theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-19 conversation_40
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to encourage firms to develop and incorporate AI technologies into their daily procedures. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The adoption of trustworthy AI across the UK public and private sectors will drive productivity and growth across the whole economy. To capture the full potential of AI in the private sector, we are targeting high-growth Industrial Strategy sectors and appointing AI Sector Champions in key industries to support diffusion across the whole economy. The cross-government Technology Adoption Review announced at the Autumn Budget will set out additional recommendations in Spring 2025 as to how government should work with industry to support businesses to adopt and innovate with AI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) proposals in the "Guidance published for the People, Culture and Environment Pilot" published by UK Research and Innovation on 14 January; and what assessment they have made of the effect on scientific excellence, innovation and economic growth of introducing a 25 per cent weighting to EDI initiatives when allocating research funding. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The People, Culture, and Environment (PCE) pilot aims to assess the feasibility of integrating PCE elements, to guide the development of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029. Government acknowledges the important role of a positive research culture in attracting and retaining diverse talent, which is essential for maintaining the UK's global competitiveness in research. Final decisions on REF 2029's structure, including any potential PCE weighting, will follow the pilot’s conclusion and further sector consultation. While the proposed weighting for PCE is 25%, EDI initiatives only form a small proportion of this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Baroness Penn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether spending by the National Wealth Fund will be subject to their fiscal rules; and, if so, which of the fiscal rules will apply. \p Lord Livermore: The UK’s fiscal framework (as set out at the October 2024 Budget) applies to the whole public sector, including the National Wealth Fund (NWF). The NWF is operationally independent, but wholly owned by the Treasury, and therefore part of the public sector and subject to the fiscal framework.

Specifically, the fiscal framework contains two fiscal rules:

i) the stability rule – to move the current budget into balance so that day to-day costs are met by revenues, meaning that the government will only borrow for investment. The NWF’s current expenditure, for example the salaries of NWF staff, and current income, for example the income it receives for loans, are included in this metric.

ii) the investment rule – to reduce debt, defined as public sector net financial liabilities or net financial debt, as a share of the economy. Net financial debt is a broad measure that includes the value of financial assets owned by the government and nets these assets off the liabilities of government captured in net financial debt. NWF’s financial assets, for example it’s loans and equity investments, are included as financial assets under this metric.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Lucas:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on 24 February (HL5145), since 2017 on how many occasions the online marketplace paid VAT due from a seller, voluntarily or after court action. \p Lord Livermore: In all cases, when a Joint & Several Liability notice has been issued, the online marketplace has removed the relevant seller from their platform. Since 2017, 9 assessments have been raised by HMRC against online marketplaces following the issue of a Joint & Several Liability notice where the online marketplace had failed to remove the seller within the relevant time limits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on their plan to consult on proposals to bring remote gambling into a single tax, as outlined in the 2024 Autumn Budget. \p Lord Livermore: The Government is committed to modernising and simplifying the tax system and will publish the consultation on proposals to bring remote gambling into a single tax in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Hunt of Wirral:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the regulatory policies of the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service on the viability of the credit union sector. \p Lord Livermore: The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing products and affordable credit. We have also committed to doubling the mutuals and cooperatives sector.

The Chancellor announced new measures to support growth of the credit union and mutual sector in her first Mansion House speech on 14 November. This included asking the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to produce a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025. This report will aid understanding of the current landscape of the sector and how to best support the sector’s specific needs.

The Treasury is responsible for setting the overall legal framework for financial services regulation. The FCA is responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) investigates individual complaints against firms. The FOS does not have a role in setting regulatory policy. The FCA and FOS are independent non-governmental bodies and the independence of both is vital to their roles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 February 2024 (HL1819), when Dame Linda Dobbs's review began; what period it covers; when the review was originally scheduled to be completed; when the review is now expected to be completed; when an interim report was published; and how many victims of fraud at HBOS and Lloyds Banking Group have given evidence to it. \p Lord Livermore: The Dame Linda Dobbs Review began in April 2017. The review was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020. It is now expected to be completed in 2025.

