theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether goods imported to Northern Ireland under the UK-India trade deal will be subject to EU tariffs. \p Baroness Gustafsson: Businesses in Northern Ireland exporting their goods benefit from our free trade agreements just as businesses elsewhere in the United Kingdom do. Businesses exporting from Northern Ireland will therefore benefit from the free trade agreement with India. India originating goods entering Northern Ireland will do so under the terms of the free trade agreement, provided those goods are not at risk of entering the EU. Northern Ireland businesses importing Indian goods can use the schemes established under the Windsor Framework to avoid unnecessary duties, such as the UK Internal Market Scheme or Duty Reimbursement Scheme.
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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer Baroness Merron on 30 May (HL7541), whether they will place a copy of the European Food Safety Authority assessment on the effects of chemical washes applied to chicken in the Library of the House. \p Baroness Merron: Four reports by the European Food Safety Authority assessing the possible effects of chemical washes applied to chicken have been placed in the Library. These are:

- Report of the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health (SCVPH) on Benefits and Limitations of Antimicrobial Treatments for Poultry Carcasses;

- Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health on the Evaluation of Antimicrobial Treatments for Poultry Carcasses;

- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) related to Treatment of poultry carcasses with chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate and peroxyacids; and

- Assessment of the possible effect of the four antimicrobial treatment substances on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.
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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many abortion pills by post have been issued; how many people those pills have been issued to; and of those how many were under 16 years old. \p Baroness Merron: From 28 December 2018, eligible women in England could take the second of the two drugs for early medical abortion (EMA), misoprostol, at home. This was changed from 30 March 2020, to allow eligible women in England to take both drugs for EMA, mifepristone and misoprostol, at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic.

The Department does not hold a record of how many drugs for EMA have been issued. However, from 2019 to 2022, latest available data on home use, for one or both drugs taken at home, for residents of England, there were 481,179 abortions where either one or both of the drugs were taken at home. Of these, 2,127, or 0.4%, were for those aged under 16 years old.

From 2020 to 2022, latest available data on home use, for both drugs taken at home, for residents of England, there were 316,795 abortions where both medications were taken at home. Of these, 1,250, or 0.4%, were for those aged under 16 years old.

Please note, the second set of statistics, both pills taken at home, is included within the first, one or both pills taken at home.
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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many abortions in England have been undertaken for (1) children under 16 years old, and (2) 16-years-olds, in the past five years. \p Baroness Merron: From 2018 to 2022, latest available data, for residents of England, there were 5,853 abortions for those aged under 16 years old, 0.6% of all abortions for English residents, and 9,530 abortions for those aged 16 years old, 0.9% of all abortions for English residents.
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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase protections to the lives of unborn children. \p Baroness Merron: Existing criminal offences relating to foetuses are contained in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929. The Government has no plans to change these.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government how many individual applicants have applied for medical speciality training places across all 65 specialities in 2025, and how many training places are available. \p Baroness Merron: The Department does not hold this information as the 2025 medical specialty recruitment process is still ongoing.
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Lord Young of Acton:To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on stockpiling the adjuvanted zoonotic influenza vaccine (surface antigen, inactivated) since it was authorised by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on 6 October 2023. \p Baroness Merron: The Government has stockpiled over 5,000,000 vaccine doses of the Adjuvanted Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) Seqirus suspension. These are for use in the event of zoonotic infections, and in response to the entry of H5 influenza into the United Kingdom’s population.

The Government entered into contract with Seqirus UK Limited on 26 November 2024 for the supply of these vaccines. Details regarding the cost of this purchase are withheld from publication in accordance with Regulation 50(6)(a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended), due to commercial sensitivity and the need to protect confidential business information.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health impact of removing added nitrites from processed meats, including potential reductions in cancer incidence and pressures on NHS services. \p Baroness Merron: No specific assessment has been made of the public health impact of removing added nitrates and/or nitrites from processed meats. An assessment has been made of the health impact of nitrates/nitrites more generally.

Government advice on red and processed meat consumption is based on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) report Iron and Health, published in 2010. This report concluded that red and processed meat intake is probably associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The report considered nitrates and nitrites, which are preservatives that are added to some processed meats, as one of the plausible mechanisms for this association, and it concluded that the data did not support this, and noted that although such preservatives are permitted in processed meats, not all processed meats will contain these.

