theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-01 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-01 conversation_4

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the use of physician associates in roles previously held by qualified doctors, and how many physician associates have worked in the NHS in England in each of the past five years. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is clear that physician associates (PAs) are not doctors. PAs must always work under the supervision of a fully trained and experienced doctor, working with them, not replacing them.

NHS Employers provide a checklist for employers to follow when looking at recruiting medical associate professionals (MAPs). The checklist sets out that “MAPs are not doctors and cannot and must not replace doctors. They must not be considered as ‘equivalent to’ certain grades of doctor”.

We do not hold complete data on PA numbers for each of the last five years. However, the following table provides figures for the number of full time equivalent (FTE) PAs employed in both National Health Service trusts and primary care from 2019 to 2024:

FTE PAs in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England

FTE PAs in primary care in England

FTE PAs employed by general practices in England

December 2019

Not Available

Not Available

268

December 2020

973

Not Available

378

December 2021

1,136

1,041

477

December 2022

1,384

1,541

628

December 2023

1,624

2,009

763

December 2024

1,616

2,068

830

Sources: NHS England’s NHS Workforce Statistics, General Practice Workforce Statistics, and Primary Care Quarterly Workforce Update.

Notes:

The Government has commissioned Professor Gillian Leng CBE to lead an independent review of the physician and anaesthesia associate professions. It will consider the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The conclusions of the review will inform the workforce plan to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

The review will consider the approach that was adopted in England to support the safe introduction, employment, and deployment of these new roles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growing number of young people using generative artificial intelligence as an alternative to therapy; and whether the advice provided by such technologies is regulated. \p Baroness Merron: Currently, no assessment has been made on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the unsupervised use of these therapy tools. However, we recognise the potential of AI to improve health and care services, including supporting people’s mental health. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system which ensures that medical technologies on the market are safe for use, including AI technologies. Should the National Health Service begin to assess AI-integrated therapy tools, they will be held to the same regulatory standards as other tools used by the NHS.

Ensuring technologies are safe is a top priority. To ensure the regulatory pathway is clear for both developers and adopters, the Department has supported the launch of numerous regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service (AIDRS) and the AI Airlock.

The AIDRS collaborates between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. The service, by providing a collaborative ‘one stop shop’ of information, advice, and guidance, allows adopters and developers of AI to easily understand what regulatory and evaluation pathways need to be followed before an AI tool can be safety deployed across health and care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI-integrated health monitoring tools to manage unsupervised use of medications such as semaglutide. \p Baroness Merron: Currently, no assessment has been made on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the unsupervised use of these medications. However, we recognise the potential of AI and monitoring systems to support people’s health and care, including through the monitoring of vital signs. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system which ensures that medical technologies on the market are safe for use, including AI technologies. Should the National Health Service begin to assess AI-integrated health monitoring tools, they will be held to the same regulatory standards as other tools used by the NHS.

Medications such as semaglutide are prescription only medicines and should not be used unsupervised. It is illegal to obtain a prescription medicine without a prescription.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of NHS Trusts in England allowing physician associates to prepare recommended summary plan for emergency care and treatment (ReSPECT) forms and apply do not resuscitate orders; and whether they consider this practice to be legal and appropriate. \p Baroness Merron: The Department and NHS England do not hold data on individual Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions at National Health Service trusts in England.

ReSPECT is a process which records personalised recommendations for a person’s clinical care and treatment for a future emergency in which they are not able to make decisions or to express wishes. These recommendations, including a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) decision, are developed through conversations between a person and the health care professionals involved with their care. Recommendations are recorded on a non-legally binding form.

The Resuscitation Council UK has produced guidance for organisations and healthcare professionals using the ReSPECT process. CPR decision policies are determined locally by organisations providing NHS care.

The Resuscitation Council UK, the British Medical Association, and the Royal College of Nursing have jointly produced guidance on decisions about CPR. It states that the overall clinical responsibility for decisions about CPR, including DNACPR decisions, rests with the most senior clinician responsible for the person’s care as defined explicitly by local policy.

