theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government how many single technology appraisals of medicines conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for (1) non-orphan medicines and (2) orphan medicines resulted in (a) a positive recommendation, (b) an optimised recommendation, (c) a recommendation for managed access, (d) a negative recommendation and (e) termination in each financial year since 2022–23. \p Baroness Merron: The number and percentage of orphan and non-orphan medicines appraised by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence through its Technology Appraisal and Highly Specialised Technology work programmes is presented in the attached table. Orphan drugs are drugs that are intended for the treatment or prevention of rare and severe diseases, that provide significant benefit to those affected by the condition.

HL5175 - Table (docx, 22.3KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 14 February (HL4607), how much of the capital allocated to each hospital to be built has been allocated in this funding round; and what are the provisional amounts allocated to each hospital in future rounds. \p Baroness Merron: Funding has been agreed with HM Treasury to cover 2025/26. For 2025/26, we have approved and issued £233 million of funding to trusts. Funding beyond this will be agreed in the Spending Review in spring 2025.

Funding is issued subject to the approval of a business case. These are submitted at different stages for separate elements of a scheme. At the start of a scheme such business cases would be for enabling works, including, for example, site clearance or a land purchase, and are relatively small. Fees are also allocated to Trusts to develop plans and business cases. However, most of the funding for individual schemes in the New Hospital Programme will be subject to the approval of a Full Business Case as set out in HMT Green Book and is usual for large infrastructure projects.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts:To ask His Majesty's Government how many times in each of the last five years the NHS applied for a warrant to remove patients from a hospital bed. \p Baroness Merron: The Department and NHS England do not hold this information. The statutory guidance on hospital discharge procedures, Hospital discharge and community support guidance, published in January 2024, sets out how local areas should plan and implement hospital discharge in order to support safe and timely discharge for all individuals. Further information on this guidance is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will publish its report on the impact of its 2022 manual changes as set out in the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2024. \p Baroness Merron: In the 2022 England Rare Diseases Action Plan, action 13 committed to capitalising on the changes made to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) methods and processes to ensure that NICE continues to support the rapid adoption of effective new treatments for National Health Service patients with rare diseases. An update was provided in the 2024 action plan, pointing to ongoing work to review the impact of the severity modifier and the highly specialised technology criteria.

NICE has now concluded its review of the implementation of the severity modifier and its report was presented to the NICE board in September 2024. NICE’s approval rate overall has increased compared with its previous methods and the severity modifier has contributed to an increase in positive decisions for both cancer and non-cancer medicines. The severity modifier has been applied to diseases including non-end-of-life cancers as well as non-cancer conditions that have dramatic and far-reaching impacts on patients, such as cystic fibrosis and chronic hepatitis D. A copy of the report is attached.

The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published on 28 February 2025 providing further updates on progress on this action.

HL5176 - Supplementary document (docx, 118.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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The Lord Bishop of Bristol:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £25,000 cap on grants under Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in 2025–26 will apply to works (1) which are at tender stage with finances committed, (2) which are currently in progress, and (3) in relation to which contracts have been signed. \p Baroness Twycross: We expect the cap will be applied to all claims received on or after 1 April 2025. We will provide published guidance on scheme applications and eligibility in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission’s "special measures" process in protecting consumers; and whether they have discussed with the Gambling Commission publishing data on the number of firms subject to such measures and the financial penalties involved. \p Baroness Twycross: The Gambling Commission consistently publishes details of its enforcement outcomes on its website. Since 2016/17, over 100 enforcement actions have resulted in more than £206 million in fines and regulatory settlements from gambling operators. In recent years the Gambling Commission’s enforcement activity has increased, which has led to greater indications that the industry is making gambling safer and reducing the possibility of criminal funds entering their businesses.

The Gambling Commission, like most regulators, has a range of different interventions it can make. This includes a threshold below which it will not publicise its interventions. The intention of this special measures process is to incentivise operators into immediate compliance, and to mitigate any risks to customers in the shortest possible timeframe. However, where there are significant ongoing risks and these have not been mitigated appropriately this approach would not be pursued.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK creative industries of the use of content by artificial intelligence firms without permission or payment. \p Baroness Twycross: The government recognises the importance of the UK’s copyright regime to the economic success of the creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We are committed to supporting rights holders by ensuring they have control over and receive fair payment for their work, especially as technology advances to include AI. We are actively working with stakeholders to ensure copyright protections remain robust and fit for purpose.