Based on the SACN’s conclusions, the Government advises that adults who regularly consume more than 90 grams per day of red and processed meat reduce their consumption to no more than the population average of 70 grams per day. This recommendation is also consistent with advice from the European Food Safety Authority in relation to safe levels for nitrites and nitrates added to meat. Intakes of red and processed meat are monitored through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

All food additives used in food and drink in Great Britain have undergone a rigorous safety assessment before they were authorised.
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Lord Booth:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the uptake of vaccines during the most recent COVID-19 vaccine programme, and when will the autumn/winter COVID-19 vaccine programme begin. \p Baroness Merron: The spring 2025 data, which covers any dose administered from 1 April to 1 June, shows that 55.3% of all people aged 75 years old and over, and 23.3% of all people aged under 75 years old with a weakened immune system, who are living in England, had been vaccinated. Further information is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

An announcement on the autumn vaccination programme is expected shortly. This will be followed by an announcement on the spring 2026 programme later in the year.
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Lord Crisp:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed World Health Organization resolution to make traumatic brain injury a notifiable and chronic condition worldwide and whether they have any plans to support the resolution at the 79th World Health Assembly. \p Baroness Merron: Formal notification and negotiation of proposed resolutions at the World Health Organization (WHO) typically begin in the autumn, including any potential resolution on making traumatic brain injury a notifiable and chronic condition. The United Kingdom gives due consideration to all proposed WHO resolutions and will engage in all resolution negotiations ahead of any adoption at the World Health Assembly, which takes place in May each year. All resolutions to be considered by the World Health Assembly would also be subject to the WHO's budget allocation process.

The UK is committed to addressing traumatic brain injury and we intend to develop an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action or Delivery Plan, with input from NHS England and other Government departments, to be published in the autumn of this year. The forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan will provide the overarching plan for the future of the National Health Service, and a subsequent ABI Plan would then focus on specific actions and deliverables for ABI against the backdrop of the 10-Year Health Plan. This will ensure a coherent, targeted approach. The new ABI Action Plan will be concise, action-oriented, and accountable, in order to drive real change for people with ABI.
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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what institutional governance arrangements exist to facilitate dialogue between civil service networks across government departments. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Cross Civil Service networks are volunteer-led networks. Representatives from these networks are able to come together periodically as a group to discuss appropriate issues. The arrangements for internal dialogue with and between individual departmental networks is a matter for departments.
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Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 16 September 2024 (HL617) stating that the Government were committed to establishing a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, when an announcement on this Commission will be made. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given to PQ HL8292 on 23 June 2025.

Written question from Lord Booth, tabled on 10 June 2025: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April (HL6032), what estimate they have made of the annual cost of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.

Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, on 23 June: We are restoring confidence in government and the highest standards in public life and have already taken steps to improve probity and transparency, including through issuing a new Ministerial Code which highlights the importance of the principles of public life, by strengthening the terms of reference for the Independent Adviser, and by introducing a new monthly Register of Gifts and Hospitality.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 5 February (HL4297), whether the Prime Minister has a (1) direct, or (2) de facto, power of veto on the recommendations of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to the Sovereign to make policy changes on honours, decorations and medals, including changes to (a) the design of medals, and (b) the formal names of orders of chivalry. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the Noble Lady to my answer of 20 January 2025, Official Report, PQ HL3881:

On 8th January 2025 Baroness Finn asked: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 27 November 2024 (HC14966), whether the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals advises the Prime Minister or the Sovereign directly; and whether the Prime Minister can veto decisions by the Committee.

To which Baroness Twycross responded: The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals advises the Sovereign directly.

As noted in our answer to HC 14966, the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary is a member of the committee. This is the mechanism by which the Prime Minister is able to feed into decisions taken by the committee, and the view of the PPS carries equal weight to all other committee members.
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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government how many public inquiries are currently ongoing, what was their total cost last year, and what is their estimated cost for the current year. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: There are currently 18 ongoing public inquiries.

