theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_25

Baroness Benjamin:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to manage the sharing of information regarding children who perform as part of the process of ensuring compliance with regulatory restrictions. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is concerned with strengthening child employment legislation. The department’s proposed measures will offer children greater opportunities for meaningful, suitable employment whilst ensuring it does not have a negative impact on their health, development and education. It will not change the length of time children are able to work per week, but it will provide greater flexibility on when those hours are taken.

The child employment measures in the Bill will work alongside, but are distinct from, existing legislation related to child performance. The current regulatory framework for child performance ensures that a licence must be obtained before children can take part in certain types of performance, both professional and amateur, and in paid sport and modelling. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding all children in their area and are therefore responsible for licensing. A licence will only be granted once the local authority is assured that the child’s education, health, and wellbeing will not suffer, and that the conditions of the licence will be observed.

The requirement in the Bill to introduce compulsory registers of children not in school in every local authority in England and Wales would include young performers if they were not on the school roll, if they were part of a flexi-schooling arrangement, or using unregistered alternative provision. The registers will support local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas and to take action if they are not receiving a safe or suitable education.

Both existing child performance regulation and the department’s proposed child employment measures in the Bill have children’s needs at their heart and seek to balance access to opportunities, safeguarding and a high-quality education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Storey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Office for Students-registered theological colleges’ compliance with academic freedom and freedom of speech. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: As the independent regulator, it is the role of the Office for Students to monitor and assess registered providers’ compliance with all of its conditions of registration, including those relating to freedom of speech and academic freedom, and to take regulatory action where they have been breached. This includes theological colleges.

All higher education (HE) providers have longstanding duties to secure freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law which they must comply with. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will shortly be making regulations to commence the expanded duties on HE providers in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This will include new duties to promote freedom of speech and academic freedom, to put in place a free speech code of practice and a ban on non-disclosure agreements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many colleges and institutions are registered as higher education providers with the Office for Students. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: There are currently 426 higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) as of 28 March 2025. The full OfS register of providers is publicly available and can be found on the OfS website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the apprenticeship levy is used to create apprenticeship opportunities for young people, rather than the upskilling of existing employees. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government has set out plans for a more flexible growth and skills levy. It will create opportunities for learners of all ages and give employers greater flexibility to address critical skill shortages in their workforces, whilst driving economic growth. This will include introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter-duration apprenticeships.

Foundation apprenticeships will be a work-based training offer that will provide young people with clear progression pathways into further work-based training and employment. Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships, which will be launching in August 2025. This will inspire more young people into the construction industry and give them the tools they need for a sustained and rewarding career. As part of this new offer, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in construction.

To support employers to access apprenticeships, the government pays £1,000 to employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and for apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. Non-levy paying employers can also benefit from the government paying the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week, £50,270 a year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_29

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future viability of franchised higher education. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government is deeply concerned about the abuse of public money in the franchised higher education system. Franchising grew significantly under the previous government against a backdrop of growing financial instability within higher education.

In 2023 and 2024, the Government Internal Audit Agency, the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee all raised concerns about abuse, unethical behaviour and fraud. Recent media reports have highlighted these issues further, focusing on taxpayer money being misspent on loans for students who do not engage with or complete their studies, and those who intentionally exploit the system.

This government, along with the Office for Students (OfS) and the Student Loans Company, has already taken measures to clamp down on abuse of the student finance system. My right hon. Friend, The Secretary of State for Education set out these, and further steps, on 25 March in a ministerial statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-03-25/hcws547.

This statement makes clear that when done well, franchising can be an important driver of inclusion and can break down barriers to students who may otherwise not be able to study higher education. Our package of plans aims to protect the best franchised provision but eliminate poor quality provision and put an end to abuse and fraud.

The department is currently consulting on proposals to bring the larger franchised providers under the OfS’ direct regulatory oversight. This consultation and the impact assessment which was published alongside it are attached can also be found here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/higher-education-quality-and-regulation/franchising-in-higher-education/.