The review, and appointment of Dame Linda Dobbs, has been instigated by Lloyds Banking Group. No interim report is planned and the number of victims giving evidence has not been made public.

The review has stated it will cover the period from the acquisition of HBOS in 2009 to 2017, and examine relevant evidence from before 2009 to assess what ought to have been known at the time of the HBOS acquisition.

Once completed, the review’s findings will be shared with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which will then consider what action is appropriate to take.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 20 February (HC23473) and Lord Livermoreon 6 November 2024 (HL1948), whether they will ask the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority to provide an update to the House on status of the FCA's December 2023 consultation on equality, diversity and inclusion requirements on financial services companies. \p Lord Livermore: The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority announced on 12 March that they have no plans to take forward their proposed rules on diversity and inclusion in regulated firms.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence technologies to streamline NHS patient records to allow records to be accessible across different hospitals and practices. \p Baroness Merron: Improved digital and data infrastructure, such as Electronic Patient Records, are essential foundations for digital transformation. Many National Health Service trusts currently have out-of-date computers and devices, and poor clinical system interoperability limiting access to clinical information at the point of care.

New tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse text records and make them accessible for hospitals are currently being trialled in several NHS trusts. These tools can analyse patient records, doctors’ notes and letters to recognise their meaning and accurately assign the correct details to the patient record in a more structured and accessible fashion. Early trials have shown positive results, such as helping identify bottlenecks in patient journeys through the system and facilitating recruitment to clinical trials, as well as improved communication between different hospitals and practices.

NHS England is developing guidance for those adopting or considering adopting ambient voice technologies, where the latest generation uses advanced AI technologies to convert spoken words into text used for clinical documentation, such as patient records. This process needs minimal intervention from users, though they still need to review and approve the text produced. They are currently being trialled in several local organisations and early results show they can significantly reduce the time clinical staff need to spend on administration.

The NHS AI Lab and Sciencewise held a public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. The NHS AI Lab conducted a discovery exercise to design approaches based on insights from the public, which is now informing broader data stewardship initiatives, including where AI is used in relation to patient records. There are strict safeguards in place throughout the NHS to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation, and Data Protection Act 2018.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government, following plans to distribute wearable tech to remotely monitor health to patients, whether health data from smart watches and other devices will be available on the NHS app; whether such data will be used exclusively for the direct care of patients; and whether such data will be copied to the NHS Federated Data Platform. \p Baroness Merron: Data generated by apps and devices may not be used exclusively for the direct care of patients; some data may be generated by a wearable which will be used for a secondary purpose, such as research, but this must happen in accordance with the law. An individual would have to give their consent for the use of their data by a third-party app.

The NHS Federated Data Platform does not access data from the NHS App or wearables.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Baroness Thornhill:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 3 February (HL3955), for what purposes they require local authorities, under the Collection of Client Level Adult Social Care Data (No 3) Directions 2023, to collect data on gender. \p Baroness Merron: Under the 'Collection of Client Level Adult Social Care Data (No 3) Directions 2023', local authorities are required to report data on gender as part of the subset of administrative data that is included in their quarterly Client Level Data return. The Department requires this data so it can be analysed and reported on at a national level, providing new and more detailed information about the characteristics of people who use adult social care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Baroness Fox of Buckley:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the longitudinal outcomes of gender identity in children study, what were the final results of the secondary data base analysis, and what are the preliminary findings from the prospective cohort study, which were due to be reported in 2020 and 2023 respectively. \p Baroness Merron: The Outcomes and Predictors of Outcome for Children and Young People Referred to UK Gender Identity Development Services: A longitudinal Investigation (LOGIC) is a longitudinal study that looks into the development of gender identity in children and young people in the United Kingdom. The published study protocol states that “The study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at both conferences and stakeholder events”. Following granting of an extension, partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the study is funded until July 2025. As an independent study, it is for the research team to decide when to submit their findings for publication. The study team has published several papers and we would expect to see further publications this year, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Research policy on open access publication.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-09)

