theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Sharpe of Epsom:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their funding plan to ensure that employment tribunals are adequately resources to manage the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. \p Lord Leong: We recognise the Employment Tribunal system needs appropriate resourcing. The Lord Chancellor has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient funding for an efficient and effective Employment Tribunal. This is done via negotiation with the senior judiciary via the Concordat process.

For the financial year 2025/26, the Government has committed funding to support 33,900 sitting days for Employment Tribunals, which is at maximum judicial capacity. Funding for future years will be subject to future Concordat processes.

We are working to ensure that existing spend on Acas, tribunals, and state enforcement is used in an efficient way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve drought resilience by speeding up the development of a new reservoir in Cambridgeshire. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: This Government has already taken urgent steps to improve water security, including changing the law to slash red tape and speed up the planning process for the building of new reservoirs. To support this, £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured. This will fund essential infrastructure, including the Fens Reservoir, to help secure our future water supply.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 23 July (HL9314), whether they will answer the question put, namely whether Natural England will provide financial compensation to cover the sunk costs of groups whose proposals for National Landscape status or extension of this status were under consideration, but where Natural England has announced it will now cease work on their bids. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Natural England is not required to provide compensation in this instance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate:To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions they are putting in place to ensure that precision-bred crops can be developed and commercialised in the United Kingdom, following the announcement of the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU on 2 June. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The secondary legislation needed to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025 and, following a six-month implementation period, the new regulatory system is due to commence on 14 November 2025.

We will agree a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. We have been clear about the importance of being able to support the use of new and innovative technologies. We remain committed to moving forward with the Precision Breeding Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the conclusion of negotiations and the signing of a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU; and when they plan to bring forward legislation to implement the agreement. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We are aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the UK's natural capital accounts. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) is being legislated under Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The NRF will provide a more streamlined experience for developers and better outcomes for protected habitats and species.

The benefit of the NRF to the UK’s natural capital accounts will depend upon the specific Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) that are brought forward under its provisions. The requirement for an EDP to meet the overall improvement test before it can be made by the Secretary of State, supported by robust monitoring, reporting, and remediation safeguards, will ensure a positive impact.

An impact assessment for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill was published on 6 May 2025 and may be referred to for further details of the expected outcomes of the Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government when negotiations will commence with the EU on the proposed sanitary and phytosanitary agreement particularly with a view to permitting the export of bull semen from the UK to the EU. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We are aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that support for the growth of financial technology companies promotes innovation while safeguarding financial stability and fairness. \p Lord Livermore: The Government is ensuring support for the growth of financial technology companies promotes innovation while safeguarding financial stability and fairness through its Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy, as set out by the Chancellor in her Mansion House speech earlier this year.

The Strategy delivers a more proportionate, predictable, and internationally competitive regulatory environment, including reforms to streamline authorisations and regulatory burdens, targeted support for innovative fintechs, and investment in skills and infrastructure.

The government remains committed to high standards for financial stability, consumer protection, and the FCA and PRA have statutory objectives to further these priorities. This will ensure that the UK remains a world leader in fintech while protecting the integrity and fairness of its financial system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 21 July (HL9455), why there are no plans to review the current list of health and care professions that are represented by the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer. \p Baroness Merron: There are no plans by either the Department or NHS England to review the list of health and care professions that are represented by the Chief Allied Health Professions officer. This is because currently, there is no clear case for doing so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to deploy artificial intelligence diagnostic tools to aid healthcare professionals. \p Baroness Merron: Against a backdrop of increasing demand for National Health Services and significant workforce pressures, artificial intelligence (AI) presents significant opportunities for improving the delivery of care and outcomes for patients. AI tools have the potential to make healthcare more timely, effective, and accessible to the public. To make the most of these opportunities, the Prime Minister has accepted all 50 recommendations of Matt Clifford's AI Opportunities Action Plan.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we have set out how we will harness the advantages of AI, including in diagnostics to propel the NHS into a position of global leadership.