The Government has commissioned Professor Gillian Leng CBE to lead an independent review of the physician and anaesthesia associate professions. It will consider the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The conclusions of the review will inform the workforce plan to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

The review will consider the approach that was adopted in England to support the safe introduction, employment, and deployment of these new roles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of the European Union’s proposed Capital Requirements Directive VI and its prohibition on the provision of cross-border banking services to European Economic Area clients on UK financial services and consumers. \p Lord Livermore: The impact of Capital Requirements Directive VI on UK financial services is uncertain and will vary across different UK financial services firms. This will be dependent on the nature of services that those firms provide to European Economic Area (EEA) clients and the approach to implementation of the Directive in the respective EEA member states. UK consumers should not be affected as the EU’s Capital Requirements Directive VI applies to services being provided to EEA clients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Baroness Scott of Needham Market:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that imports of (1) meat, (2) dairy, and (3) eggs meet animal welfare standards. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage.

All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards.

The Government recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what changes are to be introduced from June in relation to the unrestricted transportation or accompaniment of domestic animals within the Common Travel Area; and what further requirements or registration procedures will be imposed from this summer. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme will launch on 4 June. This allows for the smooth and straightforward movement of pet dogs (including assistance dogs), cats and ferrets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland while ensuring that any pet movements into EU Member States, including Ireland, remain subject to relevant EU law requirements. The Scheme removes the need for costly health treatments and single use certificates. Instead, pet owners from Great Britain can register for a single, lifelong pet travel document, which confirms that the pet is microchipped and will not move into the European Union. Further information can be found here - Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Travelling to Northern Ireland - GOV.UK.

Pet owners in Northern Ireland will not face any requirements beyond the need for their pet to be microchipped.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what insights or lessons from the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai have informed the planning and design of the UK pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, which opened on 13 April. \p Baroness Gustafsson: DBT have taken lessons learned from previous Expos and other major events (including Commonwealth Games and Investment Summits) to inform the planning and design of the UK Pavilion at Expo Osaka.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Birt on 7 April (HL6027), what assessment they have made of how (1) the incidence of train cancellations, and (2) the reasons for train cancellations, compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: No assessment has been made on how the incidence of train cancellations and the reasons for train cancellations compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries.

The Independent Regulators’ Group Rail (IRG-Rail), publishes an annual Market Monitoring Report which includes European comparisons on various aspects such as infrastructure characteristics, punctuality, and traffic data for both freight and passenger services. This helps to benchmark performance, identify trends, and highlight differences and similarities among the participating countries. However, this report does not cover international comparisons of cancellations.

The Government is committed to reforming the railways, including establishing Great British Railways. This will end years of fragmentation by bringing together track and train to deliver for passengers with more reliable, better-quality services and simpler ticketing and fares.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-01)