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Baroness Alexander of Cleveden:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to launch the next round of recruitment for commissioners to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Following the announcement of the appointment of Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson as the next Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, we intend to launch recruitment campaigns for new Commissioners soon. This will include campaigns for Scotland Commissioner and Wales Commissioner
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-09)

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Baroness Jenkin of Kennington:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 14 August (HL9892), what assessment they have made of the application of the protected characteristic of gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010 to the following identities: (1) non-binary, (2) maverique, (3) two-spirit, (4) demiboy, (5) demigirl, (6) neutrois, (7) aporagender, (8) polygender, (9) intergender, (10) trigender, (11) omnigender, (12) multigender, (13) pangender, (14) bigender, (15) agender, (16) androgyne, (17) demigender, (18) genderfluid, (19) genderqueer, (20) genderflux, and (21) greygender. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Government has made no such assessment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-09)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network to work together to review and update clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including guidance on diagnosis and treatment. \p Baroness Merron: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) have a shared interest to improve quality of care for patients through the development of clinical guidelines. SIGN works together with NICE in several areas, including identifying and undertaking joint initiatives to reduce duplication of effort and improve efficiency in their respective guideline development programmes and providing joint solutions to issues affecting guideline development in the United Kingdom.

NICE has published guidelines on the diagnosis and management of Type 1 diabetes in adults and in children, namely NG17 and NG18. Both include recommendations on dietary management and NG17 has recommendations on managing complications, including eating disorders. NICE has also published a guideline on the recognition and treatment of eating disorders, namely NG69. This guideline includes recommendations for people with diabetes and physical and mental health comorbidities, including eating disorders. Copies of guidelines NG17 and NG69 are attached.

NICE intends to carry out focussed updates to all diabetes guidance to take account of changes in insulin availability but has no current plans for further updates to NG17 and NG18, either alone or in collaboration with SIGN. NICE takes a proactive approach to surveillance, monitoring for changes in the evidence base that may impact on its recommendations. Topics for new or updated guidance are considered through the NICE prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by an integrated, cross-organisational prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s chief medical officer.

Additional Document (pdf, 327.2KB)

Additional Document (pdf, 224.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what role will early detection of dementia play within their 10 Year Health Plan to close the diagnostic gap, in light of the statistic from the Alzheimer's Society that more than a third of people living with dementia in the United Kingdom remain undiagnosed. \p Baroness Merron: We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis and remain committed to increasing diagnosis rates and ensuring that people can access any licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended treatment and/or support they need.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to Space Youth's "Hear Their Healing" campaign call for a youth-led inquiry into the mental health needs of young people. \p Baroness Merron: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will publish a new National Youth Strategy, which will set out how the Government will support young people in all aspects of their lives, including support for mental health, wellbeing, and the ability to develop positive social connections.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has directly engaged with over 20,000 young people to hear about their worries and hopes for the future. Key themes coming through the engagement process include the need for more in-person opportunities that give access to trusted adults and mentors, along with fun opportunities to connect with peers that are accessible both in terms of access to transport and through the use of digital resources for signposting. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be publishing an interim report shortly, and the strategy will be published in autumn.

The Department of Health and Social Care is also working across Government and with NHS England to set up a network of community Young Futures Hubs. Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at a community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to improve preventative care pathways for dementia, including enhancing existing NHS health checks to incorporate dementia risk factor assessments and early cognitive screening for individuals over 40. \p Baroness Merron: We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis and remain committed to increasing diagnosis rates and ensuring that people can access any licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-recommended treatment and/or support they need. The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention, to treatment, care, and support, including for carers.