Through the AI in Health and Care Award, £113 million, allocated in multiple spending rounds from 2020 to 2023, has been provided to test and evaluate AI technologies in crucial areas, such as imaging and diagnostics. This funding is helping us to generate the evidence needed to deploy effective AI tools across the NHS and improve the lives and health outcomes of our population.

In addition to the Health and Care Award funding, the Government also has a £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund, focussed on the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas such as chest X-rays and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in 12 imaging networks, which covers 67 out of a total of 137 acute and specialist trusts across all seven regions of England.

NHS England is working to ensure magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acceleration software is being rolled out across MRI scanners, which includes upgrading old scanners which are unable to utilise this new software and technology. This software can deliver a 30% reduction in some scan times, increasing throughput, environmental efficiency, and service resilience simultaneously.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Baroness Finlay of Llandaff:To ask His Majesty's Government how many ventilators are currently in store in preparation for the next pandemic or major national emergency. \p Baroness Merron: The Department no longer holds a central ventilator stockpile. The Covid Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve closed on 1 March 2024, and all remaining holdings have now been disposed of. This closure was in light of significantly reduced demand from the National Health Service, and the ongoing costs of storing and maintaining ageing equipment. Over 83,000 pieces of equipment were issued to NHS trusts across the United Kingdom from the reserve, including over 16,000 ventilators. In the event of a pandemic of major national health emergency, the Department will make an assessment of ventilator requirements and the feasibility of any stockpiling options.

The Government actively monitors emerging threats to supply resilience and has established processes in place to manage disruption across the health and social care sector, working in partnership with industry and the wider health system to support robust planning and preparedness for these risks. The Department’s National Supply Disruption Response acts as the single point of contact for the medical supply industry, and for the UK’s health and care system, in the event of a supply issue that cannot be resolved via local contingency measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of expanding successful regional cancer screening initiatives to the rest of England. \p Baroness Merron: Regional pilots such as the Targeted Lung Health Check can be used to build an evidence base and inform decisions regarding screening. However, the Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is an independent scientific advisory committee and makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.

Regional screening initiatives would only be rolled out nationally when they followed a UK NSC recommendation based on scientific evidence that showed the programme would do more good than harm at reasonable cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Bird:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to implement a national strategy to support local decision-makers in adopting measures to reduce health inequalities. \p Baroness Merron: The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with healthy life expectancy varying widely across and between communities. To tackle the gap in healthy life expectancy, health inequalities will be a golden thread running through work across the Department and across the Government, with addressing health inequalities embedded in all policies.

The Government is driving its health inequalities strategy through its missions, and in particular, the Health Mission. Our Health Mission, in England, as set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan, is focusing on addressing the social determinants of health, in a strategic way, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.

This includes a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future, to ensure that the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. By tackling the underlying drivers of ill-health, the Government will take a united, mission-led approach to addressing inequalities.

We will distribute NHS funding more equally locally, so that it is better aligned with local health needs. We recognise the additional complexity of delivering care in communities with high levels of ill health and understand the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.

We will also establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, beginning with places where healthy life expectancy is lowest. Neighbourhood health centres will co-locate NHS, local authority, and voluntary sector services, to help create an offer that meets population needs holistically.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the variation in life expectancy among the different nations and regions of the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Merron: Of the four nations in the United Kingdom, England consistently has the highest life expectancy at birth for males and females, and Scotland the lowest. Life expectancy at birth in 2021 to 2023 was estimated to be: in England, 79.1 years for males and 83 years for females; in Scotland, 76.8 years for males and 80.8 years for females; in Wales, 78.1 years for males and 82 years for females; and in Northern Ireland, 78.8 years for males and 82.5 years for females.

