theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_1

Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Minister for Latin America held during her recent visits to Chile regarding their policies on promoting gender equality, progress on LGBT+ rights and their priorities in formulating policies on sexual and reproductive rights. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: During my visit to Chile in January, I launched a report on digital rights of indigenous women alongside Chile's Deputy Minister for Women, Luz Vidal. The UK is firmly committed to promoting gender equality and fostering inclusive growth worldwide.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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The Earl of Clancarty:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of setting up the UK Soft Power Council; how much it will cost to run per year; and whether board members will receive a salary. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The budget for the Soft Power Council will be minimal, sufficient to cover only the basic costs of running its four meetings per year. Board members will not receive a salary.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for freedom of religion or belief in China of the recent trial of Hui Christian pastor Ma Yan. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He respectively).

More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government when they last raised the persecution, imprisonment or disappearance of religious leaders or believers in China with the government of China, and what response they received. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang and Vice Premier He respectively).

More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to attract learners who have not accessed additional training and qualifications after leaving school or college to benefit from the Lifelong Learning Entitlement and to take higher qualifications at levels 4 and above. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform the student finance system in England, broadening access to high quality, flexible education and training. Under the LLE, new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to four years of full-time tuition. This is currently equal to £38,140 based on fee rates for the 2025/26 academic year.

Returning learners who have previously received government support will have a reduced entitlement, depending on previous funding received. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.

All courses and modules with in-person attendance that are eligible for LLE tuition funding will also be eligible for maintenance loans and targeted grants. This represents an expansion of the maintenance offer for part-time learners and those studying technical courses. The department will work with the Student Loans Company, as well as providers, employers and learner-facing organisations to provide clear information, advice and guidance to prospective learners, including those who have not accessed additional training and qualifications after leaving school or college.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 23 February 2024 (HL6145), what progress they have made on the education sector certification scheme, and what is its current status. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department launched the ‘Data protection in schools’ project, formerly known as the education privacy assurance scheme (EPAS), in autumn 2022. The department’s primary focus is to educate schools and enable them to understand their data protection responsibilities, with the view to improving children’s safety and privacy.

The department is currently awaiting the outcome of an Information Commissioner’s Office audit into educational technology providers, and a subsequent code of practice, before determining whether any additional measures, including certification, should be implemented.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Bull:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing screening tests to identify early difficulties with numeracy; and whether those tests could take place at the same time and in a similar format to the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, which helps educators identify problems with literacy. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering key stages 1 to 5, is ongoing and ministers will consider its recommendations, including any on primary assessment.

In addition to the duty on schools to carry out statutory national curriculum assessments, schools also administer their own classroom assessments. The department provides optional end of key stage 1 tests and teacher assessment frameworks for English and mathematics to support schools in this work.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Coussins:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer  by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 6 January (HL3649), what progress has been made in discussions across the Government regarding funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025; and when they expect a decision on the subject to be announced. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department continues to work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, and we will set out more in due course.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government when the terms of reference for the next review of the Sovereign Grant in April 2026 will be prepared; who will be responsible for preparing them; and what input will be invited from parliamentarians. \p Lord Livermore: The requirements for the 2026 review of the Sovereign Grant have been set by Parliament in the Sovereign Grant Act 2011. This requires the Royal Trustees to consider what percentage of Crown Estate profits should be used in the calculation of the Sovereign Grant for the period from 2027, once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed. The Act requires that the Royal Trustees report is laid in Parliament, and any change in the percentage used given effect by Statutory Instrument agreed by the House of Commons. In addition, the government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28, which will enable further parliamentary debate on this issue.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_11

Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government how many driving licences have been issued to individuals without an official proof of identity. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Since they were introduced in 1998, all applicants for a first photocard driving licence have been required to provide official evidence of identity.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by Sustrans Children's Walking and Cycling Index 2024, published 26 February, what assessment they have made of the potential merits of including children in policy-making relating to travel. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government agrees that it is important to include a wide-range of groups in the policy making process, including children. On 12 February, Active Travel England published guidance to help councils engage with local communities in the development of new walking and cycling schemes. This includes reference to engaging with children in the design process of active travel schemes near schools.

Active Travel England supports a range of programmes to help enable more active travel for children, including Living Street’s Walk to School Outreach, Modeshift STARS and Bikeability cycle training.