The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, aims to prevent some cases of dementia in eligible people by making them aware that many of the risk factors for CVD are the same as those for dementia, and what is good for the heart is good for the brain. While there are no plans to incorporate early cognitive screening in the NHS Health Check, for those aged 65 to 74 years old, the programme signposts individuals to memory services if appropriate.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock:To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are implementing to address regional disparities in dementia diagnosis rates to ensure equitable access to diagnostic services for all. \p Baroness Merron: Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10 Year Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and take informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.

NHS England’s Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme led the development of resources to raise awareness of the specific dementia care requirements for people from ethnic minority communities, in order to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for people living with dementia from these groups. The resources include an e-learning module to support clinicians and a refresh of the Intercultural dementia care guide in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, which incorporates considerations around language and communication in the provision of culturally appropriate care. Work to update the guide specifically included focus groups with black African, black Caribbean, and south Asian communities, as the largest ethnic minority groups in England.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish an implementation plan for the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. \p Baroness Merron: Implementation of the 10-Year Health Plan is already underway; waiting lists have already fallen by over 232,000 since July 2024 and is the lowest in two years. Between October 2024 and April 2025, we recruited more than 1,900 extra general practitioners and in June 2025, we published the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan.

Delivery expectations are embedded throughout the plan, which will shift care from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Over the remainder of 2025/26, we will put in place key next steps to deliver the plan, build the foundations for the shifts from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention, and roll out current best practice across the whole country.

Following the Plan’s publication, we have already launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). The NNHIP will support systems across the country to test new ways of working, share learning, and scale what works, making Neighbourhood Health the norm, not the exception. Integrated care boards have also been invited to submit their proposals for sites to form the first Neighbourhood Health Teams.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan for England on 3 July, whether they will consider widening the list of Allied Health Professions to support the use of community-based healthcare professionals to support the delivery of localised healthcare. \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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will bring forward a plan to rollout universal fracture liaison services to all parts of England. \p Baroness Merron: Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government which government organisations and public bodies will have access to the single patient record once it is established. \p Baroness Merron: Health and care professionals and other staff responsible for caring for patients within health and social care organisations will be able to access their single patient records under strict role-based access controls. Other Government organisations and public bodies will not have corporate access to the single patient record. The record will be protected by the highest standards of security, with a robust audit trail for patients of who has accessed their record.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include allergy in the strategic priorities of (1) the NHS long-term workforce plan, and (2) the additional roles reimbursement scheme. \p Baroness Merron: The Expert Advisory Group on Allergy (EAGA), which is co-chaired by the Department, currently advises the Department, NHS England and other Government departments on the priority areas for policy change and development related to allergy care and outcomes. The EAGA will continue to support the Department and its partners to ensure that the specific needs of people with allergies are addressed through broader National Health Service reforms.

The 10-Year Health Plan will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or geography. Its three big shifts, namely from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention will all help deliver improvements to allergy care. With more tests delivered in the community and better joint working with multidisciplinary teams, including allergy specialists, working in local communities as part of the neighbourhood health service. The greater use of apps and wearable technology will also support people to manage their allergies closer to home.

We are committed ensuring we have the staff we need in the NHS, and we want to hear from partners to make sure we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills. We will provide more details about what will be included in the 10-Year Workforce Plan in due course.

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme aims to enhance the overall capacity of and capabilities of primary care teams to address a wide range of patient needs and broader healthcare challenges in their localities. Networks may recruit dieticians and nurses with advanced skills and knowledge in a specific area of healthcare or disease management depending upon the needs of their populations.

NHS England does not collect national data on allergy prevalence or services, nor does it issue specific guidance. In conducting health needs assessments to inform their commissioning decisions, integrated care boards will have access to a wide range of data sources, including public health data, hospital statistics, primary care data, and social care metrics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Lord Wasserman:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they collect data on how many NHS England appointments were cancelled because of a lack of sign language interpreters; and, if so, whether they will publish those data for the past five financial years. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England routinely collects data on both cancelled and missed hospital appointments, although data is not collected on the reasons why, and cannot be disaggregated to explain causes.

