theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_9

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the devolved administrations of the UK to share knowledge and experience gained from trials that ban or restrict the use of smartphones in schools. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations with regards to behaviour in schools. Officials have met with representatives from the devolved administrations to share knowledge and discuss policy development, including around mobile phone use in schools, to inform a broader understanding of the policies across different education systems.

Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024.

The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_10

Lord Moraes:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current policy on the collection and publication by police forces of statistics on racially and religiously aggravated crimes, and what discussions they have had with police forces on this matter. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Official statistics on the five racially or religiously aggravated offences defined in law are published on a quarterly basis. These data are quality assured with the forces prior to publication and released at the Police Force Area level in Home Office Open Data Tables.

The latest statistics show that in the year ending June 2025, the Metropolitan Police Service recorded 17,690, and the British Transport Police recorded 3,525 racially or religiously aggravated offences. For both forces, these were the highest annual totals recorded, with a spike seen in these offences during the disorder in August 2024 following the Southport murders.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_11

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October, what steps they are taking to end procedures which cause severe suffering to animals. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: This Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy by the end of this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing. Where animal procedures are required to deliver benefits to people, animals or the environment because there is no non-animal alternative, these are subject to strict, robust regulation.

All applications to test on animals must conform with all legal requirements set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This includes applying the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement): the replacement of animals with alternatives; the reduction of the number of animals used to the minimum possible; and the refinement of any techniques to reduce the harm suffered by the animals to the minimum. The Home Office only allows the use of animals if it can be demonstrated that the 3Rs have been fully applied. All licence holders have a responsibility to fully implement the 3Rs and demonstrate this requirement at audit.

Licence holders are also required to complete retrospective assessments for licences if the protocols in the studies are severe. Retrospective assessments must consider whether any lessons can be learned from the programme of work which may contribute to the further implementation of the principles of the 3Rs.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_12

Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent diplomatic steps they have taken to protect Christian communities in Syria, following reports of violence in Suweida in September. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided for question HL9663 on 1 August 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_13

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government how many British citizens were detained in foreign jails at the end of September. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: As of 30 September 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was providing consular assistance to 1,834 British people detained overseas.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_14

Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of executions and assertion of control in Gaza by Hamas on the prospects for success of the peace process and of Palestinian statehood. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided on 21 October to Question HL10148.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_15

Earl Russell:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to review the effectiveness of Ofcom in addressing complaints relating to climate change misinformation. \p Baroness Twycross: Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament for the regulation of broadcasters, and the Government does not intervene in Ofcom's operational decisions. Ofcom is required by legislation to enforce a Broadcasting Code for television and radio, to ensure that audiences are adequately protected from harm. This includes rules that factual programmes do not materially mislead audiences, and that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_16

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the use of leverage tactics by trade unions during industrial disputes; and what assessment they have made of the impact of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 on the frequency of the use of leverage tactics. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Industrial action must be a last resort in response to industrial disputes. The government encourages unions, employers and workers to engage and negotiate where disputes arise.

Leverage tactics are subject to the same legal framework as all trade union activity. The existing provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, including the prohibition on secondary action and limits on picketing, remain in place alongside the general law on intimidation, harassment and interference with business.

The Government published an impact assessment on 21 October 2024, assessing the expected impacts of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_17

Lord Allen of Kensington:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on delivering the Industrial Strategy. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The whole of government is focused on delivering the Industrial Strategy. Significant progress has already been made, with over £250bn of investment committed to Industrial Strategy sectors, supporting over 45,000 jobs, since July. We have now published all eight Sector Plans, co-developed with industry, and in October we published our first Quarterly Update – this sets out how we are already delivering on our commitments in the Industrial Strategy, reporting on the key economic indicators for our high-growth sectors, as well as delivery milestones and major investment commitments.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_18

Lord Hunt of Wirral:To ask His Majesty's Government on what date they will publish the Steel Strategy. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government is developing a Steel Strategy to be published in 2025 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there.

The strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_19

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking with the EU to remove the requirement for those selling poppies in Northern Ireland to have an EU sticker on every poppy tray to confirm compliance with EU rules, or to make Northern Ireland poppy sellers exempt from this requirement. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: We are pleased that the Royal British Legion continues their charitable fundraising activities in Northern Ireland as they have always done. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has written to the Royal British Legion to assure them that the updated General Product Safety Regulation in Northern Ireland does not apply in respect of the Poppy Appeal.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_20

Lord Sharpe of Epsom:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the exportation of scrap steel as part of their forthcoming Steel Strategy. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Steel Strategy will articulate what is needed to create a competitive business environment in the UK with the aim of attracting new private investment to secure and expand UK steelmaking capability and capacity which is aligned with our Net Zero goals.

The UK’s abundant scrap supply offers domestic steelmaking a strategic advantage, and will feature in the Strategy. Unfortunately, we cannot comment further ahead of publication later this year, but we can say that the Steel Strategy will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_21

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 16 October (HL Deb col 355) that “a statutory probation period will be introduced with light-touch standards for fair dismissal based on performance and stability”, what is the length of that statutory probation period and what are the grounds for dismissal during that period. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Next Steps to Make Work Pay, published in 2024, set out the Government’s preference for the statutory probation period to be nine months long.

Under the Employment Rights Bill, the normal grounds for fair dismissal (under the Employment Rights Act 1996) will apply in this period, and light-touch standards will apply to dismissals for reasons such as the employee’s conduct, capability, illegality, or some other substantial reason relating to the employee. The Government believes this will allow businesses to remain confident in hiring.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_22

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will appoint a national clinical director to oversee the commissioning of wheelchair services for the NHS and social care services. \p Baroness Merron: There are no current plans to appoint a national clinical director to oversee the commissioning of wheelchair services for the National Health Service and social care services. Oversight of wheelchair services within the NHS and social care is provided by national bodies, that monitor different aspects of the market, and by local authorities.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchairs services, based on the needs of their local population. We expect local commissioning to be informed by the best available evidence, including guidance issued by NHS England.

NHS England supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. This includes taking steps to support ICBs and wheelchair providers to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. On 9 April 2025, NHS England published a Wheelchair Quality Framework which sets out quality standards relevant to all suppliers regardless of Care Quality Commission registration status, as well as statutory requirements for ICBs. The framework is available at the NHS.UK website.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_23
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_23

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government how many formal meetings there have been between a minister and either (1) the senior manager, or (2) the clinical lead at NHS England, with responsibility for the learning from lives and deaths programme since July 2024, and on which dates those meetings took place. \p Baroness Merron: There have been regular conversations between the relevant minister, Department officials, and senior clinical and managerial leads at NHS England in relation to improving overall health outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people. Insights from the programme of learning from the lives and deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people plays an important role in shaping these broader conversations about tackling health inequalities and improving identification, access to, and the quality of services.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_24
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_24

Lord Young of Cookham:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish a roadmap to a smoke-free Britain, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England. \p Baroness Merron: The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom and to protect future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine addiction. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is currently in committee stage in the House of Lords.

There are no plans to develop a roadmap at this time, but we will keep this under review. Our attention and focus must be on delivering this legislation and on designing the regulations that follow.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_25

Lord Mawson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the barriers to access finance for purchasing cars. \p Lord Livermore: The government recognises the critical role the motor finance market plays in allowing people to own their own vehicle. The government is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to monitor issues in the motor finance market.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_26
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_26

Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many women who were remanded into custody in the last 12 months were (1) not subsequently sentenced or (2) released having served the length of their sentence on remand. \p Lord Timpson: The number of women who were not sentenced after being remanded in custody in the latest year available, year ending June 2025, can be found in the table below:

Table: The number of women who were not sentenced after being remanded in custody at the magistrates’ court and Crown Court, year ending June 2025

Year ending June 2025

Magistrates’ Court

189

Crown Court

416

Notes:

The number of defendants not sentenced refers to cases discontinued or discharged, charges withdrawn or dismissed, acquittals and other disposals without conviction.