The Government understands that perceived safety can be a barrier to more people choosing to walk, wheel or cycle. This is why the Department has recently announced almost £300 million of funding for active travel in 2024/5 and 2025/6. The Department has also published guidance for local authorities on implementing School Streets, which help improve the safety of roads outside schools for cycling.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage for the Rail Safety and Standards Board within the new railway structure with Great British Railways. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The independent Rail Safety and Standards Board acts as the safety, standards and research body for Great Britain’s rail network. We will review its exact remit to ensure it is able to fulfil a similar role within the new model.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Robathan:To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any restrictions being put in place to prevent Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles from accessing any critical infrastructure. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government takes national security extremely seriously and the Department works closely with the transport sector and other agencies such as the National Protective Security Authority and the National Cyber Security Centre to respond to any security vulnerabilities.  This includes ensuring critical infrastructure is secure and resilient, and risks are managed proportionately.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government how many full driving licences are held in the UK. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The latest information available shows that on 15 February, there were 42,549,993 driving licence records held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency where the licence holder has full driving entitlement.

These figures are for driving licence holders in Great Britain only. Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 13 February (HL5039), what is the latest status of any revisions to the Crossrail 2 safeguarded route proposed by Transport for London in 2020 which are yet to be approved; and what is the timescale and next steps to complete the safeguarding of such revisions. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: As previously advised, development of Crossrail 2 was paused in 2020. Whilst the department currently has no plans to move forward with Crossrail 2, the route remains safeguarded to protect it from conflicting development and officials from my department regularly have discussions with Transport for London regarding this scheme and their other transport priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 18 February (HL4719), whether they were (1) part of the Manchester Task Force, or (2) consulted by them, with regards to the withdrawal of the direct Sheffield to Manchester Airport train; and if so, whether they supported the decision. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Manchester Task Force (MTF) began meeting in February 2020, made up of Department for Transport, Network Rail, train operators, Rail North Partnership, Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester. Through gathering evidence, developing options and publicly consulting, the task force identified a range of short and long-term actions to improve the performance of the railway in Manchester/across the North and support future growth in passengers.

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

The new timetable developed by MTF has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, although there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-04 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-04)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of granting refugees British citizenship on (1) integration, and (2) community cohesion. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the Immigration system under review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_1

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government for what policy reason, if any, Lord Mandelson was permitted to keep his shareholding in Global Counsel whilst Ambassador to the United States of America. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We do not comment on the finances of individual employees.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_2

Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the use of railway replacement bus services under Great British Railways by improved planning of engineering works and by keeping at least one route open between principal points. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government is committed to delivering a simpler, more accountable railway with clear responsibilities. The establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) will end years of fragmentation and will have a relentless focus on driving up standards for passengers.

GBR will have the independence and tools it needs to deliver improvements to rail services, and plan and run the railway on a long-term basis in the interest of its passenger and freight customers and taxpayers. The Railways Bill is due to go before Parliament in this parliamentary session and GBR is expected to be operational around 12 months after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

Prior to the establishment of GBR, train operating companies are responsible for the procurement, planning and setting of the timetable for rail replacement services and work with Network Rail to ensure that any rail replacement services are co-ordinated with any planned engineering work or other disruptions on the railway. We expect under GBR that operations will take maximum advantage of alternative routes where possible to minimise the use of rail replacement road transport.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_3

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government when Tom Kibasi (1) began, and (2) finished, working at 10 Downing Street; and what salary he was paid for his role. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: It would not be appropriate to comment on staffing matters or individuals' remits and responsibilities.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what overseas visits the Prime Minister’s chief of staff has made, without the Prime Minister and at public expense, since being appointed, and at what cost. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Special Adviser travel expenses are not routinely published, as was the case under previous administrations.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:To ask His Majesty's Government what procedures are in place to ensure that money paid to former Prime Ministers under the Public Duty Costs Allowance are properly spent; and whether they have made an assessment of the appropriate use of money received from that allowance by Boris Johnson. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Public Duty Costs Allowance policy states that former Prime Ministers or their staff may only be reimbursed for actual administrative costs incurred in meeting the demands of the former Prime Minister’s public life up to the annual limit.

Invoices are submitted to Cabinet Office Finance by the offices of the former Prime Ministers in order to claim their Public Duty Cost Allowance. Along with the invoice offices provide evidence of what the claim is to be used for.

