theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_33
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_33

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flinton 4 September (HL Deb col. 918), what is their estimate of the proportion of newly recognised refugees who are single applicants and of working age. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes data on grants of protection and other leave by age at initial decision in table Asy_D02 of the 'Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release' on GOV.UK. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2025.

In the year ending June 2025, 80% (41,574 people) of grants of protection and other leave at initial decision were to people aged between 18 and 69.

A breakdown by single applicant or family group is not available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_34

Baroness Goudie:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government is committed to safeguarding and advancing children’s rights. The department firmly upholds the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is important for all children, regardless of race, religion or abilities, to have equal civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the system and provision of education, health and care plans for pupils. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: ​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

​This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long. As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are determined to make changes which will restore the trust of parents and ensure that children and young people with SEND, including those with education, health and care (EHC) plans, can achieve and thrive in their education.

​The department is thinking about how we protect effective support for children, but make accessing support less bureaucratic and adversarial, and how we intervene earlier. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND. Any changes we make in future will improve support for children and parents, stop parents from having to fight for support, and protect provision which is currently in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-20 conversation_36

Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Government regarding reported delays to the delivery of the Reaching 100% programme. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: UK Government has maintained regular engagement with the Scottish Government regarding the delivery of its Reaching 100% (R100) programme and continues to work closely with Scottish counterparts to monitor progress and support delivery.

As the contracting authority for R100 and previous superfast broadband contracts in Scotland, the Scottish Government is responsible for administering any penalties for delays under these contracts.

The UK Government has also managed contracts in Scotland under the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme and the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme. These contracts were delivered within agreed timescales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to create an AI Growth Zone in Northern Ireland. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The formal application process for AIGZ opened in April 2025 and we recently announced an AI Growth Zone in North East England. We will be communicating to all formal applicants the outcome of their application shortly and we will move selected sites forward as soon as they are ready.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent findings of the Internet Watch Foundation about AI chatbots that enable users to simulate sexual scenarios with child avatars. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children – regulated services must remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.

The government recognises the need to ensure our legislation keeps pace with changing technologies. The government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill which criminalises possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material. We will not hesitate to strengthen the law further, where necessary, to protect children.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lord Bradshaw:To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of pollution incidents in the Thames Valley were attended by an official from the Environment Agency in 2024, and by what percentage they expect these inspections to rise in 2025. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Environment Agency assesses all reported pollution incidents and targets officer attendance at those posing the highest risk to the environment with 71% of serious and significant water industry pollution incidents being attended in the Thames Area. Attendance in person is not the Environment Agency's only response to reported pollution incidents. For those incidents with low environmental risk, advice and guidance may be provided remotely, and in some cases partners such as the fire service will respond where they are best placed to mitigate the impacts of an incident. The Environment Agency expects a similar level of pollution incident attendance in 2025 but will keep this under regular review.

The Environment Agency recognises that more needs to be done to hold polluters to account and is investing in 500 additional staff to increase regulation of the water industry. The Environment Agency aims to attend all confirmed serious and significant pollution incidents and to increase its attendance at low risk water company pollution incidents.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of telemedicine for first-trimester abortions on the number of criminal prosecutions in England and Wales over the past five years. \p Baroness Levitt: The offences that apply in cases of unlawful abortion are administering drugs to procure an abortion and procuring drugs to cause abortion under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, as well as child destruction under section 1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.

Publicly available Ministry of Justice statistics show the following number of prosecutions brought under those offences:

Proceeded against

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Procuring Illegal Abortion (Sections 58 & 59 Offences Against the Person Act 1861)

2

0

1

0

5

4

4

3

Child Destruction (Section 1 Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929)

1

1

0

0

3

1

1

0

This data is held on a principal-offence basis and therefore reports information relating to the most serious offence that a defendant was dealt for.

The available data does not specify how many of these prosecutions are linked to the use of telemedicine for early medical abortion. The Government has not made an assessment on the connection between the number of prosecutions for unlawful abortions and the availability of telemedicine for early medical abortion.

The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for the policy relating to telemedicine for early medical abortion.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lord Framlingham:To ask His Majesty's Government how many ombudsman bodies exist in the United Kingdom; and who is responsible for their funding. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office is responsible for a subset of public bodies administratively classified as Arm's-Length Bodies, which include Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies, and Non-Ministerial Departments.