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Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay:To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings have been held by the Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism in his capacity as minister for libraries since July 2024. \p Baroness Twycross: Ministers and officials have meetings with a variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government how much was paid for membership to (1) the United Nations, (2) the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and (3) the Council of Europe, in each of the past two years; and what percentage of those organisations' costs the UK contributed in each of the past two years. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is one of the top contributors to the UN regular budget, contributing USD 137 million (~3.991 per cent of the USD 3.72 billion total) in 2025. In 2024, the UK was responsible for 4.375 per cent of the Regular Budget (USD 137.8 million). Taken together with contributions to the UN Peacekeeping budget, the UK has the 5th highest assessed contribution among Member States. The UK is also one of the four principal financial contributors the Council of Europe. In 2025, the UK contributed EUR 48 million, up from EUR 45 million in 2024. This represents 11.7 per cent of the Council's (approximately) EUR 414.4 million budget for Member States' obligatory contributions. The UK's contribution to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has remained stable across 2024 and 2025 at a 10.3 per cent share, equivalent to EUR 14,276,010.40.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Nigeria concerning Leah Sharibu, who was abducted in 2018; and what steps they are taking to support efforts for her release. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Government strongly condemns the continued captivity of Leah Sharibu and other children by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) in North East Nigeria, repeatedly calling for their release. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we continue to support the Government of Nigeria's anti-kidnap cell to assist coordination between Nigerian law enforcement agencies responding to kidnap cases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the government of Libya's transition to democracy, including by assisting with the encouragement of national elections and providing advice on curbing the power of armed groups. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The status quo in Libya is unsustainable and deeply damaging for ordinary Libyans. It leaves Libya extremely vulnerable to third state actors set on pursuing control over Libya's security, politics and economy. The UK continues to support the UN's efforts to broker a Libyan-owned and led political settlement. We engage regularly with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and Libyan interlocutors in support of this effort, including discussing the role and influence of armed groups and security actors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to remove the remaining sanctions in relation to Syria, in the light of US plans to do so. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: In April, the UK lifted sanctions on some sectors, including trade, energy production, transport and finance, and de-listed 12 government and media entities, including the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior. This followed the removal of asset freezes on 24 entities, including the Central Bank of Syria. The majority of remaining sanctions are on individuals and entities linked to the former regime. Sanctions on military goods and technology; chemical weapons; and those related to gold, precious metals, diamonds, luxury goods, and the interception and monitoring services also remain in place. We will keep our sanctions regime under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what protections, if any, they have secured for the UK pharmaceutical industry in relation to the imposition of tariffs by the United States of America. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to get an agreement with President Trump.

The agreement will secure the UK preferential access to the US market for UK pharmaceuticals in case of new US tariffs being introduced in the future, further to any section 232 investigations. These conversations are ongoing, and we will work closely with the US administration to get the best deal for our pharma industry.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the Learning from lives and deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) annual report that has been handed over to NHS England. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England commissions Kings College London and its partners to analyse data from the Learning from Lives and Deaths - people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) reports. The annual LeDeR report is published by Kings College London, who are currently working on the next annual report, and NHS England has advised that they will publish this shortly. The last report was published in November 2023 and is available on the King’s College London website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Whitty:To ask His Majesty's Government what terms of reference apply to the activities of practitioner-patient consultative groups; and what guidance they give to such groups. \p Baroness Merron: General practice (GP) Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) are a requirement in the GP Contract, as specified in The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations. Providers must establish and maintain a group to obtain feedback from patients on the services they deliver.

The form a PPG takes is not specified. This provides flexibility for practices to work in partnership with people and communities in the ways that best support the local population. The contractor is expected to engage with the group at frequent intervals throughout the financial year, as agreed with the group, with the view to obtain, review, and implement patient feedback. As such, PPGs are financed under the Global Sum Payments, which covers all services included in these regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision to close the NHS volunteer and care service, whether they will extend the funding of NHS Practitioner Health beyond March 2026. \p Baroness Merron: The National NHS and Care Volunteer Responders programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the important contribution of our much-valued volunteers.

National Health Service staff are incredibly dedicated. However, if healthcare staff are to provide excellent care to patients, they need to receive excellent support themselves. Work is underway to modernise NHS working culture and to make the NHS the best place to work, and this includes a much stronger focus on staff health and wellbeing.

The Practitioner Health mental health treatment service is currently funded up until 31 March 2026. NHS England is reviewing the future provision of services to support staff health in the workplace.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences the Department of Health and Social Care holds under contracts or terms of reference for (1) grants, (2) pre-procurement or proof of concept work, and (3) procurement; how many of those have sub-licensing rights; how many of those have resulted in sub-licensing; and how many of those sub-licences are for patents, and for which countries. \p Baroness Merron: The standard contract terms and conditions that are in use by the Department and across the Government include intellectual property (IP) clauses which grant the buyer a licence to use the supplier’s IP in the context of receiving and benefiting from the deliverables being bought. These typically allow sub-licensing under certain conditions and restrictions designed to avoid unfair exploitation of supplier IP. Standard terms and conditions are available on the GOV.UK website.