Figures for magistrates’ courts exclude cases committed to Crown Court for trial and sentencing.

Defendants are reported against their most serious remand status. All hearings except for sentence hearing are considered and ranked with custody as most serious, then bail and then not remanded or not applicable. A defendant’s remand status may change several times throughout their court journey, however what we report only reflects the most serious status they received in that set period and does not reflect the number of remand decisions made in those periods.

These figures are presented on a principal offence and principal disposal sentence – i.e. reporting information relating to the most serious offence that a defendant was dealt with for and the most severe sentence issued for the offence.

Further important caveats are found in the ‘Notes’ tab of the data source "Remands data tool: June 2025 which is available through the following link: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2025 - GOV.UK

Information relating to women who were remanded in custody and were released having served the length of their sentence on remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_27
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_27

Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many women currently in prison, having been released on license, have been recalled to prison for (1) less than 4 weeks or (2) 4 to 8 weeks. \p Lord Timpson: On 30 June 2025, the latest date for which we can provide data from published statistics, there were 170 women in prison, having been released on licence, who had been recalled to prison and had served less than 4 weeks in custody and, similarly, 44 who had served 4-8 weeks in custody, out of a total of 517 women in the recall population.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_28
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_28

Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government how many women currently in prison have been sentenced to a term of (1) less than 4 weeks, (2) 4 to 8 weeks, (3) 8 to 12 weeks, (4) 3 to 6 months, (5) 6 to 12 months and (6) over 12 months. \p Lord Timpson: The information requested is provided below.

Table 1: Number of female prisoners on remand and sentenced on 30 September 2025

Custody  type

Remand

972

Sentenced

2,535

Table 2: Number of female prisoners serving determinate sentences broken down by sentence length on 30 September 2025(1)

Sentence length

Less than 4 weeks

4

4 weeks to less than 8 weeks

3

8 weeks to less than 12 weeks

43

3 months to less than or equal to 6 months

136(2)

More than 6 months to less than 12 months

149

12 months and over

1,327

Notes

The figures in this table exclude recalled prisoners, as well as non-criminal prisoners and those serving indeterminate sentences.

In order to provide complete data, this figure includes a prisoner serving more than 12 weeks but less than 3 months.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_29
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_29

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government on which clauses and amendments the Ministry of Justice have provided advice on legal and practical workability to the promoters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Baroness Levitt: The Government has provided legal and workability advice to the Sponsors across the entire Bill.

Where the Government has provided advice to the Sponsors on specific amendments, Ministers have referred to this within their remarks at Committee and Report Stage in the House of Commons. Parliamentary Counsel has provided the technical drafting for the amendments tabled by the Sponsors.

All advice provided to the Sponsor in relation to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been to ensure the coherence of the statute book, and to help ensure the Bill is workable. The Government has remained neutral on the matter of assisted dying, and will continue to take this approach through the Bill’s passage in the House of Lords.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_30

Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 16 October (HL10758), whether the Green Book Guidance and the Transport Analysis Guidance make allowance for large scale delays in the commissioning of new and road improvement schemes, and accidents associated with those schemes. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Transport appraisals informed by HM Treasury’s Green Book and DfT’s Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) take account of delays in the commissioning of road schemes via a few mechanisms.

As set out in the Transport Business Case Guidance, the established business case process is designed to be flexible, and responsive to evidence that emerges throughout the duration of the proposal’s development. This includes reflecting emerging evidence on project timelines in the analysis that informs the economic dimension.

TAG contains detailed guidance on setting an appropriate appraisal period, running from the scheme opening date. We intend to include plans to expand this guidance to make it more helpful for promoters assessing potential changes in opening dates, as part of our upcoming Appraisal, Modelling and Evaluation Strategy (AMES), to be published early next year.