The 10 highest local area male life expectancies at birth were all located in the south of England, with the 10 lowest being in Scotland, in the north of England and in Wales. The 10 highest local area female life expectancies at birth were also all located in the south of England, with the 10 lowest being mostly in Scotland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect (1) to complete the policy work to assess how the NHS Health Check programme can be improved, and (2) to respond to the four recommendations made in the report by the National Audit Office, Progress in preventing cardiovascular disease, published on 13 November 2024 (HC 304). \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to ensuring that fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the 10-Year Health Plan sets out our intention to publish a CVD modern service framework in 2026. Work to improve the impact of the NHS Health Check programme is ongoing and will inform the development of the CVD modern service framework. This will set out the best evidenced interventions, clear quality standards, and a plan for innovation.

Department officials are carefully considering the recommendations from the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report, Progress in preventing cardiovascular disease, and we will respond to the four recommendations made by the NAO in their report by the end of this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with devolved administrations to improve data collection on sarcoma to ensure accuracy of data and timeliness of reporting; and to commission a nationwide sarcoma audit based on the National Cancer Audit model to provide data about delivery against guidelines, highlight variations in outcomes, and give healthcare providers, commissioners and regulators data to improve care for patients. \p Baroness Merron: We have received Sarcoma UK’s report reviewing sarcoma care across the United Kingdom and it is currently being considered. The National Cancer Plan will drive improvements on all fronts, including research, innovation, diagnosis, treatment, and care, in order to improve the experiences and outcomes for patients with rare cancers, including sarcoma patients.

Reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the National Health Service. The Department is working with the National Disease Registration Service and NHS England to address data as a cross-cutting issue for cancer, ensuring that improvements in data collection and integration underpin our efforts to drive clinical quality improvement.

National Disease Registration Service analysts attend quarterly meetings with United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries analysts to discuss any differences in the reporting of cancer data and how these can be made analogous. We will continue the work of the national clinical audits to reduce unwarranted variation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Attorney General's Office employs on zero-hour contracts. \p Lord Hermer: The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not employ any staff on a zero-hour contract. The AGO has a mix of permanent and fixed term contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by Ofgem to reduce the standing charges on energy bills. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government recognises that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges.

In February, Ofgem launched a consultation which sought views on introducing a zero standing charge energy price cap variant, providing households with more choice over how they pay for their energy. The consultation closed on 20 March.

The Government is committed to lowering standing charges and will continue working constructively with Ofgem on this issue.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain or replace ageing electrical substation infrastructure, following the recent incident in Hayes. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government regularly engages with the electricity network companies, who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading electrical infrastructure, including substations. Through a price control process, Ofgem regulate the network companies to ensure they are investing to operate, maintain and upgrade electricity infrastructure effectively.

Following the recent incident in Hayes, working with Ofgem, the Energy Secretary has commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to investigate the power outage impacting Heathrow and the surrounding area, and to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of jobs in South Yorkshire that are linked to the net-zero transition. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Reaching Net Zero requires a wide-reaching transformation of the UK economy but will be an incredible opportunity—supporting hundreds of thousands of good quality jobs across the UK, including in South Yorkshire. The UK has made significant progress in attracting investment into green sectors. According to analysis by the CBI, the net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy and the GVA of the net zero economy grew by 10% in 2024. Government also supports local areas to attract investment – including funding the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to respond to the Alternative Routes to Market for New Nuclear Projects consultation. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government intends to ensure the long-term security of the nuclear sector including advanced nuclear. We will publish a response to the Alternative Routes to Market Consultation in due course.
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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards the aim set out in the NHS 10 Year Plan to reduce the number of hospital admissions for heart attacks and strokes. \p Baroness Merron: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second highest cause of premature death in England. It affects seven million people, causes one in four premature deaths and 1.6 million disability adjusted life years.

Whilst it is not possible to categorise whether a person’s CVD was preventable, almost 40% of the disease burden in England is due to preventable risk factors, such as tobacco, alcohol, obesity and high blood pressure. Over 75% of deaths from CVD are linked to preventable risk factors.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All three shifts are relevant to improving outcomes for those experiencing heart attacks or strokes. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their conditions closer to home and help to reduce hospital admissions.

