theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of appeals to the First-tier Tribunal against local authority decisions relating to special education needs are upheld. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: In the Academic Year 2023-24 (the latest period for which statistics have been published), 16,726 appeals were disposed, of which 11,157 appeals had outcomes decided. Of the 11,157 decided, 11,007 were decided in favour of the appellant (upheld1). This represents 66% of all outcomes (conceded, decided and withdrawn) and 99% of the total appeals decided in this Academic Year.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (which administers the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)) is working with colleagues from the Department for Education to understand the increase in Education, Health Care Plans (EHCPs); the increasing demand on the Tribunal; and also, how to improve initial decision making by Local Authorities.

Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.

1Appeals are counted as upheld when the majority of the Local Authority’s decision is overturned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Baroness Whitaker:To ask His Majesty's Government how many children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds are currently held in the youth secure estate, broken down by (1) young offender institutions, (2) secure training centres, and (3) secure children's homes. \p Lord Timpson: No children from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller background are currently accommodated in the Oasis Restore Secure School or Oakhill Secure Training Centre.

In relation to Secure Children’s Homes and Young Offender Institutions: the information requested cannot be provided without breaching our legal obligations under data protection legislation. Where a request is made for statistical information and the total figure amounts to five or fewer, we must consider whether this would be likely to lead to the identification of individuals and whether disclosure of this information would be in breach of our statutory obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and/or the Data Protection Act 2018.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what welfare support is provided to those who have completed jury service on cases that include traumatic evidence of physical or mental harm to others. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: The Government wants to help jurors feel supported as they undertake this important civic duty. Those suffering distress as a result of their service are provided with guidance advising them to access services through their GP or the NHS 111 National Mental Health Helpline. We are also currently running a pilot to test the need for enhanced support through end-of-trial interventions, enhanced support and training for Jury Officers, and a Juror Support Helpline offering up to six counselling sessions.

The test began in October last year in 15 courts and will conclude at the end of March. The results will be evaluated to help assess long term support needs for jurors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lord Farmer:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to provide, via Family Hubs, early advice and support on staying together to separating couples, before the start of court or other legal proceedings. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: Through both the Family Hubs – Start for Life programme and the Family Hubs Transformation Fund there are now more than 400 family hubs open across the 88 Local Authorities. Family hubs, where appropriate should connect families going through parental separation to services and support locally to ensure outcomes for their children are front and centre when agreeing child arrangements. This is to help avoid the cost and potential trauma associated with going through the court process.

In areas with a developed family hub model, local authorities may provide hub-based mediation or other services in support of separating parents, such as shared parenting programmes. This is not a requirement of the programme but is strongly encouraged for areas who are seeking to enhance their offer.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting separating families to resolve their issues quickly, and where appropriate, without the need to come to court. This is why the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme continues to provide £500 towards the cost of mediation. To date, over £16 million of vouchers have helped 38,700 separating parents to access mediation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what biosecurity guidance they provide to those working closely with poultry for their safety and their protection from avian flu. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Great Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety; this includes workplace health and safety risks created in agriculture, including poultry farming.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) is the main piece of health and safety legislation that sets out what dutyholders must do to control exposure to substances in the workplace that can cause ill health; including zoonotic diseases such as avian flu. General guidance on how to comply with legal duties under COSHH is freely available on HSE’s website at https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/.

More specific guidance for dutyholders, specifically on measures that they should consider when deciding how to best control workplace risk from avian flu, is also freely available on HSE’s website. The guidance (below) covers information on avian flu, how it is transmitted, the precautions to keep people safe and well, as well as links to information and guidance from other organisations such as the UK Health Security Agency and the National Health Service:

HSE also produce guidance which sets out biosecurity measures to be taken by its staff who may in the course of their work be required to visit farms, including poultry farms. The guidance is also freely available from HSE’s website:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential held by video games for aiding the development of language education; and particularly regarding the encouragement of video games to be available in Welsh. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government recently announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios to develop new intellectual property and deliver the graduate talent development programmes Tranzfuser and Dundee Development (DunDev).