Such terms and conditions also allow for the buyer to publish any new IP rights as open licence under the Government’s standard open licence.

The Department may also obtain licenses from external supplier/organisations to utilise their IP. An example of this is the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP), which is a licensed program developed and owned by the University of Colorado Denver. The Department and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) have entered into a licence to deliver the program in the United Kingdom, and OHID is authorised to sub-license the FNP program to other organisations.

The Department’s grant funding agreements may include IP clauses where outputs are expected, but the intellectual property is usually retained by the grant recipient, with the Department granted a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use any arising IP for public benefit.

The Department currently has 474 active contracts and 31 active grants. Finding instances of active sub-licensing of IP would involve manual searches of the information held for each of these cases, and would only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Jones of Penybont:To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to work with the Welsh Government to redevelop and refurbish Cardiff Central Railway Station. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Officials from both governments continue to work collaboratively on the Cardiff Central station improvement project, alongside partners from Transport for Wales and Network Rail, and overseen by Wales Rail Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Booth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April (HL6032), what estimate they have made of the annual cost of the Passenger Standards Authority. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The consultation on the Railways Bill closed on 15 April, and as part of this we sought views on the creation of a new passenger watchdog. We are currently considering the responses and the best way of establishing the Watchdog. This will include the consideration of costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Office of Rail and Road’s independent review of train operators’ revenue protection practices, what plans they have to ensure best practice in revenue protection as part of the transition to Great British Railways. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Through the creation of Great British Railways, we are bringing operators together, which will naturally put an end to some of the siloed behaviours that have contributed to opaque and inconsistent revenue protection practices. This transition will ensure a more unified approach across the sector, ensuring passengers are treated fairly and in accordance with the correct procedures.

In addition, the industry has already begun work with revenue protection leads across the rail sector, providing a platform to share best practices regularly. We will respond to the next steps for the report by summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the context of their negotiations on the UK–US trade agreement, what priority they are giving to engaging with the UN World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations to support multilateral cooperation on improved vehicle safety. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government continues to prioritise engagement with the UN World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and recognises it as the key forum for multilateral cooperation to improve vehicle safety.

We actively participate in WP.29 and fully support the importance of international regulations in enhancing road safety.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Whitty:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's ability to check the competence of drivers following convictions and, in the case of older drivers, renewing their licences, (2) the rigour with which medical practitioners and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency judge medical evidence in such cases, and (3) whether the driver is effectively kept informed during these processes. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s role in the driving endorsement process, is to record information provided by the court service in Great Britain. The courts are responsible for the conviction and sentencing of individuals who commit road traffic offences. The DVLA receives notifications of driving endorsements, including penalty points and disqualifications from the courts which are then recorded on the individual’s driving licence record. The DVLA is not responsible for checking driving competence following a conviction.

Everyone renewing their driving licence at the age of 70 and above must declare any relevant medical conditions and whether they can meet the eyesight requirements for driving. It is an offence to make a false declaration. If a driver of any age notifies the DVLA of a medical condition, an investigation will be carried out. This investigation can involve requesting information from the individual’s healthcare professionals or the driving licence holder/applicant may be asked to attend a medical examination or a driving assessment.

The DVLA assesses the information obtained during a medical investigation against the medical standards of fitness to drive and only those who can meet the standards will be issued with a driving licence. Drivers who meet the standards but have medical conditions that are progressive and are likely to deteriorate will be issued with a driving licence of shorter duration so that their continuing ability to drive safely can be assessed more regularly.