Where scheme delivery is expected to take longer, TAG also contains advice on how to appraise impacts to existing transport users that occur during the construction of schemes.

Regarding accidents, TAG contains extensive guidance and tools to assist promoters in assessing the likely accident and safety impacts associated with a scheme. As with all TAG methods, these approaches are kept under review, and updated with robust evidence where appropriate.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_31
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_31

Lord Ravensdale:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's decommissioning programme, and that programme's contribution to the Plan for Change, in particular to regional growth and skills development. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The nuclear industry has a proud record of supporting tens of thousands of well-paid, highly skilled, unionised jobs, which are vital to communities across the country.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority permanently employs 17,500 people and invests £45m each year in apprentice and graduate development supporting the Nuclear Skills Agenda. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority also supports approximately 5,000 companies as part of its supply chain. The economic impact of the NDA group was reported upon in 2022 [1] and has most recently undertaken an economic impact assessment which will be published this financial year [2]

[1] Microsoft Word - Magnox economic impact assessment - 2022, The economic contribution of the NDA to the West Cumbria economy, Dounreay_Socio-economic_report_2022.pdf

[2] at Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - GOV.UK
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_32
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_32

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the expenditure incurred by public inquiries in each of the last five years. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Published costs for inquiries can be found on inquiry websites, as well as in the National Archives.

Public Inquiries shed light on injustices of the past, provide a means for victims and survivors to finally have their voices heard, and can help to rebuild trust in national institutions. The Government also recognises that there is growing criticism of the cost of inquiries, and is considering whether there are changes that could enable inquiries to deliver outcomes and enable lessons to be learnt more swiftly and at lower cost. This is a substantial piece of work, led by the Cabinet Office, that will aim to improve how we identify wrongs, and get to the truth more quickly. We will continue to keep Parliament updated on this important subject.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_33
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_33

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed digital ID scheme will be rolled out on the same basis for all parts of the UK. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: From the end of this Parliament, UK employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks when people move jobs.

The Government will work closely with the Devolved Governments throughout all stages of the programme’s development.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_34
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-10 conversation_34

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government what financial support they will provide to Hillingdon Council to help it to support homeless Chagossians. \p Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Government is committed to supporting Chagossian British citizens as they settle in the UK. While individuals are expected to arrange accommodation before arrival, we recognise that in some circumstances, exceptional pressures may arise locally.

Hillingdon Council has received additional funding to assist in such cases, and we continue to keep support for all councils under review.

Our 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement made available £266.3m in Core Spending Power for Hillingdon Council, which represented a 6.2% increase from 2024-25.

The Government has published guidance on GOV.UK for Chagossian British Citizens moving to the United Kingdom and to encourage individuals to arrive with savings and plans for accommodation.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_1

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce and implement a redress scheme for sufferers of sodium valproate, as recommended in the The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report. The report sets out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report at the earliest opportunity.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_2

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, since July 2024 with the Royal Household about the inclusion of a symbolic representation of Wales on the royal standard. \p Baroness Twycross: Since July 2024, no discussion has been held with the Royal Household by the government about the inclusion of a symbolic representation of Wales on the royal standard.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_3

Lord Norton of Louth:To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms they have introduced to monitor compliance by each government department with section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. \p Baroness Twycross: The Civil Service Code sets out the responsibility of civil servants to advise ministers in accordance with section 3(6) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Government takes seriously its commitment to uphold and support our constitutional arrangements including the conventions which underpin the relationship between Government and Parliament. The Leaders of both Houses are responsible for representing the interests of Parliament in Government and ensuring that the customs and principles that make Parliament unique are properly represented. The Parliamentary Capability Team provides training for civil servants which emphasises the importance of these constitutional principles. Each Government department has a parliamentary team which works with civil servants to give advice on how parliament works.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-10 conversation_4

Lord Gilbert of Panteg:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Twycross on 17 December (HL3302), what records the Crown Commercial Service holds on which public bodies have taken out contracts for translation services using the framework agreement on translation into foreign languages. \p Baroness Twycross: The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) collects information from suppliers for public bodies that have taken out contracts for translation services under its Language Services agreement (RM6141) only. These records contain the names of the public sector bodies (contracting authority) and their spend through the framework, an aggregate of £5,402,890 from 10 May 2021 to 10 December 2024.

