theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Hayman:To ask His Majesty's Government how many acres of grade 1 and 2 agricultural land have been built on since 2020. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should recognise the benefits of the Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land (land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system). Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.

As of the end of September 2024, ground-mounted solar PV panels covered an estimated 21,200 hectares. This amounts to around 0.1% of the land area of the UK. The government does not hold information on the number of ground-mounted solar projects that have been permitted and built on different agricultural grades, or the number of acres of grade 1 and 2 land which has been built on since 2020.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make an assessment of the potential of garage and repair networks to offer accessible and affordable MOT and maintenance services for electric vehicles, including battery health testing. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has endorsed the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) TechSafe scheme, which helps to ensure technicians have the skills they need to safely repair an electric vehicle (EV) and allows consumers to access a register to find their nearest EV competent technician. According to the IMI, 64,700 technicians are already qualified to work on an EV. This represents 26% of all technicians in the UK.

At MOT vehicles are tested for safety critical components, such as tyres and brakes. The Government has not seen any evidence to suggest that EV battery health impacts road worthiness and therefore the need for testing during the MOT. In 2023, the Department for Transport published a call for evidence, which included questions related to EV testing. The Department continues to consider EV-specific items to improve the MOT test and expects to consult on these changes in the near future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to implementing UN Global Technical Regulation 22 on electric vehicle batteries in the UK; and what is their timeline for implementation. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government is currently considering options for the implementation of UN Global Technical Regulation No. 22 in the UK, taking into account the implementation timelines of other key markets, such as the EU. The Government aims to consult on these plans later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make an assessment of the implementation of a standardised battery health certification scheme for electric vehicles; and its impact on (1) consumer confidence and (2) growth in the second-hand electric vehicle market. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The battery forms a large part of an electric vehicle’s (EV) value and performance. Information about EV battery health could help consumers in the used vehicle market to make informed comparisons between vehicles and alleviate concerns about battery durability, supporting the growth of the used EV market.

The UK has worked with international partners at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV batteries (GTR No.22). If implemented, this regulation would ensure that EVs provide easily accessible, accurate, and comparable information on the battery’s state of health. The Government is analysing options for the implementation of GTR No.22 regulations in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of the Border Target Operating Model. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Border Target Operating Model was introduced in 2024 to safeguard biosecurity, minimise risks to public health, animal health, the environment and protect the United Kingdom’s reputation as a responsible international trading nation. It strikes an appropriate balance between supporting business, by avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens in the process of moving goods into Great Britain, while focussing controls on consignments proven to cause the most significant biosecurity risk.

Defra continues to monitor the effectiveness and impact of the controls and engages regularly with border stakeholders to reflect.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to engage with the logistics sector to develop criteria to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of the Border Target Operating Model. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The model was developed following extensive engagement with businesses (including the logistics sector) across the UK, points of entry, enforcement agencies and with the Scottish and Welsh Devolved Governments.

Defra continues to have regular engagement with border stakeholders to discuss and review the BTOM.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report of the Climate Change Committee Progress in adapting to climate change: 2025 report to Parliament, published on 30 April, what infrastructure investment and resilience planning it is undertaking. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We welcome the Climate Change Committee’s constructive assessment, recognising the progress that has been made in planning for climate change across our transport system and the economy, as well as areas for improvement.

As part of our Plan for Change we are investing a record £2.65 billion to repair and build flood defences, protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses and helping local communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change such as overheating and drought.

One of the core objectives of the government’s forthcoming 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy is enabling resilient growth. This includes ensuring that growth is resilient to climate change. The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will set out how flood risk management infrastructure, and other actions to increase resilience to the physical effects of climate change, can protect existing, and enable new, economic activity.

We are considering the Climate Change Committee’s Progress Report and will respond to its recommendations in October as required by the Climate Change Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 11 March (HL5255), what assessment they have made of the disposal of waste into Beachy Head East and Beachy Head West marine conservation zones. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: There are two registered disposal sites within the Beachy Head Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). All material is assessed and classified as safe for marine disposal under OSPAR and London Convention and Protocol standards, with regular sediment testing required.