Video games companies can benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit and access support from the Create Growth Programme and the UK Global Screen Fund.

The Government recognises the educational value of games, including in helping with language development. While Welsh language is a devolved matter, the UK Government supports the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to scope and support the development of peer support networks for people living with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including moderated online and in-person models. \p Baroness Merron: The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.

The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.

NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.

The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.

The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.

NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.

For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.

Additional Document (pdf, 327.2KB)
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Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent officials have been working on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (1) in total, and (2) in each Department. \p Baroness Merron: The number of officials providing technical drafting support and workability advice to the Sponsors of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has fluctuated since January 2025. As of 1 September 2025, there were 11.8 full-time equivalent (FTE) officials in the Department of Health and Social Care. Additionally, 3.1 FTE officials from the Ministry of Justice, 3.2 FTE officials from the Government Legal Department, and 1.8 FTE officials from Cabinet Office were supporting this team, also counted as of 1 September 2025. The total FTE for officials working on the Bill as of 1 September 2025 was 19.9.

Where needed contributions on specific, individual, technical issues have been sought from other teams, but the FTE cannot be accurately quantified for these issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the geographical distribution of overseas universities which have partnerships with UK universities. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The UK is home to globally recognised universities that operate in nearly every corner of the world, often in partnership with overseas institutions. These partnerships strengthen global ties, facilitate research partnerships and enable transnational education provision to reach over 200 countries and territories, allowing 621,065 students to study overseas for UK higher education qualifications in 2023/24.

The UK’s International Education Champion, Professor Sir Steve Smith, has led multiple missions and delegations to promote educational partnerships in a range of countries. The department is currently reviewing the UK’s international education strategy to ensure that it continues to reflect the priorities of the education sector, including UK universities, and global partners across the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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The Earl of Dundee:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve coordination between the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with regard to food, farming and sustainability education in England. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Food education is covered across design and technology, biology, geography and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) in the national curriculum. It requires that pupils learn about healthy eating, where food comes from, nutrition and sustainability. The national curriculum framework provides teachers with freedom and flexibility to decide how best to cover curriculum subjects so topics such as farming and sustainability can be taught. Additional resources are available for teachers from the National Education Nature Park and Oak National Academy.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review has gathered a broad range of evidence through a call for evidence that was open to all, both domestically and internationally. The Review is carefully considering recommendations for all subjects in the national curriculum, and the final report, due in autumn 2025, will set out its conclusions and recommendations for government.

The ‘Good Food Cycle’, launched in July 2025, sets out the government’s vision for a 21st century UK food system, with ten priority outcomes including healthy and more affordable food, good growth and sustainable and resilient supply. Through this strategy, we are collaborating across government on good food education. The Ministerial Food Strategy Group, convened by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, includes Ministers from across government, including the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care. The group provides political leadership and alignment with the Plan for Change and government missions.
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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the origins and contents of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights are taught in primary and secondary schools in England. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Citizenship education provides a framework to prepare pupils to be active, informed and responsible citizens. The national curriculum for citizenship is mandatory at key stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach it.

Citizenship covers human rights and international law, and the need for mutual respect. Pupils should also be taught about international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world. This could include teaching about the origins and contents of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work. The Review will publish its final report in autumn 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all primary school pupils leave school with the ability to swim competently and an understanding of water safety. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Swimming and water safety are vital life skills that are compulsory elements of the PE National Curriculum at key stages 1 and 2. In addition, the changes made to the department’s statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance will ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water. To support schools, Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, developed in partnership with Swim England.

In June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a new national approach to PE and school sport as part of which we will establish a PE and School Sport Partnership Network, designed to build stronger links between schools, local clubs, and National Governing Bodies. It will identify and remove barriers to participation in PE and school sport, including swimming.