The DVLA provides customers with confirmation of when the investigation has started, when further information is being requested from healthcare professionals or if drivers are required to attend an examination or driving assessment. The DVLA may also contact customers if there is a delay, when more information is needed or when a licensing decision has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences the Department for Transport holds under contracts or terms of reference for (1) grants, (2) pre-procurement or proof of concept work, and (3) procurement; how many of those have sub-licensing rights; how many of those have resulted in sub-licensing; and how many of those sub-licences are for patents, and for which countries. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The information requested could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Wolf of Dulwich:To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts in hairdressing there were, by region and level, for each of the English regions in each of the years from 2015 to the present. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The attached file contains apprenticeship starts for the 2015/16 to 2024/25 academic years, broken down by region and level, for hairdressing apprentices. These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures from 2015/16 to 2023/24, and year to date figures for 2024/25 (August 2024 to January 2025).

The most recent years’ data are available in the published ‘Apprenticeships’ statistics, which have been included in the attached file, and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25.

Hairdressing apprenticeships by region (xlsx, 33.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to promote the fair treatment and full participation of older people employed in the public sector. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Government is clear that equality and opportunity for all are at the heart of our programme of national renewal. This includes actively considering the needs of older people and ensuring that they are not discriminated against. The Equality Act 2010 is the means by which age discrimination against older workers and job applicants is prohibited. Since the abolition of the default retirement age, employers can no longer use a person’s advancing years as automatic grounds for dismissal. Requiring a person to leave their job on age grounds is only lawful where the employer can objectively justify their decision. We are committed to retaining these strong protections.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of age discrimination in recruitment and employment; and what measures are being taken in response. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are ensuring that Daesh members who return to the UK are investigated and prosecuted for involvement in international crimes, including sexual violence and genocide. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: It is a longstanding principle that the Government does not comment on existing or potential criminal investigations, but we will continue to do anything necessary to protect our national security.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-11)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement sustainable draining systems in all new developments to reduce flood risk and enhance biodiversity. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government is committed to requiring standardised Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in new developments. These should be to designs that cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water infrastructure benefits, offer reuse opportunities, reduce run off and help to improve water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. It is also important to ensure appropriate adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-15 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potentially expanding the new Youth Guarantee to include 16 to 17-year-olds and 21 to 24-year-olds. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Youth Guarantee will initially provide support to 18–21-year-olds to ensure young people not accessing higher or further education have a clear pathway to access quality support.

Across the UK, 18 to 21-year-olds have lower employment rates compared to 22 to 24-year-olds, even when taking into consideration their increased participation in full-time education.

DWP provides extensive support at a national and local level for 16–17-year-olds and 22–24-year-olds. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners. These young people will also be able to access tailored support through the DWP Youth Offer, which includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches and access to Youth Hubs across Great Britain.

We will continue to monitor the need to expand the Youth Guarantee during the delivery phase and through future evaluation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-15 conversation_2

Lord Norton of Louth:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of postal correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2024; and, of those, how many were received in the House of Lords. \p Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 856,751 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2024. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 10 to 15 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include courier items or internal mail.

Please note that this figure refers to the whole Parliamentary Estate, not just the Palace of Westminster.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on compensation, disinfection of premises and other costs associated with avian flu outbreaks at poultry and game farms, in each of the last five years. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Figures include (i) compensation claims related to the avian influenza compensation scheme; and (ii) operational costs, which includes culling, disposal, and cleaning and disinfection at infected premises.

2023/24 Total costs of £13.1 million, made up of £2.9 million compensation claims and £10.2million of operational costs

2022/23 Total costs of £84.5 million, made up of £38.3 million compensation claims and £46.2 million of operational costs

2021/22 Total costs of £24.8 million, made up of £6.5 million compensation claims and £18.3 million of operational costs

2020/21 Total costs of £4.5 million, made up of £1.5 million compensation claims and £3.0 million of operational costs

2019/20 Total costs of £0.1 million, made up of £0.1 million in operational costs, there were no compensation claims.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of existing measures in place to both respond to, and reduce the risk of, outbreaks of avian flu at poultry and game farms. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra’s approach to avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.

All avian influenza disease control and prevention measures are kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza, and all decisions regarding these measures are based on risk assessments containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice.

