theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_47

Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated to (1) the police service, and (2) the fire and rescue service in 2025–26 to cover the cost of the rise in employers' National Insurance contributions; what methodology they used to calculate the amount allocated to each service; and what methodology they used to calculate the funding allocated to (a) standalone fire and rescue authorities, and (b) fire and rescue services that are part of a county council. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: As of 1 April 2025, Ministerial responsibility for Fire transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Home Office retains Ministerial responsibility for policing.

Home Office has paid £230.3 million of funding for territorial police forces to cover the costs of the increases to National Insurance Contributions. Funding for National Insurance increases to the police is allocated according to total workforce headcount shares as at 31 March 2024.

In recognition of the decision to increase employer National Insurance Contributions, MHCLG has provided £515 million to local authorities in England. This includes standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities, as well as Fire and Rescue Authorities that are part of a county council. Allocations are based on local authorities’ net current expenditure.

Payments to local authorities are un-ringfenced to allow for discretion over the use of funds in their area. This funding can be used to mitigate the additional costs of employer National Insurance Contributions within direct, commissioned, and externally provided local services, for example.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Baroness Jenkin of Kennington:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the (1) funding, and (2) engagement, with the band Kneecap, with reference to the guidance published on 14 March 2024 Government's principles of engagement. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: I refer the Noble Lady to the answer I gave on 22nd May to question UIN HL7319 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Lord Nash:To ask His Majesty's Government, following their press release of 15 May 2025 "Covid fraud investigations to be led by Insolvency Service", whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the internal review into the performance and governance of the National Investigation Service. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The internal review is connected to the initial report by the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA), confirming concerns regarding NATIS governance and recoveries reporting. This process is ongoing. Once the GIAA process is complete, we will assess the report's contents, and will provide further information at the appropriate time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Lord Mawson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the financial viability of running a small or medium-sized building company and (2) the main financial challenges of running a small or medium-sized building company. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Construction is a cyclical industry, and the financial viability of firms can be affected by a range of factors, including the state of the market, commercial negotiations in relation to contracts, liabilities incurred, and the price of wages, products and materials. Small firms in the construction supply chain are also vulnerable to late or non-payment, which is why the Government has taken steps to improve payment reporting, and is committed to publishing a consultation on legislative measures to ensure prompt and fair payment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 13 May (HL7133), whether the remit of the UK Battery Strategy Taskforce includes considerations of standardised battery health testing for electric vehicles. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The role and remit of the UK Battery Strategy Taskforce has evolved since its inception, and the publication of the UK Battery Strategy, in 2023.

The Taskforce consistently uses their collective expertise to provide a robust challenge function to assist the Department for Business and Trade achieve a successful and effective implementation of the UK Battery Strategy.

Whilst its remit does not directly include consideration of standardised battery health testing for electric vehicles, the Taskforce seeks to identify important knowledge gaps where further research and/or evidence gathering should be considered.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Lord Bellingham:To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis society lotteries and external lotteries are subject to a mandatory gambling levy, while the National Lottery and commercial prize draw operators are not. \p Baroness Twycross: The government’s priority is to ensure funding is directed where it is needed most to deliver our objective to further understand and reduce gambling-related harms. That is why we have appointed UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and NHS England, together with appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, as lead commissioning bodies for research, prevention and treatment. Decisions on how levy funds are spent within research, prevention and treatment lie with commissioning leads. We are also establishing robust governance structures to ensure the core aims of the levy are met and we expect to publish an Annual Levy Report each year setting out the use of the levy and impact against objectives.

The levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission licence, ranging from 1.1% to 0.1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) and is expected to raise around £90 million to £100 million per year.