The department is also providing a grant of up to £300,000 to deliver Inclusion 2028, a programme which upskills teachers to deliver high quality, inclusive PE, including swimming and water safety, to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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The Lord Bishop of Leicester:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they will take in response to the report by the National Audit Office Managing children's residential care, published on 12 September. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department welcomes the National Audit Office's (NAO) report and its recommendations. Many of the report’s themes chime with the action already being taken as part of the government's reform programme.

The department is reforming children’s social care (CSC) with a £2 billion investment this Parliament which will enable local authorities to prioritise prevention and keep more families together safely, reducing the number of children needing care.

We have introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will give us more powers to regulate the broken care market.

The department’s investment and legislation will transform care. We will recruit more foster carers, build children’s homes with the right support in the right places, innovate to support those with complex needs and regulate to ensure safety and quality of provision. The introduction of Regional Care Cooperatives will enable local authorities to better plan, forecast and commission places and negotiate with private providers, ensuring they can provide the placements children need at a sustainable cost to taxpayers.

The department welcomes the important insight of the NAO and will continue to reflect on how to bring about the change needed to tackle the challenges across the CSC system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that major national historical events such as the Battle of Britain are given sufficient weight in the national curriculum. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The history curriculum provides a flexible framework that allows schools and teachers to select which topics they teach across the key stages. It does not set out how subjects, or topics within them, should be taught, giving teachers the freedom to use their knowledge and expertise to decide how and what specific topics they teach their pupils.

Significant national historical events, such as the Battle of Britain, can already be taught within the history curriculum across the three key stages. At key stage 1, the topic of World War II and the Battle of Britain can be taught within the statutory theme of ‘changes within living memory’. At key stage 2, schools may teach ‘a significant turning point in British history, for example, the first railways or the Battle of Britain’ as a non-statutory example within the statutory theme ‘a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066’. At key stage 3, students are expected to study ‘challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day’. In addition to the statutory requirement of studying the Holocaust, schools may choose to explore other major national historical events, including those linked to the First and Second World Wars.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Becky Francis CBE. The Review wants to ensure a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. The Review Group published its interim report in March 2025 and will publish its final report, with recommendations, this autumn. The interim report is accessible in the attached document.

Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report (pdf, 1270.9KB)
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Lord Glenarthur:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue policy development within the Department for Transport relating to general aviation. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department is focused on delivering the Government’s priorities; building a stronger economy, creating opportunities across all regions and achieving our ambition for Great Britain to be a clean energy super power. General Aviation has a role to play, supporting jobs and skills, connecting communities and preserving our rich aviation heritage and will continue to be considered as part of our wider approach to the opportunities and challenges facing the wider aviation sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Glenarthur:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy towards the sustainability of general aviation, particularly in the fields of flying and engineering training, air ambulance activities, police aviation, and the offshore and onshore commercial helicopter sectors. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: General Aviation continues to be considered as part of our wider work around the opportunities and challenges facing the wider aviation sector. The Department will continue to work with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Glenarthur:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to oversee and support general aviation aerodromes and the businesses that depend on those aerodromes; and if so, whether they will consult the general aviation sector about changes in policy oversight. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department regularly engages with the general aviation sector on any policy changes. The Department also works with industry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove barriers to access so the aviation sector can grow and innovate, including in General Aviation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety, security, and resilience of national and regional transport infrastructure, with particular reference to South Yorkshire. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department for Transport works closely with transport operators to assess the risks to transport infrastructure arising from, for example, severe weather, security threats or accidents. These risk assessments are used by national and local government and the transport industry to inform planning at all levels. This includes the South Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum.

Following the publication of the UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan in July 2025, the Department for Transport is working with cross-government and transport sector stakeholders to identify transport-specific opportunities and interventions to address gaps identified in capabilities.

