theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what were the most common specialist aids and equipment paid for by Access to Work in the last five financial years. \p Baroness Sherlock: Access to Work provides funding towards the cost of a range of equipment, these should be items that are beyond what would normally be required under an employer’s responsibility to provide reasonable adjustments. Information on specific items of Special Aids and Equipment (SAE) for which grants were approved is not readily available. This is stored as descriptive, free-text information and would require manual examination of individual applications to analyse and therefore falls outside of the costs limit. Expenditure on SAE was £21m in 2023/24, this was the third highest of all Access to Work elements and an 82% increase in real terms compared to the previous financial year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the spending on support workers through Access to Work in each of the last five financial years. \p Baroness Sherlock: The annual Access to Work Official Statistics show expenditure on the Support Worker element within each financial year from 2007/08 to 2023/24. The latest publication can be found here: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK

The below table shows expenditure, in real terms (2023/24 prices), on the Support Worker element type from 2019/20 to 2023/24. These figures can be found in Table 12a of the Access to Work Official Statistics:

Financial year

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Expenditure (£m) in real terms (2023/24 prices)

104

88

121

136

178

When interpreting results, particularly comparing time periods, please be aware of the potential effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic between 2020/21 and 2022/23.

Nominal expenditure for the Support Worker element type can be located in Table 12 of the Access to Work Official Statistics.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make it a policy to publish the agendas and minutes from their mission boards. \p Baroness Twycross: It is a long-established precedent that information about discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees — including mission boards — is not usually shared publicly.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether mission board decisions have the same authority as Cabinet decisions. \p Baroness Twycross: Decisions taken by Mission Boards have the same authority as decisions taken by the Cabinet or committees of the Cabinet.
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The Lord Bishop of London:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to produce an equalities impact assessment ahead of the coming stages of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Baroness Merron: Now that Parliament has voted to give the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill a Second Reading, the Government will assess the impacts of the Bill.

This continues to be a matter for Parliament and, as the Bill progresses, members of Parliament, both Honourable and Right Honourable, will further debate and scrutinise the legislation and the Government will respect Parliament’s will.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the 2024–25 formal negotiations for the community pharmacy contractual framework have been recommenced since the last general election; and, if not, why is this the case and when might they recommence. \p Baroness Merron: We are committed to working with the sector to achieve a service that is fit for the future.

As identified by Lord Darzi’s review, primary care is under pressure and in crisis, but there are also demands in other parts of the National Health Service. This has made allocation of available funding very challenging.

As we committed to parliament at the end of last year, we will be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy very shortly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Watson of Wyre Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the National Prostate Cancer Audit's State of the Nation Report, published in January, particularly regarding the disparities in health outcomes for black men diagnosed with prostate cancer. \p Baroness Merron: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the findings in the National Prostate Cancer Audit's State of the Nation Report. However, the Government understands more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all people with prostate cancer, including for black men.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer, we have invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping to find a way of catching prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will ensure that one in ten participants are black men.

Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be. We will provide updates on this in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Willis of Knaresborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase financial support for nursing associates who wish to become registered nurses. \p Baroness Merron: We have a complete apprentice pathway for nursing, from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice. Nursing associates can go on to become registered nurses through a degree apprenticeship, allowing people to earn a salary while gaining a nursing qualification.

Nursing associates can also become registered nurses by completing a shortened undergraduate nursing degree. For those taking this route, the NHS Learning Support Fund provides eligible students with a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. The Government attempts to strike a balance between ensuring students are financially supported during their studies and delivering maximum value for money for the taxpayer.