There is no statutory definition of "ombudsman" in government, and bodies with varying functions can be labelled as ombudsman

Data on which ALBs are ombudsman bodies, or how they are funded, is not held centrally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Callanan:To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; and what the anticipated timescales are for their completion. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Following the election, this Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Headline findings from the Foreign Secretary's three reviews into Economic Diplomacy, Development and Global Impact will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government why they hold no records of the Duke of York’s official overseas trips as Special Representative prior to 2008, given that he was appointed to the role in 2001; and what steps are being taken to locate these missing files. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office records are retained and managed in accordance with its record retention and disposal policy, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act very seriously. Each request is evaluated individually, and when sensitive information falls within the scope of a request, the relevant exemptions are applied. If a requester is dissatisfied with a response under the FoI Act, they have the right to appeal, and the appeal procedures are outlined in the response. We regularly provide advice and assistance in line with the Information Commissioner's Office guidance on how requests can be better framed to help requesters to gain access to the information they are seeking.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian combatants killed since 7 October 2023, the ratio of this figure against Palestinian civilians killed during the same period, and how that ratio compares with other urban conflicts. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We use data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH), which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It is nonetheless clear that the conflict has been devastating for civilians. It is vital that the ceasefire is sustained, all hostages released, and aid and access to essential services including electricity in Gaza resumed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the impartiality of the experts to which that answer refers regarding death statistics. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: As explained in HL5089, we use data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The United Nations, and its agencies, work under the principle of impartiality. We also consult academic experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine, who have published their research in peer-reviewed publications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the reliability of the figures produced as a result of changes of methodology used by the Gazan Ministry of Health since October 2023. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government uses data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the numbers of those killed in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA obtain their figures from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is often difficult. For example, prior to October 7th 2023, the MoH collected mortality figures from 8 sentinel hospitals across the strip. Unfortunately, many of these hospitals were struck in the conflict and the capacity to collect the data was reduced. After consulting experts, we believe the MoH data to be largely accurate. Some experts have reached the view that the MoH may have underestimated the numbers of injured and dead.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Hughes of Stretford:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran regarding the planned executions of, among others, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have repeatedly called on the Islamic Republic to establish a moratorium on executions, including through a Human Rights Ambassadors' joint statement at the Human Rights Council in October 2024. The UK also helped deliver a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran at the UN Third Committee in November 2024. In January, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights directly with his Iranian counterpart. We will continue to raise rights issues directly with the regime, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support (1) Operation Althea, and (2) the NATO headquarters in Sarajevo, under the Dayton Peace Agreement. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We see both the European Union Force (EUFOR) and NATO as vital for maintaining peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and work closely with our international partners to achieve these goals. We continue to support EUFOR's role in upholding the military aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and engage regularly with EUFOR and the EU Delegation in BiH. We are supporting defence reform and BiH's capacity to counter cyber threats and disinformation. We also support security in BiH through our bilateral contributions, including deploying staff officers to NATO HQ Sarajevo and our programme of defence engagement delivered to BiH's Armed Forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they impose sanctions on individuals who threaten Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty and territorial integrity. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The UK sanctioned Republika Srpska entity leaders Milorad Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic in April 2022 for their attempts to undermine the legitimacy and functionality of BiH. The UK has applied sanctions to others since then. It is UK Government policy not to speculate on future designations, as doing so risks undermining the impact of sanctions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Wharton of Yarm:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of violence against minority groups in Bangladesh. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief. In November 2024, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus who has been vocal about the Interim Government's support for minorities. The UK supports the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights which published their report on human rights violations that occurred during last year's student-led protests. We encourage continued collaboration between the Interim Government of Bangladesh, the United Nations and international partners to build an inclusive, democratic future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on people convicted of a criminal offence who seek employment in the Probation Service. \p Lord Timpson: The vetting process includes review of any convictions that may lawfully be taken into account, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A balanced decision is made regarding offence history, based on the type of offence, the number of offences, and the length of time since the offences were committed.

We offer alternative employment entry schemes (Going Forward into Employment and Standard Plus) for people with lived experience, who would not be able to enter the organisation under the usual vetting routes. These schemes are open to people with recent offending history or who have recently been released from prison. Candidates are thoroughly risk-assessed and considered on a case-by-case basis, for suitable roles within the organisation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rollout of suicide prevention training to prison and probation staff. \p Lord Timpson: All new members of prison staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and all staff who undertake key roles in risk assessment and case management receive specific training related to those roles. An e-learning module has also recently been made available for all staff to access on postvention support following a self-inflicted death in custody. We continue to improve the training that we provide, and we are currently developing a new module on risks, triggers and protective factors.