The Gambling Act 2005 is clear that all gambling activity licensed by the Gambling Commission is in scope of the levy, including society lotteries. However, to minimise disruption, these operators will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%, in recognition of the low rates of harm associated with participation in society lotteries and the important benefits they bring to good cause fundraising. This 0.1% will be charged as a proportion of proceeds retained after good causes. Under the terms of the fourth licence, the National Lottery operator, Allwyn, is already required to make a £1.6 million annual contribution to socially responsible purposes such as research and treatment. Commercial prize draws are not regulated as a gambling product under the Gambling Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Sugg:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to counter efforts to roll back the rights of women and girls globally. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting women and girls around the world and countering the rollback of their hard-won rights and freedoms. We will continue to be a champion for women and girls across the world by showing up and making our voice heard, including though our influence at the UN and other multilateral organisations and through the work of Baroness Harman as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls. We will stand in solidarity with women's rights organisations who are on the frontline of tackling rollback, including by driving innovation to generate sustainable funding flows for women's rights. We remain committed to promoting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including safe abortion, in the face of global rollback.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Primarolo:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current access to healthcare for Palestinians in Gaza. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The situation regarding healthcare facilities in Gaza is dire. The World Heath Organisation (WHO) reports that 94 per cent of hospitals are damaged or destroyed and the remaining functional hospitals, including Nasser Hospital, are overwhelmed. We continue to frequently and energetically engage with our Israeli counterparts to protect healthcare facilities and workers. We have been clear that we expect Israel to transparently investigate all attacks against humanitarians and to hold those responsible to account.

On 1 May, the Minister for the Middle East announced a £7.5 million package of support to bolster vital medical care in Gaza and the region, which includes additional funding for UK-Med, WHO Egypt and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) Humanitarian Fund. UK funding to UK-Med has supported over 500,000 patient consultations across Gaza.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Primarolo:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The situation in Gaza remains intolerable. Over 58,000 people have been killed, and 875 people have been killed at or near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, trying to access aid. Over 90 per cent of the population have been displaced, many repeatedly. The recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) snapshot report found that the whole of Gaza faces a critical risk of famine, and that half a million people are facing starvation.

The UK is taking steps to help those in need. Through our support at least 647,000 have received food and almost 300,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

On 28 April the UK announced a package of support for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including £101 million for humanitarian aid, support for Palestinian economic development, and strengthening Palestinian Authority governance and reform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Primarolo:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise a Palestinian State. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the greatest impact and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood. That is why we welcomed Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohamad Mustafa to London in April. During the visit, we announced a package of £101 million which included support for governance reforms in the PA, and signed a UK-PA Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 June (HL8925), whether any of the non-governmental actors whom the Director of the Gulf Strategic Fund Programme met in Bahrain have a public record of speaking out on human rights issues in Bahrain. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: As set out in the response to PQ HL8925, this was a working level visit by the Gulf Strategy Fund Manager, not at senior or Director level. The Government does not hold the information requested on the non-governmental interlocutors he met.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Arab Parliament’s defence of Algeria’s religious freedom record, what assessment they have made of restrictions on religious freedom faced by Christian communities in Algeria. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe. Our Embassy in Algiers raises FoRB with the Algerian authorities, doing so most recently when our Ambassador met the Minister of Religious Affairs on 10 February. Our Embassy remains in regular contact with minority religious groups on how best to support FoRB. We will continue to raise the issue and advocate for freedom of expression, including for Christian communities in Algeria.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation of children in Syria, including those held in camps and detention and rehabilitation facilities in north-east Syria; and what assistance they are providing for child-focused humanitarian initiatives in that country. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: There are over seven million children in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria and more than two million out of school. Through INGOs and UN organisations, the UK aims to help children across the country, including in North-East Syria, through multi-sectoral support including water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), education, health, nutrition and child protection services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Boateng:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the online auction of a human female half skeleton by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 14 July, whether they plan to issue advice to relevant trade associations, internet auctioneers, and regulatory authorities, to regulate or prevent the further sale of human remains and body parts. \p Baroness Twycross: This government calls on all auction houses to scrutinise their activities and for anyone trading in human remains to consider carefully the ethical implications of this activity which many understandably find deeply disturbing. All human remains should be treated with respect and dignity. This did not happen with this sale. I have written to Richard Winterton Auctioneers and other relevant bodies to raise concerns about this issue. UK auction houses currently set their own standards and best practice, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will meet with the Department for Health and Social Care in the Autumn to discuss the sale of human remains at auction and online.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people received a driving lessons grant from the Motability scheme in each of the past five years, broken down by the qualifying benefits those people received in each year. \p Baroness Sherlock: Data about the receipt of driving lesson grants from the Motability Scheme is not held by the Department.