Training and retaining talented National Health Service staff is absolutely central to our mission of rebuilding a health service that is fit for the future. Our 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS will establish how to train and provide the staff the NHS needs, including nurses, to care for patients across our communities. This summer we will also publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade.
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Lord Willis of Knaresborough:To ask His Majesty's Government how many student nursing associates completed their training for adult social care in each year from 2018 to 2023. \p Baroness Merron: The Department does not hold the information requested. As the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is responsible for nurse registration. The NMC publishes the number of UK trained nursing associates joining its register for the first time in England, which will be a close proxy for the number completing training. Skills for Care data shows that in 2023/24, there were 700 nursing associates in adult social care, a decrease of 50 from 2022/23.

The following table shows the number of UK trained nursing associates joining the NMC register in England for the first time, each financial year from 2018/19 to 2023/24:

Year

Number of UK trained nursing associates joining the NMC register for the first time

2018/19

485

2019/20

1,182

2020/21

2,708

2021/22

2,743

2022/23

3,166

2023/24

3,343

Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council, March 2024 Annual Data Report
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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 7 November 2024 (HL1998), what steps they intend to take to ensure the safety of the non-surgical cosmetics sector; and when they will set out their position on this subject. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to taking action to address concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Wales about safeguarding the funding of children's hospices that provide services to children on both sides of the England–Wales border. \p Baroness Merron: There have not been any discussions between the Department and the Welsh Government about safeguarding the funding of children’s hospices.

The Department works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer. While health is predominantly devolved, the Department holds some reserved functions and working together across the United Kingdom on health and social care is ingrained in the values of our National Health Service and social care sector.

Children and young people’s hospices in England will receive £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26, through what until recently was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant. We are also supporting both the children and adult hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We will set out the details of the funding allocation and dissemination for both funding streams in the coming weeks.
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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of NHS providers failed to complete audited financial results in line with the Department of Health and Social Care's reporting timetable in the past financial year. \p Baroness Merron: The Department set a deadline of 28 June 2024 for the completion of National Health Service provider audits for the year that ended on 31 March 2024. 38 of the 211 NHS providers, representing 18%, did not meet the deadline.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking (1) to end the delays at the Royal Liverpool Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit which are reportedly up to 50 hours, and (2) to address the decision of the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to declare a "critical incident" due to "exceptionally high demand". \p Baroness Merron: NHS England’s regional teams are working closely with the integrated care boards to ensure that appropriate action is being taken to address and mitigate the issues identified within each declared critical incident, including at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. This includes actions to support the flow of patients through the hospital and the reprioritising of resources to support urgent and emergency care.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to improve patient access to face-to-face GP appointments. \p Baroness Merron: We are committed to improving the capacity within general practice and improving access to face-to face appointments. We have pledged to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one and bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly.

In October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners (GPs) across England, increasing the number of appointments delivered in general practice, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to receive the care they desperately need. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve access to general practice, continuity of care and GP recruitment.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to increase the number of GPs nationwide. \p Baroness Merron: We have committed to training more general practitioners (GPs) across the country and to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.   We have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice and we are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve GP recruitment.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, together with the NHS, to improve information sharing between healthcare services to support higher quality and patient-centred cancer care. \p Baroness Merron: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record, so professionals have the data they need when treating patients and are able to make better informed decisions and deliver more preventative health and care. We are in the early stages of engaging with the public and stakeholders to understand their views about the use of health and care data. We will use the findings to form the basis of our future plans.

Furthermore, NHS England is investing £1.9 billion to support hospital trusts to either adopt a new or improve their existing systems, to ensure every hospital in England can benefit from digital transformation, to achieve the vision of a digitised National Health Service by March 2026.

The aim of the Frontline Digitisation programme is for all secondary care trusts to have an electronic patient record system (EPR) that meets our standards. The programme is forecasting to achieve 97% EPR coverage by the programme end in March 2026, with the remaining 3% of trusts having advanced in their plans for an EPR.
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Lord Cashman:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish in full the evidence behind their decision of 11 December 2024 to ban puberty blockers for patients over the age of 18 for the treatment of gender incongruence or gender dysphoria under the care of private or non-United Kingdom prescribers. \p Baroness Merron: On 1 January 2025, indefinite restrictions preventing new patients aged under 18 years old from being supplied with puberty blockers for the purposes of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria, under the care of private or non-United Kingdom prescribers, took effect.