There are two suicide prevention learning packages for probation staff: a Zero Suicide Alliance package that is required refresher training for all staff, and a package that is completed by all new entrant Professional Qualification in Probation and Probation Service Officers as part of a broader introduction to mental health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison and probation staff have died by suicide in England in the last five years. \p Lord Timpson: His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its dedicated public servants.

The Department offers staff support through its Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which includes a 24-hour confidential helpline. Additionally, there is access to mental health support including wellbeing workshops, confidential counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapies where clinically appropriate. These services can be accessed by employees absent or at work and employees do not have to inform their manager before accessing confidential counselling.

In addition, staff are able to access preventative mental health support in the form of Reflective Sessions where they can discuss with a qualified counsellor the effects of work on life and life on work. These sessions are available to all HMPPS staff via the EAP supplier.

The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The Department’s Shared Operating Platform (SOP) which is used for HR payroll does not have a record of the cause of death for its deceased employees.

Recording a Death in Service as suicide is not something Ministry of Justice staff are able to do as the cause of death is not determined immediately after a Death in Service, but many months or sometimes years later by a Coroner. Coroner’s data is not then retrospectively added to SOP, but is published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 10 March (HL5235), why the guidance was not developed to address matters relating to distributable profits given that, under part 23 of the Companies Act 2006, annual accounts are the relevant accounts for determining whether a distribution is lawful. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The guidance referred to in HL5235 is the FRC's Guidance on the Going Concern Basis of Accounting and Related Reporting (including Solvency and Liquidity risks). This guidance was developed to support companies in completing their 'going concern statement' and not to address matters relating to distributable profits. The Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW) currently prepares guidance on how companies should calculate their distributable reserves.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279), whether they are meeting rural partners to discuss the industrial strategy; and if so, which rural partners they have met so far. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Government recognises that it is essential that the industrial Strategy is informed by the experiences of the individuals, businesses, and local communities it will support. To achieve this, we have been engaging widely across the UK, including with regional stakeholders such as Devolved Governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, Pan-Regional Partnerships and Business Representation Organisations. Additionally, we have worked through our regionally based teams in England to engage with individual Local Authorities, key local businesses, and local networks and organisations in areas where our eight growth driving sectors are located. We are also considering over 3000 responses to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper Consultation, which has included representations from rural areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279), whether "regional growth" mentioned in the Answer includes and accounts for sparsely populated areas or areas classified as predominantly rural. \p Baroness Gustafsson: Regional growth is a core objective of this Industrial Strategy, which will be ambitious and targeted. It will unleash the full potential of our cities and regions, by concentrating efforts on clusters and city-regions with the greatest potential for our growth-driving sectors.

Clusters often cut across local government boundaries, sitting both within and outside of major cities, including extending into in rural areas – particularly for growth-driving sectors which require access to suitable land, water and other natural resources.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to align the UK with the EU Directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, and what assessment they have made of the impact of such alignment on reducing trade barriers with EU. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Government has noted the European Commission’s recent Omnibus proposal to update the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). This Directive will apply to UK companies generating over €450 million in turnover within the EU.

We continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK’s existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools that are emerging, including in the EU, to ensure we can best promote responsible business practices.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Penn:To ask His Majesty's Government what responses they received to questions on transparency and large employers publishing their family-related leave and pay policies following their consultation on the ‘Good Work Plan: Proposals to support families’; and how have they responded to the outcomes of the consultation regarding these questions. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The consultation on publication of parental leave and pay policies was undertaken by the previous government.

This government is committed to supporting working families. The Employment Rights Bill will make the right to request flexible working the default, make Paternity and Parental Leave Day one rights, and will require large employers to produce equality action plans, amongst other measures.