Our 10-week consultation, which was published on Tuesday 17 December and closed on 25 February, engaged AI and creative industries stakeholders widely on the impact of AI on the copyright regime. The aims of the consultation were to seek views on how the copyright framework should apply in the context of AI. Key topics under review include text and data mining, transparency and labelling, computer generated works and digital replicas.

The consultation was published alongside an accompanying options assessment. The consultation sought to gather further evidence on the potential impact on the creative industries of both AI and any change to the copyright regime. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation and if legislative changes are needed, a full economic impact assessment will be undertaken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Twycross on 6 January (HL3604) and the Minister of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 4 December 2024 (16604), what is the public interest justification for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport releasing details of the Government Art Collection works in 11 Downing Street to a question in the other House, but not those in 10 and 12 Downing Street in answer to a pursuant question in this House. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

Numbers 10 and 12 Downing Street are administered separately from Number 11 Downing Street. The former are administered by the Cabinet Office, while the latter is administered by His Majesty’s Treasury.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord McColl of Dulwich:To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports in the Sunday Times on 26 January of forced labour in bakeries supplying high street supermarkets and a McDonald's franchise, what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing mandatory supply chain due diligence to identify and prevent exploitation of workers. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The UK supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to identify and prevent exploitation of workers across their operations and supply chains, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

We will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK’s existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools that are emerging, to ensure we can best promote responsible business practices and take action where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support electronic heavy goods vehicles and their infrastructure; and whether their plans include amendments to planning policy as part of the new National Planning Policy Framework. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government is supporting the decarbonisation of the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) sector through the Plug-in Truck Grant, which provides a contribution to the upfront purchase costs of zero emission vehicles until at least the end of the current financial year, as well as the up-to-£200m zero emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which will deploy hundreds of zero emission HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites by March 2026.

The Government also knows planning is key to the roll out of EV charging infrastructure and is working to ensure the system supports installations. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out policies aimed at realising opportunities from changing transport technology. It encourages local authorities to identify appropriate sites for freight and logistics, consider charging needs when shaping parking policies, and ensure new developments are designed to support vehicle charging. The Government remains committed to further planning reform and intends to consult on national policy related to decision making in spring 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Lord Pearson of Rannoch:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are in prison in England and Wales for contempt of court. \p Lord Timpson: The number of people in prison for contempt of court is published annually as part of the Department’s Offender Management Statistics publication. As at 30 June 2024 (latest available published data), there were 9 people in prison for contempt of court in England and Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-06)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on 5 February (HL4291), how many individuals have made partial contributions towards state pension through National Insurance between 2006 and 2018. \p Lord Livermore: With regards to how many individuals are eligible to make voluntary contributions for gaps in their National Insurance records for 2006-2018 before the 5 April deadline, HMRC is not able to provide this information as it is not centrally held and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

HMRC are confident that all voluntary payments are accurately recorded on customers’ accounts and these are visible to the customer in the ‘Check your National Insurance record’ available via GOV.UK.

HMRC does not record how many people have made partial contributions between 2006 and 2018. Since the enhanced online Check your State Pension forecast service launched on 29 April 2024, it has enabled 60,000 people to top up £62 million.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any allocation to community pharmacies for the Pharmacy First service for the financial year 2025–26; and, if so, how much. \p Baroness Merron: We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. We have also agreed to continue funding for Pharmacy First in 2025/26 to reflect the growth of the service to date, with £215 million available to be earned by contractors in 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the uptake of vaccinations to combat the spread of diseases. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is aware of the need to improve the uptake of our vaccine programmes.

The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to take steps to promote uptake by providing diverse delivery methods, to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-served groups, and raising awareness of the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases. Paid for marketing campaigns to support uptake of routine immunisations, seasonal flu, and COVID-19 vaccinations have been run over the past year, with evaluation showing positive results.