The PDCA is reviewed by the NAO as part of their audit of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether income levels affect socio-economic classifications and, therefore, whether train drivers earning £80,000 per year should be classed as working class under State of the Nation 2024: Local to national, mapping opportunities for all, published by the Social Mobility Commission in September 2024; and what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the classification of train drivers under the national statistics socio-economic classifications. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Emma Rourke | Acting National Statistician

Lord Jackson of Peterborough

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

30 September 2025

Dear Lord Jackson,

As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether income levels affect socio-economic classifications and, therefore, whether train drivers earning £80,000 per year should be classed as working class under State of the Nation 2024: Local to national, mapping opportunities for all, published by the Social Mobility Commission in September 2024; and what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the classification of train drivers under the national statistics socio-economic classifications (HL10733).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not incorporate income in the methodology or derivation of the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).

The ONS classifies Train Drivers to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020 code 8231, which corresponds to " Train and tram drivers”. Under the simplified NS-SEC framework, this occupation is classified as analytic class 5: Lower supervisory and technical occupations.

There are 8 analytic classes in the NS-SEC used by the ONS:

· Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupation

· Lower managerial, administrative and professional occupations

· Intermediate occupations

· Small employers and own account workers

· Lower supervisory and technical occupations

· Semi-routine occupations

· Routine occupations

· Never worked, unemployed, and not elsewhere classified

The Social Mobility Commission groups these into 5 categories: ‘higher professional and managerial’, ‘lower professional and managerial’, ‘intermediate’, ‘higher working class’, and ‘lower working class’.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Rourke
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what information is passed to the employer once a senior civil servant has undergone developed vetting. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The decision on whether to grant developed vetting will be taken either by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), the department or police force that requires the individual to hold clearance, or by the sponsoring authority that carries out this task on behalf of departments. Vetting information required for the decision to be made is strictly controlled and access limited to those directly responsible for the decision reached. Upon successful application for clearance, the sponsor, who is often but not always exclusively within the individual’s employer, is notified.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of vehicles used to transport ministers on official business are wholly electric. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government Car Service fleet is currently 39% wholly electric and a further 56% hybrid.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the former Ambassador to the United States, Lord Mandelson, provided advice to the Prime Minister's Office during the Cabinet reshuffle on 5 September. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Prime Minister’s Office did not seek or accept any advice from the former Ambassador in respect of the reshuffle on 5 September.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the letter of 16 September from the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, why the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was not asked to contribute to the due diligence process on the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States; and whether any other bodies were involved in that due diligence process. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.

Following the announcement of the appointment, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office started the ambassadorial appointment process, including national security vetting, in the usual way.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the opportunities to strengthen public procurement policy to incentivise and increase the use of UK-made steel in publicly funded projects. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The UK steel sector plays a crucial role in our economic security. The public sector is an important buyer of steel, procuring it both directly and indirectly, to build critical infrastructure such as our railways, roads, buildings, defence equipment, schools and hospitals.

Public procurement data published by the Department for Business and Trade shows that where steel procured in FY 2023/24 could be made in the UK, around 97% was actually UK-made.

This Government is developing a steel strategy that will set a long-term vision for a revitalised and sustainable industry. The strategy will articulate what is needed to secure UK steel supply chains and create a competitive business environment in the UK.

The Cabinet Office has recently published new procurement policy measures to require central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to consult UK Steel’s Digital Catalogue prior to design and procurement decisions being made; and to apply the national security exemption to relevant steel procurements.

This Government is also considering further options to ensure public procurement supports critical UK industry and can boost jobs and growth.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether public sector contracting authorities are required to adopt scientific tools under the Procurement Act 2023 to assess the presence of forced labour in suppliers’ operations; and if so, how their use is being evaluated and whether such technology is being rolled out for more extensive use. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Abhorrent practices such as modern slavery, human trafficking and human rights abuses have no place in public supply chains or in wider society. This Government is determined to stamp this out. Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 009 ‘Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains’ encourages departments to conduct due diligence using a range of tools and approaches to assess risks. The PPN sets out key actions to identify risks and recommends the use of tools such as the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool to support departments in managing risks.

The Procurement Act 2023 also provides contracting authorities with stronger powers to exclude suppliers from public procurements where there is compelling evidence of modern slavery within their supply chains.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted any economic analysis of the potential financial impact of their proposed remote betting and gaming duty in Scotland on (1) the horseracing industry, and (2) other businesses supported by horseracing. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As part of the consultation process, the UK Government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and continues to work with representatives of horseracing to identify any potential unintended consequences for the sector, and how they might be mitigated.