Avian disease strategy (pdf, 1224.9KB)

Migration strategy  (pdf, 426.3KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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Lord Gilbert of Panteg:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Twycross on (1) 3 December (HL2738), and (2) 17 December (HL3301), why the Written Answer of 3 December stated that no guidance on translation had been issued by the Cabinet Office but the Written Answer of 17 December stated the Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants, published on 14 May, remains in force; and whether they will now correct the official record. \p Baroness Twycross: No specific guidance has been directly issued by the Cabinet Office on the topic of reducing spending by the civil service on translation into foreign languages. The Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality Requirements for Civil Servants signposts to another department's guidance that was issued in 2013.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government how they have discharged their legal duty in section 46(1) of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 in respect of the implementation of the European Union's new General Product Safety Regulation. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: This Government is absolutely committed to ensuring the smooth flow of goods across the UK Internal market. The General Product Safety Regulations largely formalise the reality of how businesses are already operating in the UK so the government expects consumers in Northern Ireland generally to be able to access goods as before.

On 3 December, the Department for Business and Trade’s Office for Product Safety and Standards published guidance for businesses on the application of the Regulation in Northern Ireland, which makes clear that authorities will continue to take a proportionate, risk-based, and intelligence-led approach to regulating the NI market, prioritising unsafe products.

DBT will continue to engage businesses directly to ensure they are familiar with the guidance and that the Government is supporting them to trade freely across the whole of the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-15 conversation_7

Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning on 21 November (HCWS244), whether, in light of the “serious flaws” identified in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, they intend to institute a review of the performance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. \p Baroness Taylor of Bolton: As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement on November 21st, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act contains a small number of specific but serious flaws. Given the nature of the flaws, no review into the performance of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is needed.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_1

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support farmers to manage land for both food and nature following the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in Environmental Land Management schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcomes
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_2

Baroness Hooper:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to enable the UK to join the European Environment Agency and the European Environment Information and Observation Network at the earliest opportunity. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Having left the EU, the UK is no longer a member of the European Environment Agency (EEA) or the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET).

We have continued to co-operate with the EEA EU partners as appropriate, with a driving focus on delivering security and prosperity for the British people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_3

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with members of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) review panel about RSHE guidance. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The review panel was appointed by the previous Secretary of State for Education in 2023, to provide independent advice to her on setting age limits on the teaching of certain topics within the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance.

The review of the RSHE statutory guidance is ongoing, and the department is looking carefully at responses to the public consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and engaging stakeholders. This includes engaging with Dame Lesley Regan, who chaired the panel in 2023, in her capacity as the government’s Women’s Health Ambassador.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_4

Lord Addington:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any additional training requirements have been put in place for students in receipt of Disabled Students Allowance following changes made to the technology packages available to those students. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department engaged with disability experts who support disabled students to gather their feedback and insights on the decision to remove non-specialist spelling and grammar software from Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding.

The department does not expect that students will be negatively impacted by the changes, because specific technology packages will no longer be funded where free-to-access versions, with the required functionality, are available to meet students’ disability-related support needs. Specialist spelling and grammar software will continue to be funded where a robust disability-related justification is provided. Assistive technology training and aftercare support for any non-specialist basic spelling and grammar software agreed in a student’s needs assessment report will continue to be funded through the DSA.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-28 conversation_5

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the (1) terms of reference, and (2) scope of work, of the UK bus manufacturing expert panel. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel’s terms of reference sets out the purpose, membership and function of the Panel. These were shared with Panel members. I will share a copy of the terms of reference with the noble Baroness and make a copy available in the House Library.

The Panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.

Membership comprises two classifications: Standing Members and Additional Members. Standing Members include Government departments and wider industry bodies. Bus manufacturers, operators and mayoral combined authorities are invited as Additional Members.

The scope and function of the Panel is shaped by its three central objectives: support the growth of the UK bus manufacturing sector, understand the pipeline of future bus orders to support planning, and explore ways to prioritise passenger-centric bus design.