The Motability Scheme is overseen by the Motability Foundation and is delivered by Motability Operations Ltd.

Motability is independent of the government and is wholly responsible for the terms and administration of the Scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many households received aggregate annual benefits, including Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, housing support and other entitlements, in excess of (1) £50,000, (2) £60,000, and (3) £70,000, in each of the past five years; and what proportion of those households included (a) more than one child, (b) a claimant of disability benefits, and (c) a foreign national. \p Baroness Sherlock: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government how many passports and driving licences have been removed from paying parents as a result of them not paying their child maintenance. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Department for Work and Pensions uses sanctions such as sending Paying Parents to prison, disqualifying them from holding, or obtaining a passport or driving licence as a last resort and only used when every other method of recovering unpaid child maintenance has been tried. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) on behalf of the Department only pursues these sanctions when they believe the Paying Parent can pay but is refusing to do so. In these circumstances enforcement powers will have a deterrent effect on Paying Parents.

From the latest Child Maintenance Service official statistics, table 6.2, in the National tables, provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The latest statistics show there were three immediate passport confiscations and seven immediate driving disqualifications in Great Britain between July 2019 and March 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for businesses in Northern Ireland of European Union retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the United States. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government continues to closely monitor the impact on Northern Ireland of any potential changes in global tariff rates, and notes the US letter of 12 July to the EU and subsequent pausing of any EU retaliatory measures until at least August.

Should EU countermeasures come into effect, in line with the agreed protection measures of both the UK and EU markets, a limited subset of US goods moving into Northern Ireland may be impacted. Where these goods do not subsequently enter the EU, the Duty Reimbursement Scheme enables traders to reclaim or remit any additional duties, without any limit on total claims. The UK remains fully committed to implementing the Windsor Framework in good faith and protecting the UK internal market.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total value of the 12 contracts issued to Fujitsu in the last 12 months; and how many of these were new contracts rather than transitional arrangements. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The timeline for completing assessments of suppliers who have engaged in poor performance or professional misconduct is dependent on the circumstances of each individual case.

The impact of the Horizon scandal on postmasters and their families has been horrendous. The Government is determined to hold those responsible to account and will continue to seek to make rapid progress on compensation and redress. Fujitsu’s role in Horizon is one of the issues currently being reviewed by Sir Wyn Williams’s statutory inquiry. The Government are carefully considering volume 1 of the report. Once the inquiry has established the full facts, we will review its final report and consider any further action, where appropriate.

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

Individual contracting authorities are responsible for the award and management of contracts. With regard to scrutiny during procurement processes, 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.

The National Procurement Policy Statement asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money.

To provide transparency, the government regularly publishes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for its most important contracts, and the performance of the vendor against those KPIs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the effective implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme released on 1 July. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: On 1 July 2025, FIRS was officially launched. To ensure effective implementation, the Home Office has a Case Management Team recruited and trained to administer the scheme, a web portal that is fully operational and detailed published guidance available online. The Government is also continuing to engage with those who may need to register to ensure they understand the requirements during the grace period which ends on 1 October.

There will also be an annual report laid before Parliament on the operation of FIRS. This will include the number of registrations under the scheme, together with the number of people charged and prosecuted for failing to comply with the scheme’s requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the 2024 asylum support rates review; and why that review has not yet been made publicly available. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: As per standard practice, a report on the 2024 review of weekly allowances paid to asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers will be published on gov.uk in due course. In reviewing the rates, the 2024 review utilised the same methodology as the 2023 review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Murray of Blidworth:To ask His Majesty's Government how many engines for small boats which have been used to facilitate illegal entry to the UK have been seized since 4 July 2024. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Since 4 July 2024, Border Force has seized a total of 794 engines for small boats used to make dangerous and unnecessary crossings of the Channel.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Murray of Blidworth:To ask His Majesty's Government how many engines for small boats intended for use by those seeking to enter the UK illegally have been seized since 4 July 2024. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Since 4 July 2024, Border Force has seized a total of 871 small boats used to make dangerous and unnecessary crossings of the Channel.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people moved to the UK through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024, and (4) 2025. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: It has been over four years since the ARAP was launched, and as of the 31 March 2025, has seen 21,316 principals and their family members already relocated to the UK.