It would not be appropriate for us to pre-empt the outcomes of that consultation by making judgements about what the future of franchising will be. However, the government is clear that if we do not see changes that address the issues of concern, further action will be taken.

HL6194 attachment 1 - Impact assessment (pdf, 1197.5KB)

HL6194 attachment 2 - Equalities impact assessment (pdf, 256.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_30

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support small and medium sized enterprises to offer apprenticeships, particularly with cost and administration. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.
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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 Department for Education employs on zero-hour contracts. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not have any employees on zero-hour contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_32

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow adults with relevant occupational knowledge and experience to directly undertake apprenticeship end-point assessments without completing a full apprenticeship. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Apprentices are not able to directly undertake apprenticeship end point assessments without having completed the required training as set out in the apprenticeship standard and agreed with their employer and training provider at the start of their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are jobs which contain substantial and sustained on and off-the-job training that allow the apprentice to learn new skills. In order for an employer and training provider to receive government funding for an apprentice, the apprentice must be employed and the apprenticeship must comply with the minimum duration and off-the-job training requirements, as set out in legislation and the apprenticeship funding rules.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_33

Lord Inglewood:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the percentages of total delays on the West Coast Main Line caused by (1) mechanical failure, (2) infrastructure failure, and (3) staff problems. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes data on train delays, which can be publicly accessed through their data portal. The ORR also reports the causes of these delays by operator. Given that multiple operators provide services on the West Coast Main Line, it is not possible to isolate the causes of delays occurring specifically on this route.

However, data on the delay causes for Avanti West Coast, the primary operator of intercity services on the West Coast Main Line, for the last 12 months for which data is available is set out in the attached document.

(1) Mechanical failure - 18% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Fleet’, either the TOC’s own or that of another operator.

(2) Infrastructure failure - 64% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Network Rail’ including track, and network Management.

(3) Staff Problems - 8% of Avanti West Coast delay minutes were attributed to ‘Traincrew’ either the TOC’s own or that of another operator.

Table of delays on the West Coast Main Line (docx, 43.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Crisp:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how UK aid and volunteers can provide further help to the population of Myanmar affected by the earthquake. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: On 3 April, the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) launched a public appeal for the Myanmar earthquake. The DEC brings together 15 leading UK-based aid charities to coordinate public appeals under one banner. The UK Government are providing match funding pound-for-pound up to £5 million. We encourage all those who want to get involved to visit: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/myanmar-earthquake-appeal
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Crisp:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to help ensure that their aid reaches those affected by the earthquake in Myanmar. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: On 30th March, we announced up to £10 million of UK support to respond to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar. Our support will be channelled through long-standing local partners, who are able to operate across the earthquake-affected area. On 3rd April, we also announced our support to the Disaster Emergency Committee's efforts to do more for people in desperate need in Myanmar. We are matching public donations pound-for-pound up to £5 million, meaning the public's support will go even further. On 4 April, we announced a further £10 million of funding, bringing our total response to up to £25 million.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 28 March (HL5890 and HL5892), what assessment they have made of the impact of physical presence of the British Council in the countries in which it operates on the outcomes it delivers. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works with the British Council to ensure strategic alignment between HMG / FCDO objectives and British Council activity, and is considering these issues in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between the financial years 2026-27 and 2028-29. Decisions relating to the size and footprint of the British Council's overseas network are operational matters for British Council.

In an increasingly digital age, the British Council's impact should be judged by the outcomes it delivers through its programmes and operations, rather than its physical presence alone.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Crisp:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the military junta in Myanmar is attacking civilians and others in areas damaged by the earthquake. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We are aware of recent reports of the Myanmar military conducting airstrikes in the aftermath of the earthquake and are actively investigating this with partners. Since the 2021 coup, we have consistently condemned airstrikes. On 2 April, the Myanmar military announced a temporary ceasefire until 22 April, which we welcome, as we do all other recent ceasefires. We now call on the Myanmar military, and all other parties to the conflict, to fully respect the ceasefires and allow full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_38