We are engaging with stakeholders to put the best available evidence and expert opinion at the heart of this ambition and to gather a diverse range of views. This includes from the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Stroke Association, Heart UK, UCL Partners, Association of Directors of Public Health and Local Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis has been undertaken of the variation in the cost of providing first appointments for those presenting with long Covid symptoms at different hospital trusts across England; and what are the highest and lowest per-patient costs for such initial consultations. \p Baroness Merron: There is an outpatient activity speciality for post-COVID-19 syndrome services, also known as long COVID services, with a treatment function code (TFC) of 348. The average costs for a first-time appointment for those presenting with long COVID symptoms for the 2023/24 financial year were as follows:

- for face to face attendance to a consultant-led appointment, the cost was £595;

- for face to face attendance to a non-consultant led appointment, the cost was £205;

- for non-face to face attendance to a consultant-led appointment, the cost was £595; and

- for non-face to face attendance to a non-consultant led appointment, the cost was £205.

The attached table shows a breakdown of highest, lowest, and average costs of face to face and non-face to face, as well as consultant led and non-consultant led, appointments for those presenting with long COVID symptoms.

Many patients may have been referred to other specialities and then subsequently been identified as suffering from long COVID and may, therefore, be being treated under a different speciality. This could include respiratory medicine, with a TFC of 341, cardiology, with a TFC of 320, and neurology, with a TFC of 400. Outpatients will only include the speciality the patient was seen in, and not what the patient was seen for, unless they were referred to a specific long COVID clinic. The average cost is available on the national cost collection publication on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Table for HL6406 (docx, 14.3KB)
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to integrated care boards to develop effective multidisciplinary care pathways for primary biliary cholangitis, ensuring consistent and equitable care across different regions. \p Baroness Merron: The initial management of primary biliary cholangitis is through secondary care liver services, known as hepatology, and is commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs are responsible for arranging National Health Service services which meet the needs of their respective populations. A proportion of patients do not respond well to first line medical treatments and should be referred to specialised hepatology centres for advanced, second line therapies. These are commissioned by NHS England from specialised centres. Through the England rare diseases action plans, we are working to address sources of inequity and build a fairer system. Work is ongoing to include rare diseases in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework, to support ICBs in addressing inequalities. In the 2025 action plan, we have introduced an action to incentivise providers to run clinics for multi-system disorders, which recognises the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and reduces the burden of co-ordination of care on families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take towards a decision on the expansion of the shingles national immunisation programme for adult cohorts aged 80 and over, as recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in November 2024, and what is their timeline for that decision. \p Baroness Merron: In November 2024, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation provided advice to the Government on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme. This included advice that the Government should consider expanding the shingles vaccination offer to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years old and over, as well as severely immunosuppressed adults aged 18 years old and over.

The Department is considering this advice as it sets the policy on who should be offered shingles vaccinations, and will update in due course. A timeline for decision-making has not been formally agreed.
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to other governments regarding the importance of international action to promote the uptake of vaccinations. \p Baroness Merron: The United Kingdom continues to be the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership that works to ensure that 54 of the world’s poorest countries have affordable access to life-saving vaccines. We are providing a further £1.65 billion in financing for the period covering 2026 to 2030.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with the devolved administrations to deliver on our commitments to the global elimination of vaccine preventable diseases such as polio, measles, rubella, hepatitis B and C. The UKHSA collaborates closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), on a range of activities aimed at strengthening routine immunisation programmes and improving uptake.