Over 12,800 people have been successfully resettled under the ACRS since 2021 and over half of these arrivals have been children and a quarter women.

Data on the number of Eligible Persons resettled under ARAP and ACRS in the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 is available in the quarterly published immigration statistics on GOV.UK.

For a summary of the data, see the resettlement section of the How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’ chapter; for detailed data, see table Res_D02 of the asylum and resettlement data sets.

The above is the best available operational data, as of 31 March 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue with the immigration reforms introduced by the Home Secretary as part of the Plan for Change. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May, set out proposed reforms to restore order, control and fairness to the legal migration system, reduce net migration, and promote economic growth.

On 1 July changes to the Immigration Rules were set out to deliver the first set of reforms:

Work is underway to deliver the wider measures announced in the White Paper with further updates to follow in due course. We will set out further measures around asylum and border security later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cybersecurity implications of incorporating remote digital testing platforms into the forthcoming Home Office English Language Testing contract, and how they will ensure data security and fraud prevention across 142 countries. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office is currently conducting Market Engagement to gather market insights on newly available and emerging technology in relation to remote testing, and the viability of incorporating this into the HOELT service.

Before any decision can be made to formally include remote testing as part of the Home Office English Language Testing contract, the Home Office would ensure a full Cyber Security Assessment including a Threat Assessment is conducted to ensure compliance with Home Office Policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how Afghans who are at risk due to their work with the UK or on women's rights can relocate to the UK. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Over 35,000 individuals have been relocated to the UK through our Afghan schemes, which were specifically designed to support those who worked with the UK government, assisted in UK efforts in Afghanistan, or stood up for values such as democracy and human rights. These schemes closed on the 1 July 2025.

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Hain:To ask His Majesty's Government how many arrests have been made following the proscription of Palestine Action; and how many, if any, of such arrests were made for (1) protesting peacefully, and (2) protesting violently. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Enforcement of the criminal law is an operational matter for the police.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government why they have closed the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and why they did not give advance notice of those closures. \p Lord Coaker: Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has been in operation for over four years and over 95% of all applications are now found to be ineligible. This Government has been clear that resettlement schemes cannot be an indefinite process. Over 19,000 individuals have now relocated to the UK under ARAP.Those who have submitted an application will be duly processed.

Over 13,200 people have also been successfully resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) since 2021. We will continue to honour our commitments to those who have already been found eligible for ACRS and ARAP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

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Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased use of (1) heat pumps, and (2) electric cars, on electricity demand; and whether they anticipate that this will result in (a) increased prices for consumers, and (b) increased use of gas-fired power stations, or importation of electricity. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: As part of their advice on delivering Clean Power 2030*, the National Energy System Operator found that electricity demand growth of approximately 11% by 2030 would be required to electrify transport, heat and industry at the pace required to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution emissions target for 2030. This advice also found that overall costs to consumers would not increase from the shift to a clean power system whilst unabated gas should provide less than 5% of Great Britain’s generation in a typical weather year.

*Clean Power 2030 | National Energy System Operator
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Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Energy System Operator’s estimate that network delays could add £4.2 billion to consumer energy bills by 2030; and what steps they are taking to minimise these costs to consumers. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: Upgrading and expanding the electricity network is critical to the government’s mission of making Britain a Clean Energy Superpower. NESO analysis suggests that bringing forward critical transmission network projects and avoiding delays to wider network build could deliver savings of approximately £4bn in 2030 by reducing constraint costs. That is why we are taking bold steps to accelerate infrastructure build, speed up planning, and reform grid connections.