The Government is committed to transparency and accountability in its decision-making and understands people will wish to understand how this decision was reached. Further to my response on 7 January 2025 to the Noble Lord’s question, HL3426 tabled on 12 December 2024, I can confirm that the Government will publish shortly the full independent report by the Commission on Human Medicines on the indefinite banning order of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria and/or incongruence. I will gladly write to the Noble Lord when this it is published.
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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of individuals returning from overseas having undergone cosmetic surgery. \p Baroness Merron: The Department does not have data on the overall costs to the National Health Service for treating complications from cosmetic procedures conducted overseas. We are exploring ways to improve our understanding of the scale of the cost to the NHS.
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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the sale and marketing of overseas cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office and with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to tackle inappropriate advertising of overseas cosmetic surgeries in the United Kingdom. The ASA is taking enforcement activity against any company which contravenes UK advertising standards.
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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the cosmetic surgery industry. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to taking action to address concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in due course.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider a single budget for the maintenance and dredging of watercourses, rather than two separate ones as at present for capital and operational maintenance. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Currently, dredging is part of the Environment Agency’s routine maintenance programme on its watercourses.

To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. Longer term funding decisions will be made at the next Spending Review.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government how many miles of maintenance and dredging of minor watercourses will be achieved this year. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Environment Agency plan to carry out dredging on 147 miles (236km) of watercourses for which they are responsible in 2024/25. Figures can be subject to change based on in-year inspections and the potential to have a requirement to redistribute resources to incident response and recovery.
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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government why a regional avian influenza prevention zone for the East Riding of Yorkshire, the City of Kingston upon Hull, and Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk was not put in place before 23 December 2024. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The prevention measures mandated through an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) are introduced in a phased and escalating manner proportionate to the escalating risk to an area. An AIPZ mandating enhanced biosecurity was declared across the East Riding of Yorkshire, the City of Kingston upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk on the 13 November 2024 in response to cases in the area and an increase in both the wild bird and poultry avian influenza risk levels. The AIPZ was extended to include mandatory housing from the 23 December 2024 following a further increase in both the wild bird and poultry risk levels and an escalating number of cases in the area indicating further controls were required to stop the spread of disease. Decisions on when to introduce or vary controls are based on risk assessments of the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice.
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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in the UK, or working with international partners, to address animal management practices known to be higher risk for the emergence or transmission of avian flu. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Stringent biosecurity is key to protecting the health and welfare of poultry and other captive birds and is critical to preventing disease spread during an avian influenza outbreak. Defra has published guidance and together with the Animal and Plant Health Agency provides support to bird keepers on how to implement strong biosecurity measures. Government will continue to work closely with industry to ensure good flock management and husbandry practices are implemented on all farms regardless of their size or type. The need to mandate enhanced biosecurity or other controls on bird keepers are kept under regular review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.

At an international level, collaboration and knowledge exchange with international partners takes place regularly through the networks of international reference laboratories, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Quadripartite Organisations and allied projects, including through the joint World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Scientific Network on animal influenza OFFLU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports of cases of avian flu in pheasants, what assessment they have made of the risks that ‘catching up’ pheasants this shooting season may pose to people, captive birds, and wild birds; and what plans they have, if any, to publish guidance and a risk assessment on this activity. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has published on GOV.UK their assessment of the risk of catching up gamebirds and the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. The need to update this risk assessment in response to new scientific evidence, veterinary advice or significant changes in the epidemiological situation is kept under review as part of the Government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.

Defra has also published guidance on GOV.UK specifically covering the avian influenza rules and best practice in disease prevention for gamebirds. Defra, together with APHA and Natural England, work closely with industry groups to ensure this vital information is distributed and utilised by the gamebird sector.

risk assessment 2022 (pdf, 540.3KB)
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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Atlantic salmon from extinction, following recent research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature that shows the species is at high risk. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates primarily to England.