The Cabinet Office does not hold data on the current or projected costs of each public inquiry. Sponsor departments should hold this information for the inquiries under their remit, and, in some cases, it is published on inquiries' own websites.
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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Civil Service Muslim Network receives financial support from departments or other public funds; and if so, how that expenditure is recorded, authorised and scrutinised. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Civil Service Muslim Network (CSMN) is a volunteer collaborative group of Civil Service staff. The majority of staff network time is voluntary. The CSMN network does not hold a budget, but a department can choose to provide support where there is a business case to do so. We are not aware of any such financial support and there has been no central funding.
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Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they maintain a central list of all departmental staff networks; if so, how often that list is updated; and whether that list is published or otherwise accessible to staff and the public. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Responsibility for, and management of departmental diversity networks is delegated to individual departments as the employer. Lists are not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether Cabinet Office ministers worked on site at 70 Whitehall during the industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services Union from 3 to 13 February. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: We do not release location data of Ministers.
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Baroness Pidding:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered placing a moratorium on new contracts with Fujitsu until the public inquiry into the Horizon scandal has concluded. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Procurement Act 2023 enables and, where appropriate, requires the exclusion of suppliers where they pose particular risks to public procurement. The Cabinet Office has issued substantial guidance for departments, available on Gov.uk. The exclusions regime provides a framework within which contracting authorities must consider a supplier’s recent past behaviour and circumstances (or their presence on the debarment list) to determine whether it should be allowed to compete for or be awarded a public contract.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in correspondence deposited in the Houses of Parliament libraries on 4 March 2024 (DEP2024-0247).
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Smith of Malvern on 20 May (HL7185), whether they will now answer the question put; namely what estimate they have made of the number of children who will lose their entitlement to free school meals following the ending of phase one of the transitional protection for those migrating to Universal Credit. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: ​​Transitional protections have been in place since 2018 to ensure no one who gained free school meal (FSM) eligibility would lose it while Universal Credit was rolled out. We are clear that no pupil with transitional protections will lose their entitlement to FSM before the new entitlement is introduced, which will mean that children that need it most, from families receiving Universal Credit, will continue to receive a free meal. Following our expansion of eligibility from September 2026, it is our intention to end all protections.

We estimate that over half a million more children will benefit from a free meal, taking into account the impact of ending transitional protections. Full details of this estimate is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/estimate-of-additional-children-claiming-free-school-meals-following-expansion-of-eligibility/2025.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time taken to process applications for asylum and refugee status; how many applications are outstanding; and what is the longest outstanding time of a current application. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes data on asylum on gov.uk as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision is published in Asy_D03 of the asylum detailed tables. As at 31 March 2025, there were 78,745 cases awaiting an initial decision.

The average time taken to process claims is not currently available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost. However, the Home Office publishes on gov.uk the age of cases awaiting an initial decision in table Asy_02 of the Immigration and Protection transparency data. As at 31 March 2025, 58% of cases that were awaiting an initial decision had been waiting for more than 6 months, and 31% of the total cases had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 12 months.

The longest outstanding time for a claim awaiting an initial decision is not currently available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.
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Lord Mann:To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum claims from Eritreans have been (1) lodged, and (2) accepted or refused, since 2014. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: 2014, 35,611 Eritreans have claimed asylum. In the same timeframe, 26,594 were granted protection or other leave and 5,157 were refused.
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Lord Wharton of Yarm:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help the government of Bangladesh to extradite individuals in the United Kingdom who are accused of corruption in Bangladesh. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: All extradition requests received by the UK are subject to an independent legal process, with clear safeguards and protections set out in the Extradition Act 2003. The UK Government does not intervene in any of these judicial decisions.
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Lord Caine:To ask His Majesty's Government what checks are being carried out by the Police Service of Northern Ireland at or near the border with the Republic of Ireland on vehicles travelling into Northern Ireland in order to prevent illegal migration. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative relationship on migration and border security, and we are jointly committed to protecting the Common Travel Area and safeguarding it from abuse.

The CTA supports the long-standing principle of free movement for British and Irish citizens between the UK, Ireland, and Crown Dependencies and the Government is committed to maintaining these arrangements. Non-British or Irish individuals arriving in the UK, including those crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, are required to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework.

There are – and will continue to be – no routine immigration controls on the Ireland-Northern Ireland land border, nor on journeys within the Common Travel Area (CTA).