Over the past year alone, we’ve delivered the most significant investment in clean, homegrown energy in British history, laying the foundations for a clean, secure future energy system that protects bill payers.
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Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's current energy security in the light of increasing reliance on intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar; and what steps are being taken to ensure a resilient and reliable electricity grid. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: Great Britain is expected to have sufficient supplies of electricity and gas to meet consumers’ demands over the short and long-term (Statutory Security of Supply Report 2024). The UK’s diverse power mix reduces dependence on one generation source, ensuring security of supply in a range of conditions. By complementing renewables with flexible capacity, we ensure we can meet demand no matter the weather.

Through the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, we have taken significant steps to ensuring a resilient electricity grid, including reforming grid connections, streamlining the planning system, and supporting investment in supply chains and green jobs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_27

Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned or will publish a detailed feasibility assessment of the Clean Power 2030 target, including projected generation capacity, system balancing requirements, and potential risks to energy affordability and security. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: On 23 August 2024, the Government commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to provide practical advice on achieving a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. NESO consulted publicly in September and October 2024 on its approach and assumptions and published its advice in November 2024. We accepted independent advice from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), on the energy infrastructure required to deliver Clean Power 2030. Last December, we launched our Clean Power 2030 Action Plan which set out a detailed plan for achieving the target of clean power by 2030.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_28

Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent to date on advertising, branding and marketing in relation to the establishment of Great British Energy; and what the projected total expenditure is for these activities. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: Spend by Great British Energy will be published in the usual way through annual reports and accounts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_29

Lord Offord of Garvel:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of wind and solar generation was curtailed in each of the past three years, and what the estimated cost of this curtailment was to taxpayers and bill-payers. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system and managing constraints. Constraint payments are part of Balancing Use of System charges and NESO publishes total balancing costs, which are paid for by energy users and totalled £1.7bn in 2024. Published costs are not split between different types of generators.

Constraints are a natural part of operating an efficient electricity system and constraint payments are used around the world. However, Government is working to reduce constraints and improve energy security by accelerating the building of new electricity network infrastructure to increase capacity on the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_30

Lord Krebs:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to include disabled people in policy making in (1) the Department for Transport, and (2) Active Travel England. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department is committed to delivering a transport network which puts passengers and their needs at its heart. A key facet to this is seeing disabled passengers able to make the journeys they want and need – doing this easily, confidently, with dignity and without extra cost.

The Department has created the People and Equalities Centre of Excellence to further drive the Department’s focus on delivering for every passenger, including those with protected characteristics, and utilises the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, as its statutory adviser on transport accessibility, to support and review transport policies.

We are committed to discharging our responsibility to give due regard to protected characteristics, set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Equality Act more widely, when developing and delivering transport policy.

We regularly engage with disabled people’s organisation and other representatives covering visible and less visible disabilities. For example, in the development of the Department's Integrated Transport Strategy, the team have run ‘people’s panels’ for disabled people and neurodivergent people to allow their views to be heard, reviewed and included, as we prepare this key strategy. Similarly, in producing an Accessibility Roadmap for Rail (due to be published later this year), we have built on recent years research and engagement to ensure that it is focused on the right actions, and are engaging with accessibility organisations on the draft itself.

Active Travel England (ATE) does not set policy. ATE routinely works with Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and disabled representative organisations to improve its output.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_31

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made to ensure that every platform has level boarding at the new Old Oak Common station. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Old Oak Common station provides full street to platform step-free access, with HS2 platforms designed to offer full level boarding. Platforms serving the Elizabeth Line and conventional rail services have been designed to accommodate different kinds of rolling stock that have different boarding heights. Therefore, the national standard platform height of 915mm has been used in their design. The government recognises that there are potential benefits for passengers using the Elizabeth Line if full level boarding could be provided at Old Oak Common for these services. The Department has instructed further work from HS2 Ltd to understand the technical feasibility and to mitigate any potential operational impacts of providing level boarding for the Elizabeth Line. All the evidence to enable a final decision on this matter is expected by the end of this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_32

Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to paragraph 5.80 of the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June, what estimates or forecasts have been made of (1) the rail passenger services subsidy, (2) passenger ridership, (3) passenger revenue, and (4) efficiencies and savings through public ownership, for each of the financial years until 2029–30. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Rail passenger services subsidy is expected to reduce by over 50 per cent from £2.4 billion in 2024-25.