Defra is working internationally to protect salmon populations through participation in the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO). A full list of actions related to salmon conservation can be found in the England and Wales NASCO “Implementation Plan”, along with annual progress updates, which can be found at https://nasco.int/conservation/third-reporting-cycle-2/.

The Environment Agency, responsible for managing salmon fisheries in England, ensured that 95% of salmon catches in 2023 were released alive through a combination of voluntary and mandatory measures. Between 2019 and 2023, they mitigated 58 barriers to fish passage on England’s salmon rivers. The Environment Agency is re-assessing the key pressures on salmon, in England, ahead of producing a new salmon Action Plan.

Cleaning up the water environment is a key priority for Defra. In October, the Government launched an Independent Commission of the water sector regulatory system. The Commission will report back this year with recommendations.

Implementation Plan (pdf, 1353.3KB)
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Lord Randall of Uxbridge:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in released pheasants in Worcestershire resulting in mass mortality, what estimate they have made of the number of pheasants and other birds killed; what assessment they have made of the impact of released pheasants on the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza; and what plans they have, if any, to increase disease surveillance of game birds. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dead wild birds, including wild gamebirds, in Great Britain and publishes results on GOV.UK. These can be explored through APHA’s interactive map and dashboard available at GOV.UK

To ensure our approach to disease control reflects any risk these activities pose, APHA has assessed the impact gamebird releases have on the likelihood of transmission of avian influenza to wild birds, and between wild birds and kept birds. The need to update this risk assessment in response to new scientific evidence or veterinary advice or significant changes in the epidemiological situation is kept under review as part of the government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza.

released gamebird impact assessment  (pdf, 1226.7KB)
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to co-ordinate the response to the threat of H5N1 and H5N5 transmission to companion animals, cattle, domestic poultry, wild birds and humans. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have stood up their well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade, and assist local communities’ recovery as set out in the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England, Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. This includes working closely to share information and manage incidents with the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency.

In addition, international collaboration and knowledge exchange on the threat of avian influenza from across Government is coordinated by Defra and facilitated through discussions between the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and representatives from Defra policy teams and APHA’s avian influenza national and international reference laboratories, and their global counterparts through the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Quadripartite Organisations and allied projects. Including through the the joint World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Scientific Network on animal influenza OFFLU.

Contingency Plan (pdf, 745.6KB)

Avian disease strategy (pdf, 1224.9KB)

Mitigation Strategy for Avian influenza (pdf, 426.3KB)
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood that food prices will rise, and of the effect this will have on consumers, particularly those impacted by the increased cost of living. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: This Government cares deeply about the cost of living and food security; therefore, it closely monitors food prices and the factors impacting them. After a period of high inflation experienced during 2022 and 2023, year-on-year food price inflation (based on ONS CPI data) has been at or below 2% since May 2024. In 2025 food price inflation is expected to remain positive, with current industry forecasts indicating an average rate of 3.4% for 2025.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a number of issues, including to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures. However, it is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. It is for each individual food retailer to take the commercial decision around which products they sell in their stores. This government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland can access nutritious and fairly priced food.

To further support struggling families, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

To support people with the cost of living we are tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introducing a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, and increasing the National Living Wage, boosting the pay of 3 million workers.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement is taking place between the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Treasury with regard to the newly formed Financial Inclusion Committee and the future Financial Inclusion Strategy, given the commitment within the Committee’s Terms of Reference to look at the link between digital and financial inclusion. \p Lord Livermore: On 5 December, Government announced it will develop a Financial Inclusion Strategy, alongside a supporting Committee, to tackle the problem of financial exclusion. Digital exclusion can be a significant barrier in how consumers are able to access and use financial services products. This is why digital inclusion will be a key area of focus within the Financial Inclusion Strategy and will be considered by the digital inclusion and access to banking sub-committee.