For all licences to dispose of dredged material within the Beachy Head MCZs, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consult with technical advisors Cefas. The MMO request samples to be collected at the dredge site, and establish the contaminants to test for. This testing has shown the risk to the marine environment from contaminants in the dredged material is low. The applicant must undertake robust monitoring, including further sampling and monthly disposal reporting to the MMO, throughout the duration of a licence. This ensures that the material meets the standards and remains suitable for continued sea disposal at the relevant disposal site. MCZ assessments for both disposal sites concluded that the risk to MCZ conservation objectives from disposal is likely to be low. This robust framework ensures that disposal activity does not compromise the conservation objectives of the MCZ.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a timetable for scaling up physical checks to achieve the full physical checking regime under the Border Target Operating Model. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government will provide an update in Summer 2025 on the implementation timelines for further controls on EU goods arriving in GB from Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Importers should continue to follow the guidance available on GOV.UK for the latest information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 20 March (HL5459 and HL5460), whether assessments of samples for disposal at sea are determined by cost to the applicant or best available evidence. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Before material is disposed of at sea, Defra bodies follow OSPAR guidelines for assessing contaminant levels in samples. Cefas use the best available evidence when providing advice to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on contaminant levels in such samples. Assessments required may vary depending on the type of material and historic use of a site from which any material is dredged. Assessments are only used when the evidence they provide is necessary to determine if a material is suitable for disposal at sea, and this avoids disproportionate costs for applicants. The MMO then consider this evidence when determining applications to dispose of material at sea.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 20 March (HL5458 and HL5459), in what circumstances the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) would insist that bioassays are undertaken; and how many times in the past five years CEFAS has required such bioassays, and for which disposal licences. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Cefas cannot insist that specific assessments are undertaken to support disposal licence applications as Cefas holds no regulatory power in that regard. Cefas can instead advise that certain assessments are undertaken or that certain licensing decisions are made, but decision-makers are not obliged to adhere to Cefas recommendations. Cefas does not collect data on how often certain assessments are recommended, however there are likely no examples of a bioassay or other ecotoxicological assessment being recommended in the past five years. Whilst such assessments can be recommended in line with the OSPAR guidelines, there may be significant costs associated for disposal applicants and there are currently no such assessments which have been validated by the MMO. Necessary assessments are still undertaken to determine if material is suitable for disposal at sea. The MMO assess applications on a case by case basis, and will request specific information from applicants where relevant and necessary to making a decision. Cefas is exploring the use of potentially more cost-effective assessments such as Microtox.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the funding raised by the Nature Restoration Levy they expect Natural England to spend on services provided by private sector consultants, landowners and private contractors. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra is working closely with Natural England and the wider Government to ensure appropriate resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund. The levy rate which developers will be required to pay will be set by Natural England.

The Nature Restoration Fund will run on a full cost recovery basis. The Government may in some instances provide upfront funding to a delivery body to commence actions identified in Delivery Plans in advance of need, with costs recovered over time as development comes forward. The Nature Restoration Fund will offset the environmental impact of development via a developer contribution.

We recognise the important role farmers, land managers, ecologists, and nature service providers will continue to play in supporting both development and nature’s recovery. These will be essential to the design and delivery of nature conservation measures under this new system. Natural England will ensure competition and innovation in securing interventions which are impactful and offer good value for developers’ money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding from the Nature Restoration Levy is expected to be spent on increased resources within Natural England between 2025 and 2029. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra is working closely with Natural England and the wider Government to ensure appropriate resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund. The levy rate which developers will be required to pay will be set by Natural England.

The Nature Restoration Fund will run on a full cost recovery basis. The Government may in some instances provide upfront funding to a delivery body to commence actions identified in Delivery Plans in advance of need, with costs recovered over time as development comes forward. The Nature Restoration Fund will offset the environmental impact of development via a developer contribution.