Public bodies that have used the CCS commercial agreement RM6141 Language Services include: Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Bridgend County Borough Council, British Library, British Transport Police, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Department for Transport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, Environment Agency, Equality and Human Rights Commission, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, HM Revenue & Customs, Intellectual Property Office, London Borough of Brent Council, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, London Borough of Lambeth Council, London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, National Crime Agency, NHS England, NHS England - East of England, NHS England Sustainable Improvement Team, NHS Improvement, NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Unit, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Office for National Statistics, Office for Nuclear Regulation, Oxfordshire County Council, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Serious Fraud Office, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, The Pensions Regulator, Transport for London, UK Health Security Agency, Westminster City Council and Wokingham Borough Council.

Information on individual contracts should be publicly available on Contracts Finder at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_1

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the services of hospices and private care homes in the light of the increase in National Insurance contributions and other increased costs in the budget. \p Baroness Merron: The biggest investment in a generation for hospices has been announced by the Government, ensuring that hospices can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones.

This was through a £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million of revenue to support children and young people’s hospices. Further details of the funding allocation and dissemination will be set out this year.

To support local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes a £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget. The employer National Insurance contribution rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course, including through planning guidance.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_2

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make it simpler and quicker for communities to request changes to speed limits and implement road danger reduction measures. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Decisions on making local speed limits and implementing road danger reduction measures on roads in England rest with the transport authorities who have responsibility for roads in local areas. The Department for Transport issues best practice guidance on setting local speed limits designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing for flexibility to deal with local circumstances.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_3

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for future years to ensure train operators provide services on Boxing Day. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Typically, demand for services on Boxing Day is low and much of the network is closed to provide opportunity for essential maintenance. We expect operators and in future, Great British Railways, to continue to consider the case for Boxing Day services where there is demand and they do not further increase the burden on taxpayers.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_4

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to put road traffic offences for bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters on an equivalent basis to other vehicles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_5

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to regulate the operation of privately owned e-scooters in public spaces, and (2) to introduce mandatory insurance for them. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government understands the need to resolve the longstanding question of regulating micromobility devices such as e-scooters. We are carefully considering next steps on this.

As part of policy development, we are working with local authorities and industry through our e-scooter trials to inform options for future regulation. Any option requiring users of private e-scooters to have insurance will require careful consideration. No decisions have been made on the future regulation of e-scooters and the Government will consult before any regulations come into force.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_6

Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on developing the Avenue Verte cycle route launched at the UK–France Joint Leaders' Declaration in March 2023. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Avenue Verte cycle route was put in place in advance of the 2012 London Olympic Games, using existing National Cycle Network paths for the British section of the route. At the UK-France Joint Leaders’ Declaration, both nations agreed to promote the route in support of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. The Department of Transport commissioned Sustrans to deliver a series of promotional activities along the British side of the Avenue Verte walking and cycling route over 2024 and this is now complete. Sustrans is also assessing the feasibility of improving sections of the route as part of the Paths for Everyone programme.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_7

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 4 December (HC16604), whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the reference numbers of Government Art Collection works that have been removed from 10 and 12 Downing Street since the general election; and a list of the reference numbers of works that are scheduled to be removed. \p Baroness Twycross: It is standard practice, as followed by the previous government, for new ministers to select works from the Government Art Collection for their ministerial offices. All such changes of displays of works from the Government Art Collection constitute 'business as usual' for the Collection. All artworks in the Government Art Collection are on the website where anyone can readily establish their present locations. The Collection does not publish the history of the locations of artworks.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_8

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue or replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond its expiry date in March 2025. \p Baroness Twycross: Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_9

Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken following the findings by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman about the failures by the Charity Commission in its handling of complaints about the case of Lara Hall. \p Baroness Twycross: The Charity Commission is independent from government. This is an ongoing process, and we understand that the Charity Commission continues to engage with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_10

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan for the £30 million allocated to prevention for the gambling statutory levy to be administered by a statutory body. \p Baroness Twycross: As set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the statutory levy, further consideration of the evidence is needed in order to appoint an appropriate body to lead the prevention strand of the levy system. We will confirm our decisions in due course. Prevention is a critical part of the government’s approach to tackling gambling-related harm and we need to take the time to get the policy right whilst ensuring that necessary legislation is passed to meet our commitment to having the levy in place by April 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_11

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, published on 16 December; and whether they intend further regulations on the use of creatively owned property to train AI. \p Baroness Twycross: We have seen the statement by the Creative Rights in AI Coalition and look forward to assessing it in the context of the consultation on Copyright and AI which we published on 17 December 2024 and closes on 25 February 2025. The consultation can be found on the gov.uk website.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_13

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's re-export of goods from Xinjiang that are made with Uyghur forced labour to Europe and North America. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: No UK business should be complicit in forced labour. Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36m or more are required to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains.

This Government will stand firm on human rights in China, including the repression of people in Xinjiang and will continue to hold China to account. The Government continues to review how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains and continues to consider measures that would improve supply chain transparency and traceability.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_14

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage companies to increase diversity in senior leadership roles, particularly in relation to (1) ethnic minorities, and (2) women. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Department for Business and Trade sponsors two voluntary and business-led initiatives: the FTSE Women Leaders Review and the Parker Review on ethnic minority leadership. Both reviews encourage companies to achieve voluntary targets - 40% representation of women on boards and in senior management, and at least one ethnic minority director on company boards.

The 2024 report showed that 42.1% of the FTSE 350 board members were women behind only France who has adopted a quota approach to diversity and ahead of other countries with quotas. The 2024 Parker review reported that 77% of boards FTSE 350 boards had met their target.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_15

Lord Booth:To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to raise awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and of the benefits of membership, including by reference to the size and growth of the CPTPP market. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Department has an extensive programme of engagement to raise awareness of CPTPP, an agreement comprising over 500 million people and a combined GDP of £12 trillion in 2023, when including the UK, among small and medium-sized enterprises.

We aim to reach as many businesses as possible to ensure they have the knowledge needed to take advantage of the commercial opportunities afforded to them in CPTPP markets. This includes running over 60 webinars, workshops, roundtables and events for, and often in partnership with, UK businesses.

The Department has also published 70+ practical CPTPP guides on great.gov.uk, aimed at supporting SMEs.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_16

Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of carbon prices in 2030. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I refer the Rt Hon Lord Offord of Garvel to the answer provided by the Secretary of State on 10 December 2024 to Question 18202.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_17

Lord Kinnock:To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the 1940 proposal for the establishment of the Franco–British Union in 2025. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: 2024 has been a remarkable year for our bilateral relationship, with many successful joint engagements commemorating 120 years of the Entente Cordiale. These include the joint ceremonial events at Buckingham Palace and the Élysée Palace on 8 April, the Prime Minister and President Macron marking Armistice Day, and the inaugural Entente Littéraire Prize. Minister Doughty celebrated Bastille Day with the French Ambassador and met his counterpart in Paris for the Olympics. The Foreign Secretary also welcomed his counterpart to Carlton Gardens, near the Free French Headquarters established after the proposal for a Franco-British Union. We have no plans to mark this but look forward to further strengthening ties with France in 2025, including through the next bilateral Summit.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-06 conversation_18

Lord Rooker:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 4 July to monitor the actions that the government of China has taken against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.

We continue to monitor the situation closely. For example, the Government conducts independent visits to areas of major concern wherever possible, and supports NGOs in exposing and reacting to human rights violations.

We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang at the UN General Assembly on 22 October.