The Police Service of Northern Ireland are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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Lord Wharton of Yarm:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any approach has been made to them by Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, regarding a request to settle in the United Kingdom. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
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Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed terminal expansions at (1) London Gateway, and (2) the Port of Tilbury, and the resulting impact on available rail paths and infrastructure capacity, \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Network Rail fully understands the expansion plans at both London Gateway Port and the Port of Tilbury and is assessing how the predicted uplift in traffic due to the terminal expansions can be accommodated.

Steps have already been taken to support rail freight growth out of both ports. Network Rail has worked with freight operators and London Gateway Port to accommodate the increase in freight traffic following the recent Gemini Alliance switch away from the Port of Felixstowe.
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Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to issuing a safeguarding direction to protect the alignment of the former Lewes to Uckfield line in order to enable its future use to relieve congestion on the London to Brighton line. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department for Transport does not intend to issue a safeguarding direction for the re-opening of the rail line between Lewes and Uckfield.

The Department is committed to improving rail services in the South East and we recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. We will continue to work with stakeholders across the transport industry to identify investments that drive economic growth, deliver value for money for taxpayers, and are affordable.
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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, or was given by the recent review of HS2 by James Stewart, to estimate the final additional cost of completing the HS2 project; and whether they have given any consideration to cancelling the project. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: We recognise the scale of the challenges highlighted by James Stewart and we accept his findings on HS2 in full, including all the recommendations on cost control. This government is committed to implementing these recommendations.

On 18 June, the Transport Secretary made an oral statement to the House on the current status of HS2, explaining the cost and schedule pressures the project is facing and that she has tasked new HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild with resetting the programme

Mark Wild has delivered his initial assessment, which was published alongside the Transport Secretary's oral statement, and is currently undertaking a comprehensive reset of the programme which will provide a realistic budget and schedule to deliver the remaining works.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what the route will be of the Transpennine Route Upgrade proposed in their UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, published on 19 June. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The TransPennine Route Upgrade is an £11 billion infrastructure programme which will increase capacity, improve reliability, and journey times on the rail route between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
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Lord Ravensdale:To ask His Majesty's Government when the alliance is planned to be procured to deliver the Midlands Rail Hub. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Following the Chancellor's commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub in the 2025 Spending Review the procurement of the alliance that will design and deliver Midlands Rail Hub is currently ongoing.
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Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announcement on 18 June of a single leadership team for Southeastern and Network Rail’s Kent Route, what power they rely on to enable the formation of this single leadership team, and what governance processes will be in place to manage any potential conflicts of interest under current legislation. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: A single leadership team is achieved through contractual arrangements between Network Rail, the train operating company and DfT Operator Limited. The legal arrangements are based on those used in previous alliancing arrangements between Network Rail and train operators. These organisations will still be held to account for their respective accountabilities (including Network Rail under its network licence). Governance mechanisms being put in place include clear job descriptions for the single leadership team detailing the extent of their decision-making abilities and an escalation process for any perceived conflicts.
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government how many charging points for electric vehicles (1) are available, and (2) have been confirmed in each the next three years, at service stations on each motorway. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: There has been strong progress from industry on the rollout of chargepoints on our Strategic Road Network (England’s motorways and major A-roads). There are now over 5,560 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (excluding Tesla-only superchargers) within one mile of the Strategic Road Network (Zapmap, April 2025), which includes over 1180 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints specifically at motorway service areas in England, (industry data, April 2025). This means charger numbers on the Strategic Road Network, including at motorway services, have nearly quadrupled in the last three years (Zapmap and industry data, 2022 – 2025).

Government is continuing to work closely with industry to support their ambitious plans to continue rolling out chargepoints at sites to meet demand, and to address barriers to further roll-out.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of emerging cybersecurity risks as a result of public use of artificial intelligence technologies such as automated vehicles. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: As AI adoption increases and cyber threats evolve, we must ensure systems are being developed securely and avoid putting personal safety or data at risk. The government’s approach is to ensure technology is ‘secure by design’ with minimum standards of cyber security built in to reduce the security burden on users. The new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice, produced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), is part of this approach and helps organisations develop and deploy AI systems securely.

The NCSC has also produced advice and guidance to help individuals understand the cyber security risks of using AI tools. The AI Security Institute builds on the expertise of our NCSC to understand how AI could be used to help malicious actors commit cyber attacks.