South Yorkshire will also receive £570 million in City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding by March 2027. Following this, the region will benefit from a £1.5 billion share of the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement. This will fund a number of active travel improvement schemes—including segregated cycleways, improved footpaths, and highways upgrades—that will improve safety for both active travel and road users. The Magna Tinsley scheme, for example, incorporates safety by design. It has already delivered a new toucan crossing at the Sheffield Road/Raby Street junction to provide a safe crossing point from Tinsley Village across Sheffield Road. Further improvements are planned, including segregated cycleways and improved footways.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Jopling:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that closures of the M6 in Cumbria are having on traffic congestion in Kendal; and what plans they have to amend their scheme for the construction of bridges on the motorway to avoid diverting traffic through the town. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: National Highway’s (NH) will always need to prioritise the safety of both road users and its work force. At times for the M6 Lune Gorge scheme, this will mean full motorway closures are needed between Junction 37 and 38 to allow high risk construction activities to take place. Due to the layout of this section of the network, the only suitable diversion route is via the M6 J36, A590, A591, through Kendal, A6 exiting at M6 J39. Diversion routes are planned in advance with local councils.

NH has reviewed traffic flow data on the M6 and will use over-night closures, when traffic is much less, in order to minimise the impact to both drivers and local communities.

For certain activities, such as bridge demolition, there will also need to be weekend closures. NH recognises the potential disruption these may cause and will look to minimise the use of them.

When a diversion route does need to be used, this will be communicated well in advance in order to reduce the impact on communities such as Kendal.

NH is planning to deploy innovative construction methods, such as particular types of cranes and rolling roadblocks, to reduce the number of full closures needed, and the diversion of traffic through Kendal.
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Lord Jones of Penybont:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will meet representatives of Great Western Railway to discuss the use of half-length trains. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Ministers meet with train operators regularly to discuss a range of issues including operational performance. I expect to meet with Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail again in the coming months to continue to hold them to account on progress towards sustained good performance.

Train lengths are regularly reviewed and adjustments are made where appropriate. GWR deploys its Intercity fleet of 5, 9 or 10 carriage trains to best meet demand.

Sometimes services are formed of fewer carriages than planned but this is only done as a last resort – this could be because of damage or vandalism, for example following an infrastructure problem, or because of an animal strike or fatality. Trains can also develop faults which means they cannot be used for passenger service until the problem is resolved.
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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 15 September (HL Deb cols 1885–88), whether they will provide assurance to private landlords that the cost cap to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards will not be raised, and that a higher energy efficiency will not be required. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation included proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C by 2030. In the consultation, government set out proposals on maximum spend required from landlords and the exemptions regime to manage the cost burden placed on landlords and the impact on the rental market, whilst still achieving our ambition to deliver significant bill savings for tenants and lift households out of fuel poverty. No final decisions have been made and a government response to the consultation with be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many "shovel-ready" energy applications have secured grid connections in Scotland since 2021, broken down by local authority area. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Department does not hold this data however, through reforms to the connections process, only projects that are ready and needed will be offered a connection, by requiring evidence of land access and permission to build, as well as how a project aligns with the Clean Power Action Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reform the grid connections queue in order to remove "zombie scheme" energy applications. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Government is working closely with the National Energy System Operator, Ofgem and the network companies to deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. The reforms will prioritise connections for viable and strategically aligned projects needed for clean power, helping unlock £40 billion of mainly private investment a year in clean energy and infrastructure. They will ensure only projects that are ready and needed are offered a connection, by requiring evidence of land access and permission to build, as well as how a project strategically aligns with the Clean Power Action Plan.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government which nuclear sites that have been in the process of decommissioning are being considered for new nuclear projects, including radioisotope production, as set out in the Interim Report 2025 of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, published on 11 August. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The Government is designating a new National Policy Statement for nuclear energy generation, EN-7, which will empower developers to identify suitable sites for new nuclear projects using a robust set of siting criteria.

Separately, last year Great British Energy - Nuclear acquired the Oldbury and Wylfa sites. No decisions have yet been taken on specific projects at these sites. Any nuclear project would require development consent, subject to EN-7 once designated.