As a result, we do not believe that requiring businesses to publish their family-related leave and pay policies is necessary at this time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what new trade agreements they are discussing with the government of the United States of America. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The UK-US relationship is very strong, with trade of around £300 billion, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on 27 February and agreed to deepen this relationship and to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The Trade Secretary has also been engaging with the US Administration including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to make the case for stronger UK-US trade that benefits both our countries, and will continue to make every effort to support British business.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government how many primary schools in England have no breakfast club provision; and what they believe are the main reasons for this. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils. According to the 2022 School and College Panel, an estimated 22% of primary schools have no provision at all before school, and the remaining 78% have some provision. However, provision is usually charged for, or has limitations on, the number of places available. This figure will shortly be updated to reflect changes in provision since 2022.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government how they have calculated the saving of £450 per family annually resulting from the new breakfast clubs; what proportion of that annual saving is made up of a saving on (1) food, and (2) childcare; and how many children this assumes will attend from each family. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 32965.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 11 December 2024 (HL2971), when they will provide further information about contract extensions and variations to national providers of Skills Bootcamps. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Skills Bootcamps are an important offer in the skills landscape and at present they remain available for learners via national contracts and grant funding in local areas. Existing national contracts remain in place until the end of their term.

We recognise the need for clarity on national contract extensions or variations. The department continues to finalise 2025/26 budgets through the business planning process and will confirm the position as soon as possible.

In the longer term, we intend to fund Skills Bootcamps through funding Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and local areas directly. This supports the government’s commitment to empower local leaders to have greater control of skills development alongside an increased role in supporting people into work.

On 30 January the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government published the final details of the 2025/26 integrated settlements, confirming £18 million of Skills Bootcamps local funding will be devolved to Greater Manchester and West Midlands MCAs next year.

We are currently working through the process to inform non-devolved local areas of their Skills Bootcamps 2025/26 allocations as quickly as we can.

Providers will be able to look for opportunities through contract finders on GOV.UK, with procurement exercises likely to match the skills needs identified in a local area’s local skills improvement plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government how neurodiversity is recognised within the employment practices of the Civil Service. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Civil Service supports neurodivergent employees in all aspects of employment practices in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Whitehall operates effectively, particularly regarding how different departments collaborate and coordinate with one another. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Mission-driven government means a focus on ambitious, long-term goals that require coordination and partnership across government and wider society. This a refocusing of the state onto active delivery across departmental boundaries. The Mission Delivery Unit in my departments works to ensure that all parts of government work together to deliver the Plan for Change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 March (HL5055), how many other commitments in the Civil Service People Plan 2024–27 that are due for completion by the end of March have not yet been met; which specific commitments have not been delayed, downgraded or abandoned; what governance and accountability mechanisms have been used to track delivery; whether any funding allocated to undelivered commitments has been reallocated or returned to the Treasury; and what the revised implementation timelines are for each unmet commitment. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As committed to in the Civil Service People Plan, an Annual Review has been conducted to monitor its progress and to ensure effective delivery. We intend to publish the key findings of the review in due course.

Quarterly progress reports are also provided to the Cabinet Secretary and to the Civil Service People Board to ensure senior level oversight and scrutiny.

We are taking steps to ensure the Plan remains aligned to the government’s priorities and meets the evolving needs of the Civil Service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_25

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and what the current timetables are for the publication of the final proposals and implementation of the changes. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government remains committed to ensuring that the Civil Service Compensation Scheme is fair to individuals and delivers best value for money for the taxpayer.

We are reviewing the consultation launched under the previous administration on reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and will provide an update in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_26

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), why data on senior civil servants registering for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted 12 months after the initiative ended given that the technical report on the evaluation states on page 17 that data would be securely stored for three years before being destroyed. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The privacy statement for the One Big Thing 2023 online platform stated that all personal data collected via the online platform would be deleted within 12 months of the initiative ending. The definition of personal data included the grades of individuals who registered to the Platform. The reference on data storage on page 17 in the technical report was therefore an error, which we will seek to correct.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_27

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether imports from the United States of America to Northern Ireland which are not in transit to the European Union will be subject to EU trade defence measures. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom customs territory and internal market. We are looking closely at the retaliatory tariffs announced by the EU and any impact these might have on Northern Ireland businesses.

Under the Windsor Framework, where US imports into NI do not subsequently enter the EU, traders can reclaim any additional duties through the Duty Reimbursement Scheme in full without any limit on total claims.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report published on 30 January, whether the figures in the report were based on actual registration data or another methodology. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Figures in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report were based on actual registrations to the online platform for One Big Thing 2023. Therefore figures did not include any civil servants who engaged with One Big Thing 2023 components without registering on the online platform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_29

Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what preparations they are making for the review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union due to take place in 2026. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: We are committed to fulfilling the obligations set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement including, in due course, the 2026 review of implementation as per Article 776. The Government is committed to resetting relations with the European Union and enhancing our safety, security and prosperity.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_30

Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), (1) on what date the data on senior civil servants who registered for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted, (2) whether any data was retained beyond the stated 12-month period, and (3) how the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report, published on 30 January, included detailed registration figures by department if the data had been deleted before that point. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Data collected via the One Big Thing 2023 online platform was deleted by 31 December 2024, in line with the platform’s privacy statement. Beyond 31 December 2024, we retained aggregated data on overall registrations and % registrations by department.