Cyber security is at the heart of the government’s priorities for the roll-out of automated vehicles. The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 places obligations on vehicle manufacturers to maintain vehicle software and ensure there are appropriate cyber security measures in place throughout its service life.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more workers and small businesses to adopt artificial intelligence in their day-to-day operations. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are committed to the widespread diffusion of AI across the UK. To ensure workers feel confident using AI in their day-to-day operations, we are partnering with 11 companies to train 7.5 million UK workers with essential AI skills by the end of the decade, ensuring the UK workforce can thrive in an AI-enabled economy. We have also recently announced an AI Adoption Fund alongside regional business support. These measures will provide businesses with the targeted expertise and skills they need to integrate AI into their business models, fuelling growth.
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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits to Northern Ireland of the UK–India free trade agreement. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The UK–India Free Trade Agreement is estimated to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, boost UK GDP by £4.8 billion and raise wages by £2.2 billion annually in the long term.

Northern Ireland is expected to benefit from enhanced export opportunities, job creation, and reduced costs. Advanced manufacturing will benefit from eliminated tariffs on aerospace, medical technologies and electronics products. Irish whiskey will see tariffs fall from 150% to 40% over 10 years. Northern Ireland’s services and tech sectors will benefit from improved market access.

An Impact Assessment will be published at signature, which details the benefits to Northern Ireland.
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Lord Cruddas:To ask His Majesty's Government what processes they will introduce to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises can access and benefit from UK–US trade deal provisions. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The government remains relentlessly focused on making sure British businesses, including SMEs, can feel the benefits of the deal as soon as possible.

On 16 June the US confirmed that certain UK aerospace products will no longer be subject to US tariffs. We have also secured agreement from the US that they will expedite the agreed quota for car exports to the US, reducing US tariffs from 27.5% to 10%. This will support businesses of all sizes in these sectors.

We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, enhancing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains, including for SMEs.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of international conflicts on the oil market, and whether they intend to implement measures to reduce the effect of such external shocks on the UK economy. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: Oil and gas markets are well supplied and functioning normally. Though they have responded to events in the Middle East, prices remain within the bounds we have seen over the last year.

The Government's Clean Energy Superpower Mission, supported by the largest investment in home-grown clean energy in British history, will enhance energy security by boosting our energy independence, protecting billpayers, and reducing exposure to global supply shocks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Lord Harris of Haringey:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield on 16 June (HL7934), whether the four fires referred to include the fires at the substations in Huddersfield on 17 March 2025, in Hayes on 20 March 2025, near Lakeside Retail Park on 10 April 2025, and in Maida Vale on 29 April 2025; whether these were the only fires in substations in the last five years of which they are aware; and whether they are satisfied that all such fires are reported. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: To clarify, five substation fires were reported to Government in the last five years, not four. In 2025, Government was informed of the fire at North Hyde Substation in Hayes in March, the fire at Aberdeen Place Substation in Maida Vale in April, and the fires at Exeter Substation and St John’s Wood Substation in May. In September 2021, Government was informed of the fire at Sellindge Substation.

Although rare, fires occasionally occur on the electricity network. DESNZ was not notified of the fires in Huddersfield and near Lakeside Retail Park in Brynmawr as these incidents fell below well-established incident reporting thresholds with industry. These thresholds are set so Government can monitor any potential or actual impact to customer supplies and act where necessary.
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Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government what monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of government-funded youth programmes. \p Baroness Twycross: We conduct and commission a number of robust evaluations, surveys and research projects to assess the effectiveness of government-funded youth programmes. Each evaluation follows Central Government guidance for evaluation detailed in the Magenta Book. Monitoring and evaluation is embedded into programme design and youth evaluations explore a variety of questions, often including the impact of programmes and their effectiveness. Progress in delivering evaluations is reported as part of youth programme governance structures and evaluation reports are published on GOV.UK.
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Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government when the promised national youth strategy will be published; and how they will address the concerns raised by stakeholders regarding funding and support for youth services. \p Baroness Twycross: We acknowledge the challenges facing the sector and the changing needs of the young people it supports. That is why this government has launched the co-production of an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which will be developed together with young people and the youth sector. The new National Youth Strategy is being co-produced with cross-sector input from stakeholders working with and for young people, particularly drawing on the connections and expertise of the youth sector. We have run engagement sessions in partnership with a range of services, to ensure the strategy can advise and support the youth sector effectively.