The Lord Bishop of Winchester:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is deeply concerned by the limited ability of humanitarian actors to get help to civilians. On 25 February, the UK issued a statement following the Foreign Secretary's visits to Kinshasa and Kigali to announce measures against Rwanda and call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, meaningful engagement with African-led peace processes, and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory. The UK has committed £20 million to International Committee of the Red Cross for their 2025 appeal, a proportion of which will support a programme that includes mediating safe passage. The UK condemns human rights abuses by all armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We call on all parties to uphold International Humanitarian Law, protect women and girls and combat impunity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Whitaker:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific legal and judicial expertise they are funding to support legislative changes aimed at protecting freedom of religion or belief in countries with blasphemy laws. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Government is deeply concerned by the use of blasphemy laws that undermine human rights including freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and freedom of expression. The UK regularly raises FoRB issues in multilateral fora and our important bilateral work.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office continues to work with countries (or governments) that request support on legislative reform through our programme funding, including the John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects, and the Rule of Law Expertise (ROLE UK) programme.

Together with our partners, including the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute and the UK legal sector, we are supporting efforts across seven countries in this area, including on increasing knowledge on international standards and protections through existing legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_40

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of ongoing human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in North and South Kivu, on freedom of religion or belief; and what representations they have made to international partners regarding the protection of religious minorities in areas affected by violence from M23 and other armed groups. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including promoting respect between different religious and non-religious groups, are a priority for the UK. We work with the United Nations and other multilateral bodies to promote and protect them. Our Ambassador in Kinshasa and Ministers regularly raise protection of human rights with the government of DRC. We are alarmed and saddened by the attacks by IS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces on Christian communities and the resulting loss of life. There is no evidence so far that churches have been specifically targeted by M23 rebels. The UK continues to remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and make clear that all those who have committed human rights violations and abuses must be held accountable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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The Lord Bishop of Leeds:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of reported attacks on religious communities and places of worship in Ukraine by Russian forces on freedom of religion or belief in that country. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We are deeply disturbed by the impact of Russia's illegal war on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), as well as the damage done to places of worship and religious significance. Following Russia's extension into the occupied territories in Ukraine, its domestic repression of FoRB sees Orthodox Church of Ukraine clergy, Crimean Tatars, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Protestant Churches suffer repression and physical abuse. This includes the prohibition of religious literature and arbitrary arrests and detentions, where religious figures are reportedly subjected to torture. Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned altogether. Russia's war is not just an attempt to destroy Ukraine's democracy, but their identity and culture - extending to Ukraine's religious and belief communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the strategy in the UK Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan 2023–2027 which sets out how they propose to deliver on their global commitment to women, peace and security. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK remains resolute in its commitment to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The government intends to build on the approach and ambition displayed in the UK's fifth WPS National Action Plan, during this 25th anniversary year of UN Security Council resolution 1325. We will prioritise advocating for women's full, meaningful and safe participation, engaging with Women's Rights Organisations and tackling violence against women, including Conflict Related Sexual Violence.

We look forward to providing a written update to Parliament on the progress the UK has made towards the National Action Plan's five strategic objectives in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to determine the number and identity of people who were dismissed from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a result of the ban on homosexuality for serving officers in the Diplomatic Service; and whether they will apologise to those who were dismissed on these grounds. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials have continued looking into this and I am eager to bring this to a resolution further to the apology for the ban from Sir Philip Barton (then Permanent Under-Secretary) in 2021. We continue to learn the lessons of the MOD's Etherton Review but it has become apparent how different the circumstances of the ban were, therefore requiring a different response. The FCDO are currently looking at the best way to address this, engaging with Cabinet Office and other relevant Government departments to find the best solution. Specifically, the new Permanent Under-Secretary is engaged on this issue and we are talking to officials and Ministers across Government to find the most appropriate solution.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_44