The Government is also aware of developer or community interest in nuclear projects at several other sites, including those being decommissioned. These include Pioneer Park (Moorside), Trawsfynydd (via Cwmni Egino), Hartlepool, and Dungeness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many "zombie scheme" energy applications have secured grid connection offers in Scotland since 2021, broken down by local authority area. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Department does not hold this data however, through reforms to the connections process, only projects that are ready and needed will be offered a connection, by requiring evidence of land access and permission to build, as well as how a project aligns with the Clean Power Action Plan.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Interim Report 2025 of the Nuclear Regulation Taskforce, published on 11 August, what consideration they are giving to re-examining the UK’s approach to risk management in the nuclear sector to ensure delivery of projects in a timely manner. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The Government is actively considering the findings of the Interim Report to help inform reforms that support timely delivery of Nuclear Projects.

'This includes working with industry and regulators to look at how regulation is applied in a proportionate way to support faster deployment of projects while maintaining safety levels at UK sites and continuing to meet internationally recognised standards. The government awaits the independent Taskforce’s final report, due in the Autumn, and will respond to its recommendations in due course.
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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to discourage energy companies from lodging speculative "zombie scheme" energy applications. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Government is working closely with the National Energy System Operator, Ofgem and the network companies to deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. The reforms will prioritise connections for viable and strategically aligned projects needed for clean power, helping unlock £40 billion of mainly private investment a year in clean energy and infrastructure. They will ensure only projects that are ready and needed are offered a connection, by requiring evidence of land access and permission to build, as well as how a project strategically aligns with the Clean Power Action Plan.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_22

Lord Lee of Trafford:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have banned Israeli students from attending the Royal College of Defence Studies because they consider Israel to have committed war crimes in Gaza. \p Lord Coaker: UK military educational courses have long been open to personnel from a wide range of countries, with all UK military courses emphasising compliance with international humanitarian law.

However, the Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong. There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We have therefore paused future Israeli participation in UK-run courses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_23

Lord Lee of Trafford:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, that there is a likely future scenario where the oceans are “effectively transparent and submarines are no longer allowed to hide”. \p Lord Coaker: We recognise that there are increasing threats to maritime security, including the underwater battlespace, from technological change and the proliferation of advanced capabilities. Assessments of these threats directly inform how we pursue technological advancements across all domains, including in the way we design, build and operate our submarines, to ensure the effectiveness of our capabilities in complex and challenging environments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_24

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 4 August (HL 9670) relating to nuclear test veterans, when they reset their relationship with test veterans and the organisations that support them; when and whether any announcement was made about this change in the relationship; and what precisely was announced. \p Lord Coaker: This Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

A priority for the Government when we entered office was to reset our relationship with Nuclear Test Veterans. This has been done through Ministerial and official-level meetings with organisations representing Nuclear Test Veterans and with Parliamentarians, and initiatives including the records review. No standalone announcement was made about this reset, but we have referred to it in public statements and in Parliament. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister for Veterans and People most recently met a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation and members of Parliament on 1 September 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_25

Lord Carter of Haslemere:To ask His Majesty's Government under what circumstances they expect the use of the powers in the Renters' Rights Bill to change the date from which a new rent is payable in rent appeal cases brought before First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The government is committed to empowering tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases, to protect tenants from undue financial hardship and prevent rent hikes being used as a form of backdoor eviction once Section 21 notices have been abolished.

We recognise that there is inherent uncertainty as to the volume of rent increase challenges that will be brought when the tenancy reforms in the Renters’ Rights Bill come into force. This is why we have put in place a proportionate safeguard for use in circumstances where it has become clear that the Tribunal system is on course to be overwhelmed.