All National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including people using British Sign Language.

On 30 June 2025, a refreshed AIS was published. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister has discussed human rights issues with his equivalent or other senior political office holders in (1) Kuwait, and (2) Qatar, since 4 July 2024. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The content of such discussions are published in read-outs under the News and Communications page on gov.uk. Summaries of the most recent of such readouts are provided below.

(1) Kuwait

The Prime Minister spoke to His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, this morning.

The Prime Minister began by highlighting the close and historic relationship between the UK and Kuwait, which has endured for 125 years.

Across defence, security, trade and investment, the leaders discussed the cooperation between the UK and Kuwait, which they looked forward to strengthening.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Amir for the successful Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in December and reiterated the UK’s commitment to a Free Trade Agreement as negotiations continue.

Discussing investment from Kuwait into the UK, the leaders discussed further opportunities to drive growth in both countries across every sector.

They agreed on the importance of the work of the UN sponsored mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which leads efforts to locate missing people from the First Gulf War. They welcomed the extension of UNAMI’s mandate until 31 December 2025 and to identify a suitable follow-on process for this vital work.

They looked forward to seeing one another at the earliest opportunity.

(2) Qatar

The Prime Minister hosted The Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Downing Street this afternoon.

He began by welcoming a significant milestone in the UK and Qatar’s new clean energy partnership, and the initial £1 billion commitment made by Qatar.

The two leaders agreed that the countries’ thriving investment relationship would continue to grow and deliver significant benefits for both countries.

Turning to defence, the Prime Minister reflected on the UK’s close cooperation with Qatar and the leaders discussed their ambition to go further to strengthen their unique partnership.

Finally, the Prime Minister commended Qatar’s leadership in mediation in the Middle East, including their role in securing the release of hostages from Gaza. He added that we must continue to push for all hostages to be released, including British national Emily Damari.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.
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Lord Bailey of Paddington:To ask His Majesty's Government what communications they have had with Westminster City Council about whether the Deputy Prime Minister's official residence in Admiralty House is registered with the council as a second home. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As has been the case under successive administrations, the Cabinet Office is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House. The Deputy Prime Minister’s council tax responsibility is properly discharged.
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Baroness Finn:To ask His Majesty's Government how many authorisations have been made under Part 2 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 to permit the exercise of ministerial functions by persons other than civil servants since 4 July 2024, and in what departments those authorisations have been made. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of information on this topic.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_15

Lord Polak:To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to departments regarding the awarding of public contracts to suppliers that have caused public harm, with specific reference to Fujitsu. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: 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 (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_16

Lord Banner:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether it was assessed that the new security fence outside the House of Lords amounted to “substantial harm” or “less than substantial harm” to the Palace of Westminster as a Grade I Listed Building; if “less than substantial harm”, where within the range of “less than substantial harm” the harm falls. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I am informed that the assessment of harm was conducted by the bicameral Strategic Estates department of Parliament and submitted to Westminster City Council as part of the planning application.

Westminster City Council, through the planning process, recognised that the fence would cause some harm to designated heritage assets, but in its design and due to the temporary nature of the proposal, this harm was assessed to be less than substantial and in the low to moderate end of that spectrum.

In circumstances of less than substantial harm, the proposals must be justified and the public benefits of the scheme considered. In this case, the justification of providing a secure perimeter to the palace was considered by Westminster City Council to be compelling and the public benefits of providing a greater level of security to both the building and its users is assessed to outweigh the harm caused.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_17

Lord Banner:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker on what basis it was determined that, having regard to potential alternatives, the public benefits of the new security fence outside the west front of the House of Lords outweighed any heritage harm. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The need for an effective perimeter was identified during independent reviews of Parliament’s security and the designs were progressed on that basis. The safety and security of all those who work on and visit the Parliamentary Estate is a top priority.