The Government’s consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Budget 2025.  The consultation relates to the structure of gambling duties, and no decision has yet been made on rates. If any changes are made to gambling duties at Budget following the consultation, legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Lord Bassam of Brighton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish figures setting out the number of incidents of reported race hate crimes for each of the past five year since 2020. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes official statistics on hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information on race hate crimes for the last five years can be found here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025 - GOV.UK

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lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Baroness Alexander of Cleveden:To ask His Majesty's Government how many commissioners are legally required to serve on the Equality and Human Rights Commission at any one time; and how many are currently in post. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Under the Equality Act 2006, the number of Commissioners is determined to be not less than ten or more than fifteen individuals. The Board requires four appointed members (plus the CEO) to be quorate to determine decisions.

As of 16 September, the EHRC Board has seven Commissioners (including the Chair and Deputy but not the CEO). Following the appointment of Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson as the next Chair, the Government intends to launch recruitment campaigns for new Commissioners at the earliest opportunity.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Baroness Thornton:To ask His Majesty's Government which commissioners of the Equality and Human Rights Commission were appointed by (1) Elizabeth Truss, and (2) Kemi Badenoch, when they were respectively Minister for Women and Equalities; and when the terms of office of those commissioners are due to conclude. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The following Commissioners were appointed under the tenure of Elizabeth Truss as Minister for Women and Equalities:

The following Commissioners were appointed under the tenure of Kemi Badenoch as Minister for Women and Equalities:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-14 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-14)

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Baroness Thornton:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fact that The Times has reported on the content of the draft Statutory Code of Practice shared by the Equality and Human Rights Commission with the Minister for Women and Equalities, and of how the contents of that draft were made available to the media before being laid before Parliament. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Government does not comment on leaks.

The Minister for Women and Equalities will consider the EHRC’s updated draft Code. If the decision is taken to approve it, the Minister will lay it before both Houses over a period of 40 sitting days, as per the process set out in Section 14 of the Equality Act 2006.

The Code becomes statutory only after the formal process set out in the legislation has been followed.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of costs, by month, of flights used on the Afghanistan Response Route since its inception, including costs of (1) any Royal Air Force or government flights, and (2) any charter flights, with details of which organisation provided the charter. \p Lord Coaker: In February 2022, under the previous Government a spreadsheet with names and other information relating of individual applicants of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) – the resettlement scheme for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan – was emailed outside of official Government systems.

The previous Government decided to seek an injunction concerning the breach and the High Court granted a super-injunction. They also decided to set up a new secret resettlement route, called the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR). The ARR was created to support a limited cohort of people who were affected by the data loss incident and who were previously thought to be at the highest risk, into the UK.

The current Secretary of State then commissioned an independent policy review from former Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence, Paul Rimmer. This began earlier this year and was presented to Ministers in June. The review examined the overall policy context in spring 2025, three years since the data incident and concluded that it appears “highly unlikely” that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting.

As the Defence Secretary outlined in his oral statement of 15 July 2025, the Rimmer review was a very significant element in the Government’s decision to change policy to close the ARR, though not the sole element. We have now made the matter public so it can be subject to full Parliamentary scrutiny.

To resettle those under the ARR, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses mixed cohort flights to relocate Afghans to the UK under the schemes that make up the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). This includes the ARR and ARAP scheme. These flights have also included a small number of persons eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

The MOD has used both RAF and charter flights. Additionally, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to resettle eligible Afghans has run charter flights. For reasons that are commercially and operationally sensitive, we cannot name the companies that organised the charter flights.

The average total monthly costs from MOD charter flights, Royal Air Force flights and IOM charter flights is to date £457,833.33.
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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans have arrived in the UK under the relocation scheme arising from the 2022 data leak of their identities. \p Lord Coaker: As of 15 July 2025, under the Afghanistan Response Route, 900 principals are in Britain or in transit, together with 3,600 family members.
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Lord Wasserman:To ask His Majesty's Government what conclusions for their drugs policy they have drawn from the evidence about the effects of cannabis on health set out in Epidemiology of Cannabis: Genotoxicity, Neurotoxicity, Epigenomics and Aging by A.S. Reece and G.K. Hulse. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, both from immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems. We are aware of the book, ‘Epidemiology of Cannabis: Genotoxicity, Neurotoxicity, Epigenomics and Aging by A.S. Reece and G.K. Hulse’. No conclusions have been drawn from the evidence set out within it.