This strategy will aim to better coordinate youth services, as well as move away from one-size-fits all approaches from central government, bringing power back to young people and their communities and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector.

We will be publishing the strategy in the autumn.
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Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the potential effects of reduced youth work funding on youth centres, employment of youth workers, and the availability of safe spaces for young people. \p Baroness Twycross: This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. We know that youth workers are vital to these services, building trusted relationships and creating safe spaces for young people. We also, however, acknowledge the challenges facing the sector and the changing needs of the young people it supports. That is why this government has launched the co-production of an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which will be developed together with young people and the youth sector. The Strategy will be published in the autumn.

DCMS will invest £145 million in youth programmes in 2025-26, which is consistent with funding in 24/25. This investment will provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can access opportunities, as we transition to the National Youth Strategy.

We have commissioned research to assess the impact of reductions of youth services, including the 2023 ‘Youth Provision and Life Outcomes research’ which aimed to understand the impact youth clubs have on local areas.
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Lord Mohammed of Tinsley:To ask His Majesty's Government why the current allocation for youth programmes is reportedly less than the £191.8 million allocated in 2021, according to analysis by UK Youth. \p Baroness Twycross: We fully recognise the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential.

We also, however, acknowledge the challenges facing the sector and the changing needs of the young people it supports. That is why this government has launched the co-production of an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which will be developed together with young people and the youth sector.

We also committed to maintaining or increasing funding for our other youth programmes, following the closure of NCS. DCMS will invest £145 million in youth programmes in 2025-26, which is consistent with funding in 24/25, taking into consideration the planned tapering of the Youth Investment Fund. This investment will provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can access opportunities, as we transition to the National Youth Strategy. This includes over £28 million to increase access to more and better enriching activities, over £3 million to increase sector and workforce capacity, £8.2 million to improve local youth offers, and over £107 million to invest in ensuring safe, welcoming, fit-for purpose youth centres.

Additionally, on 2nd June we announced £132.5 million of Dormant Assets Funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.
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Lord Robathan:To ask His Majesty's Government how many hares they estimate are shot each year. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra holds no official statistics on the number of hares shot in England each year and therefore makes no official estimate. We are however aware of a number of estimates made by stakeholder groups which range markedly from the low tens of thousands to the low hundreds of thousands.
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Lord Robathan:To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have on changes in the population of hares in England and Wales over the past 30 years. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: There has been a historic decline of brown hares in Britain, predominantly shown through the game bag records, but there is some uncertainty about whether that decline is continuing. The British Trust for Ornithology’s Breeding Bird Survey (Heywood et al, 2025), which records mammals as well as birds, shows an increasing trend of 47% in the English population of brown hare between 1996 and 2023. However, other sources, such as the game bag records and A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals (Mathews et al, 2018), consider the population to be stable.

Mountain hares, which became extinct in England around 6,000 years ago, were translocated from Scotland to the Peak District National Park in the 1870s. They are now showing a continuing decline in population and a recent study by Bedson et al (2025) has shown a decline of 58% over seven years from 3,562 hares to 1,038 hares (2017-2024), putting them at risk of another extinction in England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to set out a timetable and a strategy for expanding the number of National Landscapes. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations.

Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural England have made the decision to stop work on some of the planned programme. Other elements of the programme, including the Surrey Hills boundary review and potential new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds, are being maintained and progressed as the work was further advanced.

Defra is prioritising supporting our existing Protected Landscapes to ensure they remain a source of national pride. We are committed to empower them to become greener, wilder and more accessible.
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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to take forward changes to low-welfare activities abroad.
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Lord Robathan:To ask His Majesty's Government how many reports have been made to police of illegal hare coursing since the Hunting Act 2004 came into force. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Hare coursing or poaching are not crimes which the police must record and notify to the Government. Where violence or intimidation are part of any hare coursing or poaching the most common crimes that could be recorded would be violence with injury, violence without injury or public order crimes where threats are used. However, there is no means of identifying if these are connected to hare coursing or poaching and for this reason the Government does not hold the information.