The analysis reported in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report was completed before the data was deleted but publication was delayed due to various factors including the General Election.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_31

Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their intention to vacate the Napier Barracks site on or before 25 March. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Following a review and downgrading of the remedial works required at Napier Barracks before the site is handed to developers, a limited time extension has been agreed with the Ministry of Defence to use the site for asylum accommodation until 30 September 2025.

The Home Office continuously reviews the accommodation estate to ensure there is sufficient capacity to meet demand whilst delivering value for money for the UK taxpayer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_32

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people from Ukraine are currently living in the UK under temporary visas, and how many of these people have applied for permanent settlement through the long residence application process. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes statistics relating to entry clearance visas, by nationality, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics’ quarterly release, published on gov.uk. Data on visas issued are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the entry clearance detailed dataset. The latest data relates up to the end of 2024.

Visas granted to Ukraine nationals, by visa type group

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Family

283

287

171

27

43

Other

1,747

2,324

207,802

40,118

19,636

Study

1,411

904

697

603

580

Work

6,926

20,756

8,751

3,550

1,376

Total

10,367

24,271

217,421

44,298

21,635

Notes:

Ukraine scheme visas included under 'Other' visa type group.

A visa grant does not necessarily mean that the person arrived or is currently living in the UK. Additionally, some people may have arrived on a visa in earlier years and remain in the UK. Table does not include Visitor visas.

Information on Settlement can be found within the ‘How many people are granted settlement or citizenship?’ topic within the Immigration System Statistics publication

Grants of settlement on the basis of long residence to Ukraine nationals

Settlement (on the basis of)

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Long Residence

33

12

44

27

25

Notes:

Latest data is up to the end of 2023

A grant of settlement does not necessarily mean that the person is living in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop an exascale computing capability in the United Kingdom. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: Expanding the UK’s compute capability is essential for the development and adoption of AI, scientific research, and improving public services. DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of clusters, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will be fully operational by the summer. When this capacity is live, it will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.

The government set out the further steps it will take to scale-up our compute infrastructure in response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan. This includes commitments to expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) a further 20x by 2030, and to publish a long-term compute strategy. The government is developing this strategy and recognises the importance of large-scale scientific computing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_34

Baroness Rock:To ask His Majesty's Government, following their blog post "Update on the farming budget", published on 12 March, what is the committed expenditure for the next financial year for agreements currently in place under each of the schemes listed; and what funding is available for new agreements under each of those schemes. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The farming blog published on Wednesday 12 March set out Defra’s spend over the next two years (24/25 and 25/26).

Defra will manage that budget flexibly to respond to demand, and achieve our intended outcomes for farm productivity, environment, climate and animal health and welfare.

In line with its obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, Defra regularly publishes an annual report setting out commitments in the previous financial year. Defra intends to publish the annual report for the financial year 2024/25 later this year, which will set out how money was spent in that financial year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_35

Baroness Rock:To ask His Majesty's Government, following their blog post, "Update on the farming budget", published on 12 March, how many Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme applications had been started, but not submitted, by close of business on 11 March. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Sustainable Farming Incentive Expanded Offer (SFI EO) is an online application and by close of business on the 11 March there are 6,626 applications currently started but not submitted on the Rural Payments Portal.

We have closed SFI for new applications on the 11 March because the current SFI budget had been successfully allocated, with large-scale uptake of the scheme and 37,000 live SFI agreements delivering towards our environmental target.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-26)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-26 conversation_36

Baroness Rock:To ask His Majesty's Government, following their blog post "Update on the farming budget", published on 12 March, when they expect (1) to reopen applications under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, and (2) new contracts under the reopened scheme to begin. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We will be reforming the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer to direct funding towards SFI actions which are most appropriate for the least productive land and have the strongest case for enduring public investment.

We expect to publish more information about the reformed SFI offer in summer 2025. This will include an indication of when we expect to re-open SFI for applications.