theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-06 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-06)

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Lord Snape:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 14 July 2025 (HL Deb cols 1678–xx-xxxx-xxxx), whether they will publish for each of the road schemes for which funding was confirmed (1) the benefit-cost ration, (2) the latest cost estimate with the date of that cost estimate, and (3) the appraisal made under the Department for Transport’s capital spend review announced in July 2024. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: (1) Detailed information on Strategic Road Network (SRN) schemes is available in the applications for planning consent, available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. Benefit-cost ratio information for Major Road Network/Large Local Majors (MRN/LLM) schemes is part of the business case evidence and analysis which is provided by Local Authorities. This information is therefore available directly from them, once a scheme is approved at the Full Business Case (FBC) stage.

(2) Scheme costs for the SRN schemes will be confirmed as part of the setting of the third Road Investment Strategy, planned to be published by the end of March 2026. For MRN/LLM schemes, individual financial details cannot be provided ahead of assessing the Full Business Case, as doing so would jeopardise procurement exercises and contract negotiations.

(3) The Capital Review provided strategic advice to the Secretary of State. It did not appraise any specific projects, programmes or portfolios.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-06)

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Lord Snape:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish a clear transition plan for the transfer of retail responsibilities from train operating company retail websites to Great British Railways; and whether they will also publish a timetable for formal market consultation and tendering for the Great British Railways online rail ticket retailing. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Once Great British Railways (GBR) is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. This will take place alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail.

The Railways Bill consultation took place in the Spring. As part of this process, the Government consulted closely with the industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders, including in relation to the future of the rail retail market. A formal update will be provided in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-06)

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Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to paragraph 5.86 of the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June, what are the £663 million of technical efficiencies by category for each of the financial years until 2029–30. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Alongside the Spending Review 2025 publication, Departmental Efficiency Delivery Plans were published on GOV.UK. The Department for Transport section at paragraphs 2.83 - 2.92 provides further information on these efficiencies and table 2.10 (copied below) shows the breakdown for how the department will deliver £663million of technical efficiencies by 2028/29.

Table 2.10: Net efficiency gains vs 2025-26 planned RDEL excluding depreciation

£ million

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Corporate initiatives

52

144

199

Regulated settlements

256

331

424

Reform of executive agencies

6

16

39

Total efficiencies net of investment

313

491

663

Total efficiencies net of investment (%)

3.8%

5.9%

8.0%

Memo: total gross efficiencies

320

500

676

Memo: total gross efficiencies (%

3.9%

6.0%

8.2%
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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to increase the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging devices in Northern Ireland. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: While transport is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. Through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the EV charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address security issues in the One Login digital identification system. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GOV.UK One Login follows the highest security standards for government and private sector services. As the public rightly expects, protecting the security of government services and the data and privacy of users to keep pace with the changing cyber threat landscape is paramount.

Security best practice is followed with a number of layered security controls which include: Security clearances for staff with ‘Security Check’ clearance required for all developers with production access; Identity and access management controls that block staff from viewing or altering personal information; A secure by design and compartmentalised system architecture; Technical controls around building and deployments; Logging and monitoring to alert on access to environments that contain personally identifiable information; and robust procedures for addressing any unauthorised or unaccounted for access.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that poor media literacy skills have on (1) young people's employability and (2) employers' concerns about workplace readiness. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: According to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, media literacy-related skills, including understanding online risks, are essential for work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has worked with FutureDotNow to analyse the benefits of essential digital skills for earnings and employability, with findings being published shortly.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan outlines steps towards delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is also considering how young people will acquire the digital skills needed for future life, with the interim report highlighting the need for a renewed focus on media literacy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Grey-Thompson:To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage for (1) civil society, and (2) community organisations, in delivering lifelong media literacy programmes for adults. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Civil society and community organisations are instrumental in delivering media literacy programmes to adults, leveraging their expertise to support diverse and vulnerable groups. Libraries and community centres provide accessible locations where adults of all ages can get guidance and advice.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan also outlines steps toward delivering digital inclusion and media literacy for everyone in the UK, including supporting local and community initiatives to increase digital participation.