The UKHSA has continued to undertake annual surveys of parents and adolescents to develop an understanding of how knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake decision-making.

Along with this work, the Department is also looking at how it can go further, exploring new ways to boost uptake by supplementing the general practice offer already based in communities through teams including community pharmacists and health visitors.

It is vitally important that everyone has their recommended vaccinations, as they are the best way to help protect yourself and your family from these viruses, which can cause serious harm.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Lucas:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to requiring each major food retailer to publish on their website a convenient way to report cases of food poisoning that are likely to have been caused by their products, and to take specified action upon such reports. \p Baroness Merron: There are currently no plans to implement this. Food poisoning cases and other food safety or hygiene issues should be reported directly via the Food Standards Agency website, or directly to local authority food safety teams who are responsible for all types of food businesses in the area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat tuberculosis domestically and internationally. \p Baroness Merron: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England’s joint Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026 details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035. This is aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) elimination targets. Work to review and update the national action plan, including a call for evidence, is underway.

The Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026 is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. The UKHSA’s research and analysis executive summary on TB, updated 16 January 2025, is also available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

The United Kingdom is a leading donor in the fight against TB. Our £1 billion commitment to the Global Fund, from 2023 to 2025, will provide TB treatment and care for 1.1 million people, screen 20 million people for TB, and provide 41,800 people with treatment for multidrug-resistant TB. This is complemented by our investment in Unitaid, to improve access to key TB products, and our support of WHO and others, to strengthen health systems.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any senior executive of NHS England who (1) has left in the last two months, or (2) will be leaving in the next two months, will receive a severance payment; and if so how many payments have been made, and what is the total cost of those payments. \p Baroness Merron: Any exit payment for any senior executive that has left NHS England in the last two months, or that will be leaving over the next two months, will be in line with the individual’s contractual entitlements and subject to the necessary approvals.

The total cost at this stage would be unknown, as exit payments are based upon individual terms and conditions, in line with contracts of employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to assess the impact of NICE’s severity modifier on people with secondary breast cancer. \p Baroness Merron: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing the methods and processes that it uses in its evaluations independently and in consultation with stakeholders. The severity modifier is based on evidence of societal preferences and was introduced in 2022, as part of a comprehensive review of the NICE’s methods and processes, following extensive public and stakeholder engagement.

The NICE carried out a review of the severity modifier in 2024 and found that it is operating as intended. Since its introduction, the severity modifier has resulted in a higher approval rate for cancer medicines compared to the NICE’s previous methods, and has also allowed greater weight to be applied to non-cancer medicines that address a broader range of severe diseases, enabling the NICE to recommend medicines for conditions such as cystic fibrosis and hepatitis D.

The NICE has commissioned research to better understand societal preferences that will inform future method reviews, but there is no prospect of any change until it concludes, and any future changes would need to be consistent with the principle of cost neutrality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend funding for NHS Practitioner Health beyond March 2026. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England has recently extended the NHS Practitioner Health service to the end of March 2026. Discussions around the mental health and wellbeing provision for future staff, including this service, are ongoing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce restrictions on the flavours and packaging of nicotine pouches. \p Baroness Merron: Data from August 2024 by ASH suggests that 1.2% of children aged between 11 and 18 years old currently use nicotine pouches. The Government is concerned that these products, just like vapes, are being branded and marketed to appeal to children through colourful packaging and flavours. There is currently no set nicotine limit for nicotine pouches, and nicotine strengths vary from two milligrams per pouch to as high as 150 milligrams per pouch.

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to people aged 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

These powers will also allow the Government to limit the amount of nicotine in a pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch. We will therefore be able to regulate, subject to consultation, to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength.

We will consult on these regulations as soon as possible once the bill has received Royal Assent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase funding for minimally invasive cancer therapies, in particular selective internal radiation therapy for neuroendocrine tumours that have spread to the liver. \p Baroness Merron: Radiotherapy treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what is best for the individual's overall health and well-being.