We intend to use the power if the Tribunal appears at risk of being overwhelmed by a sharp increase in challenges and it has become necessary to avoid lengthy delays for genuine cases to be heard. It will be subject to the affirmative procedure, to allow appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_26

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made (1) to establish specialist courts for fast-tracking rape cases, and (2) to appoint legal advocates to provide free legal advice and support to rape survivors. \p Baroness Levitt: This Government has funded a record number of court sitting days, so that prosecutions, including of rape and other sexual offences, can be heard more efficiently. We commissioned Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to improve timeliness for victims, and we continue carefully to consider how we can deliver our manifesto commitment to fast-track rape cases.  Alongside this, judicial initiatives to expedite rape and other sexual offence cases are already taking place at a local level – for example, in Bristol and Guildford, and the judiciary already prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which will include victims of rape.

The Government also continues work on our manifesto commitment to introduce free independent legal advice for adult rape victims.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_27
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_27

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the problems caused by lengthy court delays on the availability of witnesses and the reliability of evidence. \p Baroness Levitt: Official Statistics (www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics) show that in the period between the end of June 2024 and the end of June 2025, of the 29,341 trials in the Crown Courts, 573 were ineffective due to witness unavailability. This number is down from 673 trials the previous year (June 2023 - June 2024).

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. It is unacceptable that victims and witnesses are waiting years for justice. We are committed to creating a more stable and sustainable criminal justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence. That is why we took immediate action, funding a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days this financial year. We have also committed to investing up to £92 million more a year in criminal legal aid solicitors and boosted Magistrates’ sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months.

However, fundamental reform is necessary. That is why the previous Lord Chancellor asked Sir Brian Leveson to propose once-in-a-generation reform that will improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swifter justice for victims.

Part one of the Independent Review of Criminal Courts has now been published. We are carefully considering Sir Brian’s proposals and will publish a government response in due course, then introduce legislation when parliamentary time allows. Part two of the Review, considering how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is expected to be finalised later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_28

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of lengthy court delays on victims of sexual offences. \p Baroness Levitt: This Government inherited a record court backlog, and we recognise the impact that long waits for trials may have on victims of sexual violence. We are committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness: we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days to tackle the outstanding caseload and delays. The record number of sitting days we have funded will mean more rape and other sexual offence cases can be heard.

We recognise victims are impacted when trials do not proceed as planned. The National Witness Service provides support on the day of trial. This may include giving explanations for any delays. Pre-trial, victims can receive support from Victim Liaison Officers, or from Ministry of Justice funded victim support services, throughout the criminal justice journey.

Judicial initiatives to expedite rape and other sexual offence cases are already taking place at a local level, for example, in Bristol and Guilford. The judiciary already prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which includes victims of rape.

However, it is clear that we must go further and do things differently if we are to deliver swifter justice and long-lasting change for victims.  That is why the Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims across the board - including for victims of rape and other sexual offences. Part one of the Review has been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in the Autumn.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_29
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_29

Lord Carter of Haslemere:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time for the First-tier Tribunal Property Chamber to consider, process and rule upon rent appeal cases brought by tenants. \p Baroness Levitt: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold the requested information centrally. To obtain this data would require a detailed analysis of the individual case records, which could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_30

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many officials (1) in total, and (2) in number of full-time equivalent staff, have been involved in supporting the promoters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the Ministry of Justice since November 2020. \p Baroness Levitt: The number of full-time equivalent staff involved in providing technical drafting support and workability advice to the Sponsors of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has fluctuated since January 2025. As of 1 September 2025, there were 3.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) officials in the Ministry of Justice.

Where required, contributions on specific issues may have been sought from other teams; however, the FTE cannot be accurately quantified for these issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-29 conversation_31

Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Bank of America about establishing a new Belfast operations facility, and what assessment they have made of the benefits that investment will have on the Northern Ireland economy. \p Lord Leong: The UK Government has been working with Bank of America over several years to support their growth in the UK.

Recognizing Northern Ireland’s offer as an investment destination, DBT officials - both in the UK and North America - held a succession of meetings with Bank of America leadership to facilitate an announcement ahead of the State Visit.

This significant investment cements Northern Ireland’s role in the global financial services sector, boosting growth and delivering high value, skilled roles for the people of Northern Ireland.