The Spending Review settlement assumes that passenger revenue increases by an average of 6 per cent per annum over the period.

Public ownership will result in a reduction in the fees paid to private sector operators and enable efficiencies to be delivered through horizontal integration of operators. Costs are assumed to increase by less than revenue each year, resulting in the net subsidy reduction.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_33

Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had since January with trades unions representing railway workers about harmonising pay and conditions as between employees of formerly privately-owned train-operating companies. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Secretary of State has not met with the rail trade unions to discuss changes to pay and conditions. These matters are for employers to discuss with their union representatives, regardless of whether publicly or privately owned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_34

Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government why the price point of £37,000 or under was chosen as the entry point for the Electric Car Grant. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The price cap ensures the Electric Car Grant targets the more affordable end of the zero emission car market. We expect this grant will support a range of models, including several under £20,000 or leased at under £200 per month.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_35

Lord Jopling:To ask His Majesty's Government for how many weeks there have been traffic restrictions on the A1 between Wansford and Peterborough; for how many more weeks they expect those restrictions to be in place; and what are the reasons for those restrictions. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: National Highways (NH) has had traffic restrictions on the A1 at Water Newton to Stibbington in place from 1 November 2024 as a large agricultural vehicle caused substantial damage to the bridge. This has required nearside lane closures that will be in place until 12 September 2025.

NH has 16 planned overnight closures during the period 17 July 2025 until 4 October 2025 to carry out various temporary maintenance and technology works to maintain the network. NH plan to carry out the work overnight to limit disruption to drivers during the day.

NH has an Interim remedial scheme where it will undertake interventions to widen the A1 to allow for 2 lanes running. This will begin in September 2025 and finish in October 2025. This will require a combination of initial nighttime closures followed by a series of 6 weekend closures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_36

Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what fees the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency charge for providing information for the collection of parking charge notices, and how much they received from those fees in the past financial year. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper information where the requester can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it. The fee payable by private sector organisations for this information is £2.50 per enquiry. The law also allows the DVLA to set fees to cover the full costs of the driver licensing and vehicle registration services it delivers as a whole. This means that some services attract a fee while others are provided free of charge if it is beneficial to do so. The DVLA regularly reviews all its statutory fees to ensure that they remain set at appropriate levels.

In the financial year 2024-25 the total revenue from vehicle keeper data was £37.5m. The DVLA is unable to break this down into just private parking enforcement companies so this figure also includes revenue from requests received from other companies and organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_37

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) Lambeth Council's kerbside strategy and (2) the merits of supporting other local authorities to produce kerbside strategies. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government has made no such assessment. The Department’s street design guidance Manual for Streets includes a hierarchy that puts consideration of the needs of people walking and cycling first. Kerbside strategies are one tool available to local authorities to help manage their roads in line with this hierarchy and with the wider principles of the Manual, to achieve their local objectives. Local authorities are encouraged to share good practice with each other.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_38

Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 13 May (HL6754), and following their announcement at the United Nations Ocean Conference in June of the UK's "impending ratification" of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels, whether it is their intention to finalise the ratification process before the 34th session of the IMO Assembly in November. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The UK Government is committed to supporting the Cape Town Agreement. It is the first global agreement on fishing safety, to ensure mandatory minimum standards to safeguard fishers working at sea and deter vessels engaged in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing from operating by making poor working conditions subject to detention and inspection globally.

The Explanatory Memorandum on the Cape Town Agreement will be laid as a Command Paper before Parliament upon their return from recess on 1 September for 21 sitting days. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be asked to commence accession procedures once Parliament has resolved it is content to accede.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-28 conversation_39

Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government with which automotive manufacturers they discussed the electric car grant, and on what dates. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The ZEV consultation earlier this year identified that upfront cost remains a significant barrier for many consumers.

Following grant announcement, the Government has had multiple calls with vehicle manufacturers and trade bodies to explain vehicle eligibility and how to apply for the grant.

We will continue these discussions to ensure manufacturers have all the information they need.