The National Cancer Plan, coming later this year, will set out how we will seek to improve the experience and outcomes for people at every stage of the cancer pathway. It will look at how we can improve communication and coordination for patients, so that they feel informed, empowered, and in control of their care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current care pathways for patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis. \p Baroness Merron: The NHS.UK website has a conditions page on primary biliary cholangitis, available in an online only format, which provides an overview of the care pathway. NHS England commissions a specialist paediatric liver service from three hospitals, the Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This service provides assessment, diagnosis, and management of children with all forms of liver disease, including primary biliary cholangitis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards the aim in the NHS 10 Year Plan to reduce preventable premature deaths from cardiovascular disease. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to ensuring that fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as CVD, by ensuring that those at risk of developing or already living with the disease are identified and can be effectively treated.

The NHS Long Term Plan committed to improving the identification and treatment of CVD risk factors, such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation. There has been significant progress since the plan was made in 2019, including that:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual cost to the NHS of hospital admissions from preventable cardiovascular disease. \p Baroness Merron: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second highest cause of premature death in England. It affects over 6.4 million people, causes one in four premature deaths, and 1.6 million disability adjusted life years.

According to the Kings Fund analysis, there were approximately one million hospital admissions for CVD in England in 2019/20, leading to 5.5 million bed days. During the 2023/24 financial year, there were 220,000 admissions for coronary heart disease and 100,000 admissions for stroke. CVD costs the National Health Service an estimated £10 billion, and the economy an estimated £24 billion a year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease on economic growth. \p Baroness Merron: Too many lives are lost prematurely to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2023, 29% of all CVD deaths in England occurred in people under 75 years old. The Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including CVD.

That is why the Health Mission set an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To deliver on this, the Department and NHS England are working together at pace to understand both the scale of the challenge and the opportunities for progress across the prevention, treatment, and management of CVD.

We know that CVD is one of the largest health condition contributors to economic inactivity in England. Of the 2.5 million working-age people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness, 770,000 reported cardiovascular problems as a contributing factor. Estimates show that CVD costs the National Health Service £10 billion annually, and £24 billion annually to the wider economy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure primary care clinicians receive training to distinguish symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis from perimenopause, and to support early diagnosis and timely referral for women affected by the condition. \p Baroness Merron: We remain committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis. One of the four priorities of the UK Rare Diseases Framework is increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. Our fourth England action plan, published in February 2025, reports on progress.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has a holistic curriculum of training, with a specific section on women’s health, including menopause. To support practicing general practitioners, the RCGP has developed a Women’s Health Library with educational resources and guidelines on women’s health, which includes a specific section on menopause.

Primary biliary cholangitis has a set of commonly found symptoms, and work is underway to raise awareness of them. NHS England, through the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group, is working closely with partners to raise awareness and understanding of primary biliary cholangitis and its treatments. Plans include the production of a treatment algorithm for use by emergency departments, which may also be helpful for general practitioners.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure greater primary care awareness and early identification of primary biliary cholangitis. \p Baroness Merron: We remain committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis. One of the four priorities of the UK Rare Diseases Framework is increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals.  Our fourth England action plan, published in February 2025, reports on progress.

GeNotes is an online resource for clinicians, providing educational information as needed. This year the specialty of gastro-hepatology was launched in GeNotes, and includes resources for clinicians on primary biliary cholangitis.

NHS England, through the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group, is working with partners to raise awareness and understanding of primary biliary cholangitis and its treatments. Plans include production of a treatment algorithm for use by emergency departments, which may also be helpful for general practitioners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve early detection and diagnosis of (1) high blood pressure, and (2) raised cholesterol levels. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Improving early detection and diagnosis of the key risk factors for CVD, including high blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels, is vital to deliver on this commitment.

The Government continues to support the NHS Health Check, England’s CVD prevention programme. For every 1.4 million NHS Health Checks delivered annually, there are 343,000 cases of high blood pressure identified, resulting in 40,000 diagnoses of hypertension, as well as 900,000 people identified with raised cholesterol levels.

To improve access to the NHS Health Check, we are developing a new NHS Health Check Online service, which people can use at a time and place convenient to them, to understand and act on their risk of CVD.

Subject to the outcomes of the NHS Health Check Online pilot, starting in spring 2025, the aim is to roll it out nationally from spring 2026, delivering approximately one million checks in the first four years.