The Lord Bishop of Winchester:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support regional and sub-regional peace processes to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the Nairobi and Luanda peace processes. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK has been active in supporting regionally led peace efforts. My first visits to Africa as Minister for Africa were to Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, to meet with heads of state and encourage engagement in good faith African-led peace processes. I also spoke to the Ugandan Foreign Minister to discuss the importance of an African led solution to the conflict. The Foreign Secretary met with President Tshisekedi in Kinshasa and President Kagame in Kigali on 21 and 22 February to urge them to meaningfully engage in African-led peace processes and honour their commitments from the Southern African Development Community-East African Community Summit. The Foreign Secretary has also spoken to South African and Kenyan Foreign Ministers. The UK remain in close contact with key partners across Africa, North America and Europe in support of regional peace processes to end the conflict in DRC.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Watson of Wyre Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government what were the pay bands for special advisers for each year from 2018 to 2019; and how many special advisers were employed in each of those years within each pay band. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office has published details of special adviser appointments annually on gov.uk since 2010 and these are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs on GOV.UK.

Details of special adviser appointments between 2002 and 2010 were periodically released in Written Parliamentary Statements and are available via Hansard but records from this period are not readily available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-09 conversation_46

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 Cabinet Office employs on zero-hour contracts. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: There are no civil servants employed by the Cabinet Office on zero hour contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Brennan of Canton:To ask His Majesty's Government what were the pay bands of Government special advisors in each year from 2020; and how many special advisors were employed in each pay band in each of those years. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Details of special adviser numbers and pay bands from 2020 are published in the annual report on special advisers and available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs.

The 2024/25 annual report will be published later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of their announcement of a 15 per cent reduction in Civil Service running costs over the next four years, what plans they have to monitor a similar cost reduction in government activities carried out under outsourcing arrangements. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As the Chancellor announced in the Spring Statement, Government departments will aim to reduce their administrative budgets by 15% by the end of the decade. Savings on back‑office functions are expected to total £2.2 billion in 2029-30 whilst ensuring that front line services are prioritised. Individual departments are responsible for delivering these reductions in administrative budgets, which can include savings relating to outsourced providers.

More generally, as part of ongoing contract and commercial management of the suppliers providing services into Government buildings, costs are consistently reviewed and where changes to services or efficiencies identified, these are implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Norton of Louth:To ask His Majesty's Government which Acts of Parliament are undergoing post-legislative review by Government departments. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: This information is not held centrally. All bills that have reached Royal Assent are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny three to five years after they are enacted, though it is open to the department and relevant Commons departmental select committee to agree that a memorandum is not required.

Post-legislative scrutiny memoranda have been published on GOV.UK where bills have undergone the process. In addition, the Lords Special Inquiry Committee appointed to carry out post-legislative scrutiny on specific Acts publishes information on its inquiries on parliament.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Earl Cathcart:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the revised offer for the Sustainable Farming Incentive. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We will provide further details about the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive in summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to attract more private investment into the UK for the construction of new AI data centres. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: This Government is committed to supporting data centre builds in the UK and removing barriers to sustainable development, including reviewing and improving grid connections and exploring other ways to provide capacity.

Since last July, over £40 billion has been announced in private investment in new data centres in the UK. In January, the Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which included plans to develop AI Growth Zones, dedicated hubs designed to fast-track AI infrastructure development, support planning approvals, and unlock energy access.

More widely, we are streamlining planning rules to accelerate buildout, have designated the sector as Critical National Infrastructure, and are introducing a stable regulatory environment to improve security and resilience.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Robathan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the World Heritage Committee in the State of Conservation report 2021 about the impact of the Holocaust Memorial Centre on the outstanding universal value of the Palace of Westminster. \p Baroness Twycross: The independent planning Inspector who considered the planning application for the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, took into account all evidence; including pre-application advice from Historic England in its capacity as statutory advisor, guidance from (International Council on Monuments and Sites - heritage advisors to UNESCO) and statements from the World Heritage Committee.