Under updated media literacy duties, Ofcom is developing a ‘place-based’ model to embed media literacy into community digital strategies, working with the Good Things Foundation to support Digital Inclusion Hubs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the launch of (1) the Gov.uk digital wallet, and (2) the certification of the One Login digital identification system, on (a) investment, and (b) existing private sector digital identity systems. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GOV.UK Wallet

The GOV.UK Wallet is in the early stages of its development, and its announcement in January was the beginning of the design and build of the product. The GOV.UK Wallet is subject to the rigorous and well-established process designed to ensure value for money and alignment with government priorities. As we progress, the value and impact (including on businesses) will be further evaluated, including during the forthcoming Spending Review.

GOV.UK One Login

GOV.UK One Login enables the public to interact with government services online with a single account and identity-checking system. GOV.UK One Login can only be used to access government services. Its certification against the trust framework demonstrates it is meeting best practice and high standards, but does not change where or how it can be used.
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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the remarks in November 2023 by the Government Digital Service Chief Information Security Officer that the One Login digital identification system was "indeed carrying a high level of risk", what progress they have made to address any security and technical issues. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: These comments are outdated and reflect a view from when the programme was in its infancy in 2023. We have worked to address all these concerns as evidenced by multiple external independent assessments such as the recent Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) GovAssure process which identified areas of good practice including governance, risk management, assurance, monitoring, incident management and lessons learned. Risk mitigation will continue to be central to our approach to ensure we keep pace with the constantly changing cyber threat landscape.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that only individuals with the appropriate security clearance have privileged access to the One Login digital identification system live service. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GOV.UK One Login takes the security clearance and audit of personnel very seriously. All individuals with production access to Government Digital Service (GDS) systems must undergo a Security Check (SC). There are some individuals working within the GOV.UK One Login programme who are not SC-cleared, however they will not have production access to the service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what independent verification they sought to assess the security of the One Login digital identification system. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The GOV.UK One Login works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to identify and mitigate risks and align to the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) which the Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022-2030 outlines as the assurance framework that should be adopted by the government. Findings from the recent CAF GovAssure process identified areas of good practice including governance, risk management, assurance, monitoring, incident management and lessons learned. The programme has conducted multiple independent risk and threat assessments, such as regular IT Health Checks (ITHC), and these will continue to be part of the programme’s operating approach.

In addition GOV.UK One Login works closely with the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) on programme developments, including iterations of the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the article in Nature titled "Why an overreliance on AI-driven modelling is bad for science"; and what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that research funding and government assessment of research takes account of the risks identified by this article. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The government recognises that AI is having a transformative impact on science, and the UK is positioned to be a world leader in this emerging field.

This will also present novel risks. The UK Metascience Unit is investing £4m to explore AI’s impact on research and improve our understanding of these risks. Insights from this will be used to inform the government’s R&D policy.

We are dedicated to maintaining research integrity amid AI adoption. The UK Committee on Research Integrity (UKCORI) is examining the intersection of AI and research integrity, with recommendations expected this year. Investments in Responsible AI UK and skills training are driving more responsible AI use in science.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government whether all restrictions preventing local authorities from building new special education schools have been removed. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Where a local authority identifies the need for a new school in its area, including a new special school, it must currently seek proposals to establish an academy (free school). This is known as the ‘free school presumption’. The free school presumption process is the main route by which local authorities establish new schools to meet the need for additional places.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will remove the legal presumption that all new schools are opened as academies, allowing local authorities to welcome proposals for all types of school and to put forward their own proposals, where they choose to do so. This will ensure new schools are opened by the provider with the best offer for local children and families. Ahead of the Bill receiving royal assent and coming into force, the free school presumption remains in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in controlling the profits made by private organisations operating in the childcare sector. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: It is the department’s ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

One of the signs of a healthy market is a range of providers offering choice and flexibility for parents. There is a vibrant mix of provision in the market, including schools, the private sector, voluntary and charitable organisations and childminders offering home-based care. The department keeps the structure of the market, and the financial health of providers, under close review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the costs levied by private providers of special educational needs schools are being monitored and controlled. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not monitor or collect data on independent schools’ finances, however these are published and publicly available for both commercial and charitable providers. Independent schools charge their own fees for education, health and care placements, and it is for the local authority to determine whether a placement offers value for money.

Independent special schools can play an important role in the special educational needs and disabilities system, particularly in meeting low-incidence needs. However, the department recognises that independent special schools have higher costs than maintained special schools and academies, both in commercial and charitable providers, and commissioners need to ensure placements are used appropriately.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children who have been displaced or are due to be displaced by (1) independent school closures, and (2) future independent school closures that have been announced, since July 2024. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: No assessment has been made of the number of children displaced, or expected to be displaced, due to independent school closures.