We recognise the important role farmers, land managers, ecologists, and nature service providers will continue to play in supporting both development and nature’s recovery. These will be essential to the design and delivery of nature conservation measures under this new system. Natural England will ensure competition and innovation in securing interventions which are impactful and offer good value for developers’ money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding Natural England is expected to receive under the Nature Restoration Levy between 2025 and 2029. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra is working closely with Natural England and the wider Government to ensure appropriate resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund. The levy rate which developers will be required to pay will be set by Natural England.

The Nature Restoration Fund will run on a full cost recovery basis. The Government may in some instances provide upfront funding to a delivery body to commence actions identified in Delivery Plans in advance of need, with costs recovered over time as development comes forward. The Nature Restoration Fund will offset the environmental impact of development via a developer contribution.

We recognise the important role farmers, land managers, ecologists, and nature service providers will continue to play in supporting both development and nature’s recovery. These will be essential to the design and delivery of nature conservation measures under this new system. Natural England will ensure competition and innovation in securing interventions which are impactful and offer good value for developers’ money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of shipments were checked under the Border Target Operating Model in (1) January, (2) February, (3) March, and (4) April, 2025. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: HMRC provides drivers with the Inspection Location Service (ILS), which allows drivers access to identify whether their consignments have been selected for an inspection. The portal is linked to the Goods Movement Vehicle Service (GMVS) whereby a driver can enter their Goods Movement Reference (GMR) and they will be shown the inspection status for their consignment. If the driver does not use GMVS, Imports of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) will provide an initial risk assessment telling the importer/agent if their consignment needs SPS checks when they submit their import notification. If the consignment does need checks, the importer/agent and haulier will also receive a text and email message 2 hours before the drivers estimated time of arrival in GB. The message will conform what the driver needs to do. Additionally, the notifier can check their IPAFFS dashboard for updates on whether their consignment will be checked.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the UK’s readiness for implementing under the Border Target Operating Model (1) the reclassification of fruit and vegetables from 1 July, and (2) the introduction of checks on EU goods arriving from the Republic of Ireland via the West Coast ports. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: GB plant health services have increased the number of plant health inspection staff to service the demand for import checks in England and Wales of EU plants and plant products. Inspector levels are being monitored to ensure these meet demand and deliver checks in line with the set Service Level Agreement (SLA) and ensure minimal trade disruption. BCPs are designed to handle high volumes of imported SPS goods with inspectors working shifts to carry out reliable checks which minimise friction on traffic flow. Checks at BCPs are handled by trained staff ensuring inspections are undertaken safely and efficiently. The Government will provide an update in Summer 2025 on the implementation timelines for further controls on EU goods arriving in GB from Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is a requirement for pet dogs travelling from England, Wales, or Scotland to Northern Ireland to have a pet passport and a worming certificate before travelling. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme makes it easier for pet owners travelling with their pets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. To travel under the Scheme, residents in Great Britain can now apply for a free pet travel document instead of a pet passport or a single-use Animal Health Certificates. There are no vaccination or health treatment requirements, including worming treatments. Further information on the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme can be found here: Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Travelling to Northern Ireland - GOV.UK

NI Pet Travel Scheme  (pdf, 187.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as part of the reset of relations with the EU, they are seeking to remove the requirement for animal health certificates when travelling with pets to the EU. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government is seeking to negotiate a SPS agreement to help boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. As like-minded partners with similarly high standards, the Government has been clear that an SPS agreement that removes barriers and protects our collective biosecurity and public health will benefit both sides.

It is too early to comment on the outcome of discussions linked to the UK/EU Summit that takes place on 19 May.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the Woodland Carbon Code to achieve the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market accreditation. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Woodland Carbon Code is planning to apply for Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market accreditation this year although this Council is not currently set up to accredit schemes that are run by Governments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations of the Independent Pornography Review to address the availability of violent online pornography. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February. The Review found violent pornography is common and easily available online. It is right that the government takes time to understand this complex, deeply important topic. A further update will be provided in due course.