The assessment in the Inspector’s 2021 report was that: “…the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre would not result in compromise to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site because it does not harm it or its setting, thus conserving it.” Whilst the inspector's assessment pre-dates the Committee's decision relating to the 2021 State of Conservation Report, there was no substantive change in the Committee's position which reiterated earlier statements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government how many black and white television licences have been issued in each of the past five years. \p Baroness Twycross: The BBC publishes information about the number of licences in force in its Annual Report and Accounts. For the years 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, and 2023/2024 there has consistently been approximately 4,000 monochrome licences in force.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the UK Youth Poll 2025. \p Baroness Twycross: We are co-producing the National Youth Strategy in partnership with young people and cross-sector experts. As part of this, we have launched a national survey to ask young people about their needs and priorities. This will build on the findings from the UK Youth Poll 2025, providing further insights on young people's issues including democracy, financial security and employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-09)

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Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners with a disability are in prisons in each region of England and Wales. \p Lord Timpson: The requested information is held locally but cannot be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.
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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent analysis has been undertaken of additional costs or savings arising from the decision to outsource Gov Facilities Services Limited, and what steps have been taken to revisit this decision since July 2024. \p Lord Timpson: The Government has initiated a programme of work to secure new, competitively tendered contracts for the provision of maintenance services for prisons. As the procurement process is currently live, information regarding costs and savings is commercially and market sensitive and therefore not able to be disclosed at the current time. In November 2024, I approved plans to proceed with re-procuring the delivery of facilities management services through the private sector, with a focus on ensuring that future contracts incentivise suppliers’ performance and maintain a focus on delivery outcomes. This approach is kept under constant review to ensure we get the best value for taxpayers’ money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_1

Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to restricting or banning estate agents from collecting rent commission one year in advance, in line with the proposed restriction on landlords requesting upfront rent payments as set out in the Renters' Rights Bill. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: There are already protections in place to ensure that both tenants and landlords are treated fairly by letting agents. This includes the Tenant Fees Act 2019 which bans most letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector.

In addition, the Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit landlords from requiring more than one month's rent in advance from tenants looking to secure a tenancy. This unfair practice can encourage prospective tenants to stretch their finances to the limit or prevent them from accessing the private rented sector altogether.

This measure does not apply to the fee structures agreed between landlords and property agents.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_2

Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the Homelessness Prevention Grant local authorities can use towards temporary accommodation costs, and if this is now capped, why. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: £633.24 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant will be made available to local authorities in 2025/26 to support them to deliver services to prevent and respond to homelessness. This includes an uplift of £192.9 million compared to 2024/25.

Successive years of failure to invest in local preventative services has seen far too many homeless families forced into temporary accommodation. A new prevention ringfence for 2025/26 has been introduced to maintain prevention activities during this period. This will mean that LAs will have to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity and 51% on temporary accommodation.

These proportions are based on spend declarations submitted in 2023/24. We have published a regional analysis of spend declarations which is available at- Homelessness Prevention Grant 2025-26: technical note - GOV.UK

Homeless prevention Grant (pdf, 238.1KB)
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_3

Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the public sector equality duty pursuant to the Equality Act 2010 regarding the financial resources of local authorities. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Department takes its duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 very seriously, and has due regard to the Act when taking decisions throughout the policymaking process.

The government sought views, as part of the provisional local government finance settlement 2025-26, on the impact of the Settlement proposals on persons who share a protected characteristic. A summary of the government's response to the consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026/outcome/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026-consultation-summary-of-responses#impacts-of-these-proposals.

We also asked for views in our consultation on local authority funding reform regarding the impact of the proposals on protected characteristics. The government will publish a response to this consultation late Spring 2025.

LG finance settlement (pdf, 412.1KB)
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_4

Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the participation of local councillors in local resilience forums. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: We recognise the value that close relationships between Local Resilience Forums and elected politicians can bring and we encourage all Local Resilience Forums to engage with their elected representatives when preparing for risks and during response and recovery.