HM Treasury is working closely with the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), the lead department for digital inclusion, to ensure that this work complements wider initiatives to address the barriers which can affect consumers, such as digital skills, access to devices and connectivity, and a lack of support and confidence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_42

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what processes and systems they have in place to ensure that aid from the United Kingdom reaches (1) the Christian Rohingya minority, and (2) the majority Muslim Rohingya, in refugees camps in Bangladesh. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK is a leading donor to the Rohingya response. We have provided £406 million to support the Rohingya and host communities since 2017, including food provision, clean water, healthcare and protection services. We work closely with UN agencies and the Interim Government of Bangladesh to support the Rohingya and provide basic services. The UK ensures that aid reaches the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, including the Christian Rohingya minority, by working with international partners like the UN Refugees Agency, the International Organisation of Migration and the World Food Programme.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_43
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_43

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking as penholder of the UN Security Council on Myanmar to call for the referral of the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK fully supports the International Criminal Court (ICC); however, our assessment remains that there is insufficient support amongst Security Council members for an ICC referral on the situation in Myanmar. It will not advance the cause of accountability in Myanmar for an ICC referral to fail to win Security Council support or to be vetoed; such a result would only give comfort to the Myanmar Armed Forces and reduce the pressure they currently face.  In the event that an arrest warrant is issued, the UK will act in accordance with its international obligations.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_44
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_44

Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff from ethnic minority backgrounds were employed in the youth justice secure estate on (1) 31 March 2024, and (2) 30 September 2024. \p Lord Timpson: Information is held on staffing numbers in the public-sector youth secure estate, and is published quarterly at table 5b of the HMPPS Workforce Statistics Bulletin:

Table 5b: Youth Custody Estate staff in post, by protected characteristic (headcount)

Protected characteristic

Group

31-Mar-2024

30-Sep-2024

Ethnicity

Ethnic Minorities

292

323

White

1001

980

Unknown

195

177

Declaration rate

86.9%

88.0%

Ethnic minority representation %

22.6%

24.8%

Staffing information in relation to settings that are managed independently is not held by HM Prison & Probation Service.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_1

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to review existing UK Aid Direct projects, to restructure the way the oversight of such projects, and to counter corruption and misuse of the aid in their implementation. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: UK Aid Direct closed in October 2023. The programme was assessed against final output targets and achieved an A+ rating overall as results met or exceeded expectations. The programme supported 162 civil society organisations to deliver 196 projects for sustained poverty reduction, reaching 9.74 million people across 37 countries. The FCDO has a rigorous and comprehensive due diligence process to determine the capacity and capability of organisations to manage funds and deliver project objectives, including assurances that taxpayers' money will be protected. All UK Aid Direct grant holder funding was published on International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_2

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government how many British nationals have died in Gaza since 7 October 2023. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The deaths of four British nationals in Gaza since 7 October 2023 have been reported to the FCDO.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_3

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Nigerian government regarding (1) violence committed by armed non-state actors and (2) bringing the perpetrators to justice, particularly in Kaduna and other central states of Nigeria. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: UK Government officials and I regularly raise the impact of insecurity on communities across central and northern Nigeria, underlying the need to bring perpetrators to justice, with the Nigerian Government. Most recently, I raised the importance of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions when I met with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in Nigeria in January. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we also engage with Nigerian security actors to address complex issues including the timely, effective and human rights-compliant investigation of, and prosecutions for, terrorism crimes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_4

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what level of humanitarian aid has been allocated to Nigeria for 2025, and what measures are in place to ensure that it reaches vulnerable communities in locations such as Benue, Kaduna and Plateau states. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: In the Financial Year 2024/25, UK humanitarian support to Nigeria totalled £33.5 million in life-saving assistance. We have reached approximately one million people with our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), reducing mortality and increasing resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs in Nigeria. At present, this humanitarian aid is not targeted at Benue, Kaduna or Plateau states.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_5