The Online Safety Act requires services publishing or hosting user-generated pornographic content to prevent children from accessing it using highly effective age assurance. Extreme pornography is a priority offence under the Act, requiring services to proactively mitigate and remove this illegal content on their platforms.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate artificial intelligence chatbots, particularly in regard to the generation of harmful content that may affect young people. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Generative AI services - including chatbots - are regulated by the Online Safety Act where they allow users to share content, or they search the internet to provide responses. Such services are required to assess and mitigate the risk of harm to users from illegal content and services likely to be accessed by children will need to protect them from harmful content.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 4 April (HL5949), and in the light of the launch of the voluntary local authority data collection on home-to-school transport on 3 February, (1) what number of pupils receive publicly funded home-to-school transport in each local authority; (2) what proportion of home-to-school transport spending is attributable to taxi or private hire vehicle usage; and (3) which local authorities offer parental mileage allowances or direct payment schemes in place of council-arranged transport. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The voluntary local authority data collection exercise closed in mid-March. The department is currently analysing the data and plans to share findings with local authorities later in the year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that young people in "staying put" arrangements are supported to continue to benefit from a family environment instead of being moved into residential care. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Supporting care leavers to make a successful transition from care to independence is a priority for this government.

‘Staying Put’ arrangements ensure care leavers can continue to benefit from a stable and secure family setting and prepare for independence at a more gradual pace, rather than facing upheaval at age 18. It allows those who have been in foster care to remain with their carers until 21, where both the young person and the foster carer want it. The legislation requires local authorities to advise, assist and support both the young person and their former foster carers so that the arrangement can continue until the young person becomes 21. ‘Staying Put’ enables young people to build on and nurture their attachments to their foster carers, providing stability and support during their transition to adulthood, just as other young people can rely on their own families for such support.

The government is continuing to fund local authorities to deliver ‘Staying Put’ and project to provide £33.3 million for the programme in the 2025/26 financial year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 30 April (HL6622), whether any other Department holds the figures of the number of certified nuclear welders in the United Kingdom. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government does not hold the figure on the number of certified nuclear welders in the UK.

Hinkley Point C has invested £24m in education, skills and employment, including £4m in the development of a Centre of Excellence for Welding at Bridgwater and Taunton College. HMG also continues to support UK nuclear skills through the industry led National Nuclear Strategic Plan for Skills, a collaborative effort between Government, industry, and academia, setting out targeted action to address the skills gap and secure the UK’s nuclear workforce. This includes the on-going development of a welding course as part of the Career Switchers project in the Nuclear Skills Plan. In addition, the Destination Nuclear national communications campaign has targeted people that could work in the sector’s critical skills areas, including welders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many inmate deaths have occurred in HMP Parc in the last two years; and what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of inmates in the prison. \p Lord Timpson: Every death in custody is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died at Parc.

There were 25 prisoner deaths at HMP Parc between January 2023 and December 2024. This includes 14 deaths by natural causes, 3 that were apparently self-inflicted and 8 other deaths (a category which includes those that were apparently drug-related and those that are currently unexplained)[1].

We are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible. At HMP Parc, we have taken a number of measures to improve safety, including:

Increased intelligence gathering.

Additional lock down searches and staff training.

Making changes to leadership and senior staffing structures.

Collaborating with colleagues in the Local Health Board, to provide additional mental health and substance misuse support.

HMP Parc remains focused on improving safety, and this is reflected in the action plan developed in response to the recent report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons which will be published in the coming months.

[1] These figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons, but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what guidance they will issue to ensure that prisoners of female biological sex are not searched by prisoner officers of male biological sex. \p Lord Timpson: The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers and Government Departments should note and follow the ruling.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government and have not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.

Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.

The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment and policies, including searching in the prison estate, are under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

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Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the number of operational Royal Navy warships in this financial year. \p Lord Coaker: Currently the Royal Navy has 52 Surface Ships in service, held at the appropriate level of readiness to meet operational commitments.

The Royal Navy continues to modernise its Fleet through careful management of a surface fleet transition plan to ensure the highest priority outputs are maintained through this decade and the next. We are replacing our Type 23 Frigates with eight of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare ships, the Type 26 Frigates. They will be bolstered by five general purpose Type 31 Frigates, providing opportunity to project power, support NATO operations and influence on the global stage. The Fleet Solid Support ships similarly represent the renewal of RFA solid support capability providing the ammunition, stores and spares to sustain global operations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they&nbsp;considered any other sites managed by the Ministry of Defence&nbsp;before shortlisting Cameron Barracks and Crowborough army training camp for asylum accommodation; and if so, which sites they considered. \p Lord Coaker: The Government has committed to close expensive asylum hotels and to achieve this, we will look at a range of cheaper, more appropriate sites like disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so that we can reduce the impact on communities.

The MOD is stepping up to contribute to this whole of Government effort and is considering several sites. We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery and more detail will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

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Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the Defence Investment Plan before Christmas. \p Lord Coaker: The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will determine how Defence intends to realise the ambition of the Strategic Defence Review and it is currently due for publication this year.
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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to diversify their cloud service providers following the outages of those services in October. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government recognises the importance of resilience in cloud services. Following the outages in October, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology worked with affected providers and the Government Cyber Coordination Centre to assess impacts and strengthen contingency planning. Alongside this, the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will improve resilience standards. In February 2025, DSIT published guidance supporting multi-region cloud adoption to help departments improve resilience. I also refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 4 November 2025 to Question HL11169.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

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Baroness Kidron:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of their current spending on AI procurement goes to AI companies that are headquartered in the UK, and what proportion of those companies are small and medium-sized enterprises. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: DSIT does not collate spending on AI procurement across all government departments. Procurement decisions and tracking of associated costs, including those for AI tools and services, are the primary responsibility of each individual government department. The government remains committed to providing new opportunities for UK AI companies to scale and succeed. The government is going further and faster to reform our approach to procurement so that it can shape markets and manage demand, putting in place measures to identify, nurture and protect the UK’s high-growth modern Industrial Strategy sectors like AI. DSIT’s role focuses on fostering an enabling ecosystem, and supporting the growth of the UK's AI sector, including through initiatives such as AI Growth Zones and pledging up to £100million through the Advanced Market Commitment to help AI hardware start-ups gain a competitive edge and win customers alongside established vendors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_6

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking for procurement to diversify their cloud services providers. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government recognises its dependence on a small number of key suppliers for cloud services. As set out in the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, we are addressing this by establishing the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence to strengthen digital procurement capability and improve supplier management. This includes working with Government Commercial Agency on the National Digital Exchange which is intended to make it easier for public sector organisations to access services from new cloud service providers, including SMEs. Together with the Procurement Act 2023, this will help ensure competition, innovation and resilience in government cloud services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_7

Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether each of the Met Office's network of weather stations is (1) appropriately sited, (2) adequately maintained, and (3) able to provide consistently reliable meteorological data. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.

The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.

Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_8

Baroness Scott of Bybrook:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reassess the assumption within the Home Office Spending Review settlement that hotel use for asylum-seekers will end within this Parliament; and what assessment they have made of the Office of Budget Responsibility's projection that maintaining current asylum spending levels would add &pound;1.4 billion to the Home Office budget by 2028&ndash;29. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government are working to move asylum seekers into alternative accommodation such as military sites, to ease pressure on communities across the country.