Through the Government’s programme to strengthen Local Resilience Forums, Local Resilience Forums will test new models for local governance and accountability to elected leaders. They will also explore the opportunities for resilience from devolving powers to Strategic Authorities.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_5

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 23 January (HL3940), what "factors" they use to assess the productivity of HM Land Registry, and what evidence they have that the hybrid model of working from home and office has "continued to improve" its productivity. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The measure of productivity of HM Land Registry, to which the previous answer referred, is based primarily on the subset of applications to HMLR which request a change to the register, and require manual processing by a caseworker, weighted by their relative complexity, and divided by the number of caseworkers deployed to the task. From 2023 to 2024, a period throughout which hybrid working has been in place, HMLR’s productivity increased by 7.1% During this period, the processing time for the oldest, most complex cases was also reduced by over six months.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_6

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they have offered the Catholic community in Loikaw, Myanmar, following the military occupation of Christ the King Cathedral in 2023; and what assessment they have made of the humanitarian needs of religious communities affected by the conflict. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK Government is committed to defending religious freedom for all in Myanmar. We continue to raise our concerns about discrimination of religious minorities in multilateral fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April, which underscored the importance of addressing the root cause of violations against religious minorities, including Christians. Additionally, we provide funding to the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and have established the Myanmar Witness programme to collect and preserve evidence of violations and abuses, including atrocities against religious minority groups within Myanmar.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_7

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of unconditional cash transfer programmes to support international conservation and climate resilience projects. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Unconditional cash transfers and other social protection measures can play an important role in helping vulnerable households be more resilient to climate change. These measures have been shown to be deliver positive impacts and good value for money.

Using unconditional cash transfers to support international conservation is not an approach widely undertaken by the FCDO. While we have not formally assessed its effectiveness, we remain open to reviewing the evidence where available and using this to inform our policies and programmes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_8

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the UK development budget is set aside in (1) the current, and (2) the forthcoming, financial year for the elimination of female genital mutilation; to which agencies the money is to be given; and the countries in which they are working. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Progress has been made towards the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and a girl is a third less likely to undergo FGM today compared to 30 years ago. Since 2013, UK programmes have helped over 10,000 communities, representing over 27 million people, pledge to abandon FGM.

However, population growth in high prevalence countries means that despite this progress, the number of girls at risk is growing. There are 230 million women and girls alive today who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and 4.2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM every year. We must work 27 times faster to eliminate FGM by 2030.

Our main investments to end FGM are as follows: The UK is investing up to £35.5 million in the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM programme which operates in Kenya, Senegal, Somalia, and Ethiopia. We contribute towards the UNICEF/UNFPA Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM which operates in 18 countries. The UK is also investing up to £20 million towards the Sudan Free of FGM: Phase II programme.

Overall, in 2024-25, the UK spent at least £13.1 million on ending FGM. The UK's spend on FGM in 2025-26 is yet to be finalised.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_9

Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children affected—directly or indirectly via a parent or guardian—by "no recourse to public funds" conditions on UK residency. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office is in the process of transitioning its casework operations to the new ATLAS system. Until the transition process is complete, the availability of data in respect of the number of families, who have a condition on their residency in the UK and the number of children affected, will not be available.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-20 conversation_10

Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions exist to enable Ukrainians who have applied for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme to continue to be able to demonstrate their right to be in the UK to landlords and employers beyond their current three-year visas whilst they await the outcome of the UPE application. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office suite of digital status services ('View and Prove your immigration status', Right to Work and Right to Rent) support a range of individuals, including Ukrainians applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, who have made an in-time application for permission to stay in the UK.

This means where a person has an existing digital immigration status (eVisa) and has submitted an in-time application for a further eVisa, they can provide third parties (such as employers or landlords) with a share code.

Where an in-time application to extend or vary leave is made and the application is not decided before the person's existing leave expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends the person's existing leave until a decision is made.

The Home Office online checking service will provide confirmation of the person's right to work or rent and provide an employer or landlord with a statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty, in the event they are later found to have employed or let a property to a person who is not permitted to do so by virtue of their immigration status.

This enables the employer or landlord to hire or extend the person's contract for six or 12 months respectively.  This is the standard duration of the statutory excuse when checks are carried out on those persons with a pending, in-time application for immigration permission.

For an employer or landlord to ensure they do not discriminate against anyone, they should provide reasonable opportunity to enable an individual to prove their right to work or rent.