time. The framework aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the types of organisations that could be involved in representing workers at discipline and grievance meetings could lead to these meetings requiring legal representation for both the worker and employer. This would invariably increase the cost of holding a hearing, add complexity and delays, and decrease the chance of amicable resolution as both parties become entrenched in a dispute.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_28
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_28

Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 12 December 2024 (HL2726), what assessment they have made of whether the Certification Officer is fulfilling their duties to ensure that unions provide their accounts as required by section 32 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 12 December 2024, I can only reiterate that it is not for Government to compel a union to provide its annual return. That is for the Certification Officer, who is independent of Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_29

Lord Udny-Lister:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of local authority funding reductions on the capacity of Trading Standards services to undertake proactive surveillance, routine inspections, and test purchasing over the past five years. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales are independent from central government and are responsible for determining their resourcing priorities across a wide range of enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the needs of the local electorate.

The majority of Central Government funding is not ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities including those relating to consumer protection.

The Department for Business and Trade provides additional funding through the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS). These act as mechanisms to prioritise and coordinate national and regional consumer enforcement in England, Wales and Scotland respectively.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_30

Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government how they envisage that the new Companies House identity verification requirements can be satisfied for individuals who are persons with significant control who, because of infirmities or other difficulties, are incapable of using digital apps or visiting a post office or may not possess government-issued photo identity documents of any type. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Companies House has been listening to feedback from users during the voluntary identity verification period about accessibility and other issues. It is continuing to develop alternative options that will offer more support to individuals who are unable to verify their identities through the standard route. Further guidance will be issued but, in the meantime, Companies House is ensuring that staff are on hand to help users who require assistance via its helpline and by email.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_31

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to clause 21 of the Employment Rights Bill, what steps they will take to ensure employers are legally accountable for content generated by their AI systems, including harassment by those systems. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Harassment in the workplace is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010. Once clause 21 of the Employment Rights Bill is in force, employees will be able to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal against their employer for harassment by a third party.

This means that an individual will be able to bring a claim against their employer for harassment where the employer has failed to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent it. It will be for courts and tribunals to decide on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case, if an employer is liable for harassment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_32

Baroness Hamwee:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 1 October 2025 (HL10624), who is engaged or to be engaged in testing and policy development relating to facial estimation technology for assessing the age of asylum seekers; whether the accuracy of the technology is to be evaluated against other methods and the evaluation published; whether individuals subject to its use will be given full details without having to request them; and what other scientific and technological methods and artificial intelligence tools are being tested or considered for use in age assessment. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: As part of the Government's commitment to improve the robustness of the age assessment process, the Home Office is currently exploring the use of Facial Age Estimation technology. Further testing and analysis of Facial Age Estimation technology has been commissioned by the department, with the intention of integrating Facial Age Estimation into the current age assessment process over the course of 2026, subject to the results of the further testing and assurance. The Home Office's Biometrics, Scientific, Insights and Analysis teams and Policy teams are engaged in testing and policy development of the facial age estimation technology. The Home Office will provide further updates regarding the testing in due course.

If and when this technology is used in live cases, full information and guidance will be available to those undergoing FAE as well as to staff involved in the process.

The Home Office continues to monitor new and emerging scientific and technological techniques and wider reform of the age assessment system.