Information on the impact cannabis has on health can be found on the National Health Service website and Talk to FRANK, the Government’s drugs information and advice service. The Frank website also has basic harm reduction advice and details of drug treatment services and support organisations.

We know that drug treatment is protective and the number of places in treatment for people who use non-opiate drugs including cannabis is being increased by 30,000 compared to 2021/22, including 5,000 more places for young people in treatment.

The number of people in England receiving treatment for problems with cannabis use increased from 63,854 in 2021/22 to 74,931 people in 2023/24.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 14 July (HL8966), what are the reasons for not allowing patients to directly nominate a distance selling pharmacy from within the NHS App. \p Baroness Merron: There are no current plans to allow patients to directly nominate a distance selling pharmacy (DSP) from within the NHS App. A discovery exercise completed in January 2025 explored this option and concluded that within the current landscape of DSPs there are several challenges that could impact user experience and timely access to medicines. This has been communicated to relevant DSP stakeholders.

The NHS App supports seamless pharmacy services by allowing patients to order repeat prescriptions, nominate their preferred pharmacy, and manage their medication. A new prescription tracker feature means that nearly 1,500 pharmacies are now offering the new prescription tracking service through the NHS App, which provides updates on when prescriptions are ready to be collected. Work has also commenced on an ‘in App’ notification which will enhance this feature further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the BARCODE 1 study on the early detection of prostate cancer using saliva samples to identify high-risk patients. \p Baroness Merron: The Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million, United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The BARCODE 1 study tests are being included in the TRANSFORM trial, and the UK National Screening Committee will be assessing the evidence that emerges from this trial as it is published.
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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans NHS England has to expand digital clinical decision support for osteoporosis care across primary care networks. \p Baroness Merron: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population, including for osteoporosis. The Government expects ICBs to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and other best practice in designing their local services.

The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with osteoporosis, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home.

Digital tools like the NHS App will empower patients to manage their conditions, access information, and communicate with healthcare professionals more easily. Digital technologies will also enable remote monitoring of patients, allowing for early intervention and personalised care.

The 10-Year Health Plan envisions a healthcare system that is more proactive, personalised, and digitally enabled, leading to earlier diagnosis, more effective management, and ultimately, better outcomes for individuals with long-term conditions such as osteoporosis.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist local authorities address social care overspends, considering Association of Directors of Adult Social Services' ADASS Spring Survey 2025 finding that “the financial situation is as bad as it has been in recent history”. \p Baroness Merron: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

In addition, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Funding will be made available each year of the Spending Review through additional grant funding and growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care.

Between 2025/26 and 2028/29, local authority core spending power will increase by an average of 2.6% in real terms.
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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government how many deaths have been reported where the cause of death was sepsis, either on its own or with other factors, each month in the past 10 years. \p Baroness Merron: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death, and where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, in England and Wales, since 2001. ONS has not yet published the number of death registrations for sepsis for 2024.

The following table shows the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years:

Year

Number of deaths

2014

22,826

2015

24,784

2016

24,973

2017

23,709

2018

23,185

2019

21,458

2020

19,324

2021

21,947

2022

25,542

2023

26,203
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect communities against measles outbreaks. \p Baroness Merron: The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Health Protection Teams continue to work with local partners to respond to measles outbreaks. In England, the UKHSA works closely with NHS England, the Department, and wider health system partners at the national, regional, and local level to respond to and prevent further outbreaks and to improve vaccination uptake for the routine childhood immunisation programme, including the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Initiatives include improving access to the immunisation programme, using data to better identify under-served individuals and populations, training for healthcare professionals, and communication with the public, stakeholders, and media. Measles guidance is also available, and a range of leaflets and other promotional materials, in several languages, are available in print form and for download from our Health Publications website.
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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to implement automatic enrolment into smoking cessation programmes when people register for other NHS services or check-in to appointments. \p Baroness Merron: As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has prioritised and put new funding out to integrated care boards for the rollout of tobacco dependence services in hospital settings, including acute and mental health inpatient settings and maternity services. Future funding decisions are subject to the Spending Review process.