The Department is also piloting a new programme to deliver up to 130,000 lifesaving heart health checks in the workplace. These checks can be completed quickly and easily by people at work across 48 local authorities until 31 May 2025.

For the 2025/26 contract year we have also brought in changes to shift care from sickness to prevention by incentivising general practitioners to focus on the most common killers, such as heart disease. Knowing that prevention is better than treatment, we have raised the upper threshold of CVD indicators in order to stimulate performance gains and improve CVD care for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the cardiovascular disease prevention programme. \p Baroness Merron: We are committed to ensuring that fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including from cardiovascular disease (CVD). That is why, in our Health Mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we have committed to reducing premature deaths from heart disease and strokes by 25% in the next 10 years.

The NHS Health Check programme, England’s CVD prevention programme, engages over 1.4 million people a year and, through behavioural and clinical interventions, prevents approximately 300 premature deaths, and 500 heart attacks or strokes a year. Data reported by local authorities shows that between April 2013 and December 2024, over 13.6 million NHS Health Checks have been delivered.

To improve access to the NHS Health Check, we are developing a new NHS Health Check Online service, which people can use at a time and place convenient to them, to understand and act on their risk of CVD.

For the 2025/26 contract year we have also brought in changes to shift care from sickness to prevention by incentivising general practitioners to focus on the most common killers, such as heart disease. Knowing that prevention is better than treatment, we have raised the upper threshold of CVD indicators in order to stimulate performance gains and improve CVD care for patients.
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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve personalised prevention of cardiovascular disease. \p Baroness Merron: Our approach to personalised prevention is through the NHS Health Check, England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme.

The Government continues to support this programme as it assesses the top seven risk factors for CVD in people aged 40 to 74 years old. Where an individual’s NHS Health Check indicates that further action is necessary, they may be referred to either behavioural support services and/or a clinical assessment, where appropriate.

To improve access to the NHS Health Check, we are developing a new NHS Health Check Online service, which people can use at a time and place convenient to them, to understand and act on their risk of CVD.

The Department is also piloting a new programme to deliver up to 130,000 lifesaving heart health checks in the workplace. These checks can be completed quickly and easily by people at work across 48 local authorities until 31 May 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 10 March (HL5185), how many of the 1,010 full-time equivalent employees working for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities are working on problem gambling and gambling harms. \p Baroness Merron: There is currently a project team of four working directly on the establishment of the gambling prevention commissioning programme of work, within the wider Alcohol and Gambling policy team. The team also draws on analytical, financial, and legal specialists from across the Department to support policy development. As work progresses on the development of the future approach to prevention, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will consider any additional resource requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen trade relations with the United States of America, particularly in the technology and digital sectors. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade worth £315 billion in 2024, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023.

As you will be aware, on Tuesday 18 March, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Special Envoy to the UK Mark Burnett in Washington DC. The meeting followed last month’s agreement between the Prime Minister and President Trump that teams would start working together on an Economic Prosperity Deal, building on our shared strengths and commitment to economic security.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of findings published on 18 March by the City of York Council, Next Generation York: the health of adolescents in our city, particularly that 16 per cent of young people had gambled, and of those 25 per cent took money to gamble without permission, and 14 per cent had conflicts with family or friends over gambling. \p Baroness Twycross: We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk of gambling related harm, particularly children and young people.

The Government uses a wide range of sources to inform our understanding of children and young people’s gambling behaviour and harm in Great Britain, such as the 2024 Young People in Gambling Report. The department has noted the findings of the Next Generation York report from the City of York Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 24 February (HC30997), what measures they have agreed with Historic England to ensure that the necessary workforce is in place in the UK heritage skills sector. \p Baroness Twycross: Historic England are working across government and with sector partners to develop the infrastructure needed for heritage building skills.