The fence design was endorsed on the balance of all considerations, including security, above and below ground heritage, deliverability, and value for money.

The newly installed fence can be removed for significant state or ceremonial events.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_18

Lord Banner:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the new security fence outside the House of Lords was determined to be in accordance with relevant policies of the City of Westminster’s City Plan 2019–2040 and the London Plan 2021; if so, on what basis; and if not, what alternatives were taken into account in considering whether material considerations indicated otherwise than in accordance with the development plan. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I am informed that Westminster City Council considered whether the planning application relating to the newly installed Abingdon Street Fence was in accordance with relevant policies of the City of Westminster’s City Plan 2019–2040 and the London Plan 2021 as part of the consideration of the planning application for the works.

Westminster City Council determined the proposals were in accordance with its development plan, when considered as a whole.

Throughout the design process, the Parliamentary Authorities carefully considered the proposals, in reference to the policies set out in the statutory development plan.

The planning permission for the ‘siting of a boundary fence’ is temporary and was granted for ten years.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_19

Lord Banner:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether Historic England, SAVE Britain’s Heritage and Buckingham Palace were consulted on the specific design of the new security fence outside the House of Lords. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The safety and security of all those who work on and visit the Parliamentary Estate is a top priority. I am informed that Parliamentary authorities carefully considered the importance of improving safety on the Parliamentary Estate alongside their need to protect the Palace of Westminster and its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is vital to ensure that this iconic building is safeguarded for future generations to visit and enjoy.

Historic England is a statutory consultee and was included as part of pre-application discussions and consulted by Westminster City Council, as part of the application.

Neither SAVE Britain’s Heritage nor Buckingham Palace are statutory consultees and therefore were not consulted as part of the planning process.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_20

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the third updated submission by the BRIXMIS Association, which the Ministry of Defence acknowledged receipt of on 24 June, will be considered by the Independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee on 9 July. \p Lord Coaker: The BRIXMIS Association submission was an agenda item at the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) meeting on 9 July 2025. Following discussions, the Secretary was directed to prepare a letter to the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) for its consideration. The findings of the sub-committee will be communicated to the Association in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_21

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential contribution of conscription to UK defence. \p Lord Coaker: This Government has no plans to reintroduce conscription. Since 1963, it has been the policy of successive Governments that the best way of providing for the defence of our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces which are manned by volunteers.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_22

Baroness Harris of Richmond:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider sending old warrior infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine for restoration. \p Lord Coaker: Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) are key platforms for the British Army to meet Defence Commitments.

Although small numbers are scheduled for disposal, these will have been selected in line with serviceability and suitability for role. As such, without substantial investment, they are not likely to offer significant capability to Ukraine. Providing such small numbers would only increase the diversity of Ukraine’s armoured vehicle fleet, increasing their logistic and training burdens.

The UK will continue to work with Ukraine to identify how best to help them to resist Russian aggression.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-21 conversation_23

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the artificial intelligence industry affects the stability of energy supplies. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: Embracing the opportunities that AI can provide to drive growth and productivity in the economy is a government objective. Supporting the development of AI data centres through policies such as AI Growth Zones is a key part of that. Building the low carbon economy of the future will lead to significant increases in electricity demand across many sectors. These projected increases were a key part of the analysis that underpinned the department’s Clean Power Action Plan. This set out how, by unlocking new low carbon electricity generation, improving access to the electricity grid and efficient use and operation of the energy system - which can be supported by new technologies such as AI - we will achieve Clean Power by 2030 and maintain secure, resilient energy supplies.

The Government supports AI development in the UK and the economic growth it could bring. The Department is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in setting up the AI Energy Council that will have senior representatives from both the energy industry and the AI industry to look at where best to locate AI data centres to ensure the growth of AI and data centres in the UK is done in a way that supports our clean power mission and longer-term decarbonisation goals. For example, looking to seize opportunities that support grid balancing, reduce network costs, and utilise excess renewable energy.