No action has been taken on the assessment of the Office of Budget Responsibility at this point. However, we can confirm spend is already coming down below the level set out here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_9

Baroness Scott of Bybrook:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local authorities of rising temporary accommodation costs; and what plans they have to respond to the Office for Budget Responsibility finding that long-term demand for asylum accommodation is expected to cost &pound;15.3 billion over the next decade. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office are working with local authorities to manage the impact of asylum accommodation upon communities whilst the department reduces the number of asylum-seekers awaiting a decision.

The financial figure referenced by the Office for Budget Responsibility is taken from an NAO report from May 2025, and it covers the 10 year period 2019-2029 not the next 10 years; it includes peak levels of spending in previous years which is coming down – asylum support costs reduced by £700m between 23/24 and 24/25.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_10

Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering other sites to temporarily house asylum seekers; and if so, whether&nbsp;they will list any sites actively being considered. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government are working to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation such as military bases, to ease pressure on communities across the country.

It has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to disclose information about specific hotels/sites which may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_11

Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that suspected fraudulent activity in retail business premises can be investigated and tackled by the police. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: In March this year, the National Crime Agency coordinated a three-week crackdown (Operation MACHINIZE) against business premises such as barber shops and other cash intensive businesses across England and Wales. Operation MACHINIZE involved 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HM Revenue & Customs, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling in excess of one million pounds, executing 84 warrants and arresting 35 individuals.

This has been followed by a second phase of activity throughout October which involved every UK police force and Regional Organised Crime Unit. During the operation, which targeted a broader range of businesses, the operation saw: 2,734 premises visited and raided; 924 individuals arrested; over £13m of suspected criminal proceeds seized or restrained; and over £2.7m worth of illicit commodities destroyed.

At the Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced a new dedicated cross-government taskforce to design systemic interventions to disrupt money laundering and related criminality on the high street, as well as new funding for operational partners such as law enforcement and Trading Standards to tackle this threat.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_12

Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of rural policing, and what rural lobbying groups they have discussed rural policing with. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why we collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver the renewal of their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they are, including rural communities.

Furthermore, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve, and clearly demonstrate to the public that the police are dealing with local concerns. Every neighbourhood, including in rural areas, now has named and contactable officers, supporting more visible policing and greater public confidence.

I have met with Police and Crime Commissioners at their rural conference to discuss rural policing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_13

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Freres musulmans et islamisme politique en France, published on 25 May by the Ministry of the Interior in France, analysing the threat posed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the reference the report contains to the United Kingdom. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: We welcome reports from a variety of organisations and sources.

The Government's approach to threats to the UK is kept under constant review. We continually assess the threat picture and commit to working closely with a wide range of experts and partners to ensure our approach remains fit for purpose.

We do not comment on individual cases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_14

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the recommendations of the cloud services market investigation, published on 5 October 2023, what steps they are taking to ensure the initiation of strategic market status investigations for Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: In July 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its final report on the UK cloud market. The key recommendation was for the CMA Board to prioritise commencing investigations under the digital markets regime and to consider designating the two largest providers —Microsoft and AWS — with strategic market status in relation to cloud services. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on initiating strategic market status investigations are for the CMA Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_15

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of over-reliance on dominant cloud services providers, as identified in the Competition and Markets Authority's cloud services market investigation; and what steps they are taking to mitigate those risks. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government has not carried out an assessment of the risks of over-reliance on dominant cloud service providers in the market. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) cloud services market investigation examined the state of competition in the market. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on initiating strategic market status investigations are for the CMA Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-11 conversation_16

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the child poverty strategy is subject to robust external scrutiny after publication. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December, sets out how we will hold ourselves to account on delivering the impact we have promised through this Parliament and beyond. The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out our plans to track progress against the metrics of relative low income and deep material poverty as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

This includes a comprehensive programme of analysis focusing on the drivers of child poverty and the impact of specific interventions to learn what works and continue to make the best case for further intervention. We will publish a baseline report next summer which will set out the latest statistics and evidence, with annual reporting thereafter to monitor and evaluate progress.