For example, Historic England is engaging with the Department for Education via the Construction Skills Delivery Board, as well as on changes to vocational education, such as the introduction of Skills England. Historic England is also involved in regional pilot programmes aiming to tackle traditional building skills needs locally, and collaborating with Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland to improve the standard of retrofit training, to care for our historic buildings, while also making them more energy efficient.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken to preserve remaining historic gas lamps in London. \p Baroness Twycross: In October 2024, 40 free-standing gas lamps in Westminster were listed at Grade II to recognise their special interest and to ensure their future protection. Amendments were also made in February 2025 to a further 14 List entries for gas lamps already on the List to recognise the importance of the lamps and to aid their management by Westminster City Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord McInnes of Kilwinning:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 13 March (HC Deb col 1307), whether all the education materials will be produced for the whole of the UK; and whether they have received commitments from the devolved administrations to distribute these materials to all state schools. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government has announced an ambitious programme for the entire UK to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day. Communities across the UK will come together to mark the commemorations - by participating in the official programme and by organising their own events and activities.

The Government has launched a brand new collection of educational resources titled VE Day: Our Shared Story, encouraging every young person across the UK to engage with veteran testimony and experience through the year of the 80th anniversary. Schools, teachers and community youth groups are invited to download the free schools planning pack to start planning activities for young people. The material will be translated into Welsh and we are working closely with the Devolved Governments to disseminate the educational materials across all parts of the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children who have received deprivation of liberty orders in the past five years. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Depriving a child of their liberty must always be a last resort, but is sometimes necessary to keep that child, and others, safe. A small but growing number of children, often with complex behavioural needs, require a deprivation of liberty order for their own safety.

Data collected by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory shows that in the year leading up to July 2023, 1,389 applications were made to deprive a child of their liberty under a Deprivation of Liberty Order (DOLO) authorised under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court. Data collected in this period suggests that the number of applications has more than doubled since 2020/21. This data is attached and can be accessed at: https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CHILDR1.1.pdf.

His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service have been publishing data since December 2023, covering the period July to September 2023. Between Q3 2023 and Q2 2024, 1240 deprivation of liberty applications were made. There were 299 applications made between April and June 2024.

To understand the existing system and how we can achieve better outcomes for these children, the department has commissioned research consisting of a literature review, analysing children’s case files and undertaking case studies of three existing provisions developed in partnership with Integrated Care Boards. This research will provide insights into the characteristics of children who are, or have been, deprived of liberty and what has worked well for them. We aim to publish this research in summer 2025. We consistently seek insights from research and reports undertaken by different organisations, such as the Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report in December 2024 on Illegal Children’s Homes, to ensure we are utilising the information in these resources in our policy development.

The department continues to work extensively with stakeholders across local authorities, the healthcare sector, cross-government, third sector and in academia to draw on relevant expertise throughout our policy development, which allows us to gain valuable insights about the characteristics of these children and what works well to improve their experience and outcomes.

HL5180_Attachment (pdf, xx-xxxx-xxxx.5KB)
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider teaching Ukrainian to GCSE and A-level standards in some schools and commit to overcoming any obstacles preventing this from happening. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by the four independent awarding organisations, AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC, rather than by central government. Awarding organisations are free to produce a GCSE in any modern language, including Ukrainian. This decision would be informed by several factors, including the level of demand from schools and the proportion of the population in the UK speaking the language.

The government stands steadfast behind the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government. The department is proud to support children and families from Ukraine during their transition to a new life and to do our part to support the Ukrainian people. The department launched the UK-Ukraine School Partnerships Programme in January, which supports UK-based Ukrainian students’ cultural ties to Ukraine and builds cross-cultural understanding among our pupils.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the total annual running costs of the Department for Education’s teaching recruitment service. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department aims to deliver high quality advice and support for every potential teacher, enabling them to successfully apply for initial teacher training (ITT) through our Get Into Teaching service and our modernised in-house digital recruitment services. The total running costs of these services for the 2024/25 financial year are £36.5 million. This includes a range of programmes such as the Get Into Teaching Information service, Apply for Teacher Training service and the Teaching Internships programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Lord Wharton of Yarm:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enhance academic partnerships between UK universities and higher education institutions in Northern Cyprus. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The UK supports all Cypriot students, including those in the North, to access UK higher education networks and institutes. In line with the rest of the international community with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ as an independent state. Several UN Security Council Resolutions limit links between UK and the north of Cyprus.