The UKHSA holds a mandatory role in the WHO’s Expanded Programmes for Immunization to ensure that all children, in all countries, benefit from life-saving vaccines, and is also contributing to work in the European Immunization Agenda 2030. The UKHSA also collaborates with international partners on relevant research, for example the Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine uptake in the European Region – Engaging Underserved communities project.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, sponsored by the Department, supports international work to improve the development of evidence-based advice on vaccination. This includes representation on the global National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) steering committee, and through bilateral and multi-lateral communication with NITAGs globally.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the NHS 10 Year Health Plan will include a long-term strategic approach to managing long-term conditions. \p Baroness Merron: We have committed to developing a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. While it’s too soon to say exactly what will be in the plan, it will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with long-term complex health needs.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. All of these are relevant to managing and improving long-term conditions in all parts of the county.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Manzoor:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ban people from going abroad to obtain paid surrogacy in poorer countries. \p Baroness Merron: The Government has no plans to restrict international travel for surrogacy. We recognise that surrogacy is a complex and sensitive issue, but we do not support arrangements in which any party may be at risk of exploitation. We have issued guidance for those considering surrogacy overseas, clearly outlining the possible risks for individuals returning to the United Kingdom with a child born through an international arrangement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken towards achieving no antibiotic prescription without diagnostic confirmation by 2027, as recommended by the World Innovation Summit for Health, and what future plans they have towards that aim. \p Baroness Merron: Reducing unnecessary antimicrobial prescriptions by supporting clinicians to prescribe the right antimicrobials only to those who need them is a core undertaking of the Government’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP). The NAP highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use to help tackle AMR. Specifically, outcome four of the NAP commits to strengthening antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship by improved targeting of antimicrobials and diagnostic tools. Furthermore, outcome six relates to supporting the development of diagnostics for infection.

The NAP includes targets to achieve a 5% reduction in total antibiotic use in human populations by 2029 from the 2019 baseline, and to ensure 70% of antibiotics used across the human healthcare system are from the ‘Access’ category, a new United Kingdom category, by 2029. The Department continues to work with cross Government bodies, including NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency, to deliver the outcomes and commitments outlined in the NAP.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all medicines approved for treatment of osteoporosis by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are available in (1) integrated care systems and (2) local formularies. \p Baroness Merron: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.

The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.

The 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals.

The NICE has also published guidance on developing and updating local formularies, which is intended to support commissioners and healthcare providers in developing formularies that reflect local needs, reduce variation in prescribing, and allow for the rapid adoption of new medicines and treatments. Further information is available on the NICE website, in an online only format.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the steel industry by reducing their electricity costs. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Government is committed to tackling high industrial electricity prices in the UK. This is why Government has taken action to mitigate high electricity costs for energy intensive industries by continuing the Energy Intensive Industries compensation scheme and implementing the British Industry Supercharger.

The Plan for Steel, which will be published in Spring, will address electricity prices for steelmakers. We are committed to providing up to £2.5bn to rebuild steel industry which will be available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_16

Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government when the "transformation incentive" scheme authorising bonuses to be paid to Post Office directors for co-operating with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was designed, approved and implemented; and which Ministers, if any, approved it. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: These questions relate to the performance metrics for the Post Office Limited ‘Transformation Incentive Scheme’ in place 2020-2022. The Government at the time agreed to the original targets but were not consulted on whether the Post Office could legitimately say that it had achieved those targets.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold information on which directors and executives received bonuses relating to cooperation with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Whilst Post Office will hold this information, it is personal information and therefore not appropriate for publication. We understand that all Post Office employees who received bonuses voluntarily returned the remuneration associated with the metric relating to the Post Office’s support for the Inquiry except for one who was on long term absence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_17

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the video game industry, particularly in regard to tax relief schemes for companies. \p Lord Livermore: The Government recognises that the creative industries, including the video games sector, play a key role in driving economic growth. As part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, a creative industries sector plan will be developed, working with business, local leaders, and sector experts.

The Government supports the video games sector through the tax system and through funding. Video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs.

In addition, companies may benefit from the £5.5 million UK Games Fund, which helps high-potential start-ups scale-up.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_18

Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK adults are not liable to pay income tax because their total income is less than the tax-free personal allowance. \p Lord Livermore: Data on the number of UK adults who are not liable to pay income tax are not currently held or published.