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government how they are assisting Nigeria to address systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression such as the marginalisation of minority faith communities and the criminalisation of blasphemy. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government is committed to supporting Nigeria to address security challenges including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK is providing £38 million in programming to support locally led solutions in Northern Nigeria tackle the root causes of this violence. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we also engage with Nigerian security actors to address these complex issues. The UK Government also funds the provision of legal and judicial expertise to make legislative changes to protect FoRB, including addressing blasphemy laws. The right of individuals to express their beliefs or non-belief is essential to a free and open society. Our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, will remain an important part of the UK's partnership with Nigeria.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_6

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the new Bangladeshi government and on which dates; and if so, if whether they discussed the allegations of embezzlement by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family, and the associated laundering of money in the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Minister for the Indo-Pacific visited Bangladesh in November 2024 and met the Chief Adviser and Foreign Affairs Adviser of the Interim Government. I refer the Noble Lady to the press release of this meeting on the Government website. In October 2024, the Foreign Secretary met the Foreign Affairs Adviser during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. We do not comment on any individual asset recovery cases.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_7

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter from the Tees Valley Mayor issued on 27 September 2024 in response to the Tees Valley Review on the Teesworks project; and what are the reasons for their delay in replying. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: We are considering the mayor’s update from September 2024 and will respond in due course. It is right that we consider this matter carefully.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_8

Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reporting by The Sunday Times on 26 January regarding the robustness and transparency of police investigations into allegations of illegal election campaign activities, and in particular, of investigations into election materials produced in the Leicester South constituency in the 2024 general election. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: Any individual or organisation wishing to influence the electorate should be prepared to be transparent about their activity. Campaigners are required to include an imprint with their name and address on a wide range of printed and digital election campaigning material in scope of the rules.

It is an offence to distribute printed or digital election campaign material without a correct imprint. There are also strict local campaign spending rules for political parties, candidates and third-party campaigners.

Any offences are a matter for the Electoral Commission or the police to enforce depending on the facts of the case. Police forces and the Electoral Commission are operationally independent of government.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_9

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that those EEA citizens convicted of an offence for which a custodial sentence of 12 months or more in the United Kingdom has been given will not be migrated from the pre-settled to settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office is introducing a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) application. This process reduces the burden on thousands of individuals and supports our ambition to ensure people have the right EUSS status.

To convert a pre-settled status holder to settled status, the Home Office will conduct automated checks against tax and benefit records to confirm they have been continuously resident in the UK for five years or more. Criminality checks will also be made to ensure status holders meet the existing suitability requirements of the EUSS. These automated checks are the same checks that are undertaken when a person makes an application to the EUSS and have been conducted since the scheme opened to ensure EUSS status is only granted to those who are eligible for it.

The most recent estimate of the number of people holding pre-settled status under the EUSS is 1.7 million. However, the number of pre-settled status holders who could automatically be converted to settled status under the Home Office's automation plans is contingent upon customer behaviour which is difficult to predict.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-06 conversation_10

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific checks they will undertake to ascertain that the cohort of EEA citizens being migrated to settled from pre-settled status are properly eligible under the EU Settlement Scheme. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office is introducing a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status, without the need for them to make a further EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) application. This process reduces the burden on thousands of individuals and supports our ambition to ensure people have the right EUSS status.

To convert a pre-settled status holder to settled status, the Home Office will conduct automated checks against tax and benefit records to confirm they have been continuously resident in the UK for five years or more. Criminality checks will also be made to ensure status holders meet the existing suitability requirements of the EUSS. These automated checks are the same checks that are undertaken when a person makes an application to the EUSS and have been conducted since the scheme opened to ensure EUSS status is only granted to those who are eligible for it.

The most recent estimate of the number of people holding pre-settled status under the EUSS is 1.7 million. However, the number of pre-settled status holders who could automatically be converted to settled status under the Home Office's automation plans is contingent upon customer behaviour which is difficult to predict.