HMRC publishes projections for the total number of Income taxpayers per year in table 2.1 of the Income Tax liability statistics. Current projections show there to be 37.4 million Income taxpayers in the UK in 2024-25.

The Office for National Statistics publishes projections for the total number of adults in the UK by age in their population projections. They currently estimate there to be 55.2 million individuals aged over 18 in the UK in 2024-25.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_19

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the possibility of, and (2) dangers from, a 'liquidity mirage' in foreign exchange markets. \p Lord Livermore: The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee is responsible for identifying, monitoring and addressing any risks that threaten the resilience of the UK financial system, including foreign exchange markets.

UK regulators, and the Bank of England, in conjunction with their counterparts in other jurisdictions, monitor markets, including foreign exchange markets so as to ensure that they support the UK financial system and economy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_20

Lord Caine:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased employer National Insurance contributions on professional rugby league clubs competing in the Super League and the Championship. \p Lord Livermore: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_21

Lord Kinnock:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Bank of England's policy to sell bonds, in the light of the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank practice of disposing of bonds through maturation. \p Lord Livermore: The Bank of England has operational independence from the Government to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability. Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England.

In a letter to the Chancellor (12 November 2024), the Governor of the Bank of England said:

“Whilst different unwind strategies might affect the timing of cash flows between HMT and the APF, they are expected to have little effect on total cost in present value terms. For example, active sales incur upfront costs, but they also reduce lifetime net interest costs from carrying gilts on the APF’s portfolio when Bank Rate is higher than coupon payments.” [1]

Since October 2022, HM Treasury has transferred £85.9bn to the Bank of England to cover losses arising from the indemnity of the Asset Purchase Facility, the vehicle used to implement quantitative easing. This covers losses incurred from net interest costs and the sale and redemption of bonds as the portfolio is unwound.

Between 2012 and 2022, the APF transferred £124bn in excess cash to HMT under the terms of the indemnity from net interest payments on purchased assets.

Data on these cash transfers between HM Treasury and the Bank of England are made publicly available by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its monthly Public Sector Finances publication. The data are available in the ONS data series ID MF7A in worksheet PSA9B.

The independent OBR provides detailed projections of the underlying losses from the APF and the impact on different fiscal metrics. As per the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook for the Spring Forecast 2025, the lifetime cost of the APF is forecast to be £133.7bn.

[1] Letter from the Governor of the Bank of England to the Chancellor of the Exchequer 12 November 2024
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_22

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospective cost to the taxpayer of successful applications for indefinite leave to remain until 2029. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Obtaining the specific information requested relating to the cost or contribution to the taxpayer would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across different Departments and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_23

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect on wildfires. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), including outdoor fires. However, "wildfires" is not a category recognised in the current system.

We are reviewing the incident records system, and the data it collects, and considering which categories to record in the future. Adding new categories, including wildfires, will be considered as part of this work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_24

Lord Addington:To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they have for provision of paid-for software packages from free or built-in technology systems in the Disabled Students Allowance, and whether these criteria take into account capacity to train students to use new systems. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department has conducted an Equality Impact Assessment on this policy change and has identified the risk that this decision may have a negative impact on some disabled students who might prefer paid-for spelling and grammar software is mitigated by the availability of free versions of spelling and grammar software that provide equivalent functionality for the types of support that are in scope of the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). The DSA will still fund spelling and grammar software in exceptional circumstances where there is specific need and a robust disability-related justification is provided.

The department conducted a detailed review of the spelling and grammar functionality available in Microsoft Office, computer operating systems, free software products and paid-for software products. This review concluded that the spelling and grammar functionality available in products that students can access for free was similar to that available in paid-for products. While some of the paid-for products had additional features such as plagiarism checkers, these are not in scope for DSA funding, given they are of potential benefit to all students.

Assistive technology training and aftercare support for any non-specialist basic spelling and grammar software agreed in a student’s needs assessment report will continue to be funded through DSA.