All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place if they need one. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient state school places. The department already works with local authorities to identify pressures and take action where necessary.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Watson of Invergowrie:To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of (1) academy schools which have converted but are not sponsor led, (2) local authority maintained community schools, and (3) local authority maintained foundation, voluntary-aided or voluntary-controlled schools are "stuck"; and what assessment they have made of these figures. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government has defined a stuck school in its consultation on school accountability reform, which was published on 3 February 2025, as a school which was graded ‘requires improvement’ or equivalent at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection and was also graded below ‘good’ at its previous inspection. The consultation also proposes how to define stuck schools in future, subject to the outcome of Ofsted’s separate consultation on improving the way it inspects education.

As at 1 March 2025, there are a total of 566 academy schools, including free schools, which meet the definition of ‘stuck’ schools (5% of all academies) of which 207 are converter academies (2.7% of all convertor academies). Additionally, there are 91 local authority maintained schools meeting the ‘stuck’ schools definition (0.9% of all local authority maintained schools), of which 48 are community schools (0.8% of all community schools) and 43 are voluntary or foundation schools (1.0% of all voluntary or foundation schools). It should be noted that some stuck schools that are now academies were local authority maintained schools at the time of their most recent inspection and subsequently converted as a result of intervention.

The government is committed to high and rising standards for all children, regardless of the type of school they attend. We are already deploying regional improvement for standards and excellence teams to both maintained schools and academies which meet the current definition of stuck and have not had a change of responsible body since their most recent inspection.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Goudie:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure media literacy programmes are part of local and regional strategies in schools. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Media literacy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4. Citizenship teaching should equip pupils with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments.

Citizenship teaches about distinguishing fact from opinion as well as exploring freedom of speech and the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion. Complementary aspects of media literacy are also taught through relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing which together equip pupils to evaluate and apply information technology, and to be a discerning consumer of information online.

Support for teaching is available through a number of sources, including optional, free and adaptable resources from Oak National Academy at: https://www.thenational.academy/.

The department also funds the National Centre for Computing Education, to support the teaching of computing. This includes units on messaging in digital media, the credibility of sources, and identifying ‘fake’ news and edited images.

The government endorses Ofcom’s three-year Media Literacy Strategy, which commits to working with regional partners to share learnings and effective educational practices with teachers, senior leaders and relevant education authorities. The strategy also includes working with Multi-Academy Trusts in England to help schools support parents on online safety with the aim to develop this into a national approach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to bridge the digital divide by providing access to media literacy education. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer my noble Friend to the answer of 01 May 2025 to Question 47185.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Grey-Thompson:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve media literacy education in schools by providing additional resources, including through (1) delivering teacher training, and (2) improving curriculum support. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer the noble Lady to the answer of 01 May 2025 to Question 47185.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 14 April (HL6368), what estimate they have made of the number of university students who self-identify as neurodivergent. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: There is no set category for ‘neurodivergence’, so included in this figure are higher education (HE) student enrolments flagged as ‘Learning difference such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or AD(H)D’ and ‘Social/communication conditions such as a speech and language impairment or an autistic spectrum condition’.

Across all levels and modes of study and all domiciles, 245,810 HE student enrolments self-assessed in this way for the 2023/24 academic year across all UK HE providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the full membership of the board of Skills England. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government announced the executive and non-executive leadership team of Skills England on 11 February. The chair of the board is Phil Smith, former chief executive officer (CEO) of Cisco UK and Ireland, and the vice chair is Sir David Bell, vice chancellor of the University of Sunderland. Sarah Maclean and Tessa Griffiths jointly serve as CEOs of Skills England, and Gemma Marsh is deputy CEO.

The government has also been recruiting additional non-executive board members for Skills England. The department received a large number of high-calibre applicants, who have undergone a rigorous selection process to ensure a diverse Board with the necessary skills and experience to support and challenge Skills England in its vital work. The full membership of the Board will be announced in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support individuals with limb loss to use the healthcare system by innovation in assistive technologies. \p Baroness Merron: Appointments for prosthetics services are offered over a range of media, including via video and telephone. All patients, including individuals with limb loss, can access environmental controls if they meet the criteria as set out within the service specifications Environmental Control Equipment for Patients with Complex Disability (All Ages) and Complex Disability Equipment – Prosthetic Specialised Services For People Of All Ages With Limb Loss, copies of which are attached.

NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group has approved a new service specification titled Prosthetic Specialised Services For People Of All Ages With Limb Loss, due for publication in May 2025. This will be implemented by all 35 specialist centres providing prosthetics care. It will improve outcomes for those with limb loss by offering personalised care and enabling patient choice. It also includes metrics which can be used to monitor access times and the quality of care.

NHS England is also reviewing the Clinical Commissioning Policy relating to multi-grip hand and upper limb prosthesis. To inform this review, an audit exploring data relating to the uptake and the latest clinical outcomes is underway, with results expected in Summer 2025. Alongside this, NHS England is commissioning a horizon scan of the latest prosthesis innovations.

The Department will continue to encourage greater innovation in the health sector to help support the three big shifts in healthcare, from hospitals to communities, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention, which are set out as part of the Government’s Health Mission.

The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan, as part of the United Kingdom’s industrial strategy, and the 10-Year Health Plan present significant opportunities to enable patients to benefit from the strengthening of the UK’s life sciences sector, ensuring that innovation is embedded across the healthcare system. This will build on the Department’s Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, and the subsequent One Year On Report in April 2024, outlining our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the National Health Service.

Additional Document 1 (pdf, 531.5KB)

Additional Document 2 (pdf, 728.3KB)
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they carried out assessments of services provided by local authorities to people diagnosed with autism in each year since 2019; and whether the data associated with those assessments are centrally held. \p Baroness Merron: The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care, is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering adult social care. This means that the CQC is looking at how local authorities are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to the provision of care and support for autistic people. Ratings and reports are published on the CQC’s website. To date, the CQC has published over twenty assessments, with ratings of Outstanding, Good, and Requires Improvement.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) and the CQC also commenced a strengthened local inspection framework in January 2023 to maintain a focus on high standards in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system across all partners. In 2023/24, approximately one in three pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan had autism as their primary need. However, it should be noted that these figures do not include children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are not in state funded schools or non-maintained special schools. This may be because they are in independent schools, hospital schools, are missing education, are educated somewhere other than in school, or are above compulsory school age. Data on the number of children and young people with an EHCP who are not in state funded schools or non-maintained special schools is not available. Ofsted reports are published on their website, and further information is also available on the GOV.UK website, in an online format.

Where a council does not meet its SEND-related duties, the Department for Education can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. Ofsted and the CQC are reviewing local area SEND inspections in response to the Ofsted Big Listen consultation, which asked for views from school staff, education organisations, and parents on the inspection process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Bailey of Paddington:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulation of American-style candy shops in the United Kingdom particularly in relation to (1) their links with criminal activity, including money laundering, (2) the prosperity of high streets, and (3) public health. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: This Government is committed to supporting vibrant high streets that contribute to a thriving everyday economy, growth and community cohesion. Illegitimate businesses can undercut and undermine legitimate ones that are seeking to contribute to their high street and local economy.

Money laundering through cash-based high street businesses is a known issue that government continues to focus on. While businesses such as candy shops are not regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs), they interact with MLRs regulated businesses such as banks, who are required to undertake customer due diligence, and under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) must submit reports to the National Crime Agency if they suspect money laundering.

The government works closely with law enforcement and regulators to monitor trends in criminal behaviour – and how these may relate to changes in the make-up of our high streets – to ensure resources are deployed towards the most significant threats.

Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission. We are committed to tackling the obstacles driving obesity. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on TV and online, announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. We are also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Bailey of Paddington:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of abolishing assured fixed-term tenancies through the Renters’ Rights Bill; and whether they have (1) considered the possibility that the availability of long-term rental properties may decrease and (2) that tenants may decide under the new legislation, if enacted, to sign a tenancy agreement then immediately serve notice. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Renters’ Rights Bill will remove fixed term assured tenancies, to strengthen tenants’ rights and provide them with more flexibility.

Good landlords have nothing to fear from the reforms. The sector has doubled in size since the early 2000s and there is no evidence of an exodus since reform has been proposed.

Tenants are unlikely to end tenancies unless they absolutely have to. Moving house is expensive and disruptive. Where tenants do end tenancies, they will be required to provide landlords with two months’ notice, to give time to find new tenants.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to removing current policy levies from electricity bills (1) to alleviate affordability concerns for vulnerable customers, and (2) to incentivise electrification. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. In February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount which would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme and supporting a total of 6 million households. The consultation has now closed and the Department is evaluating the responses.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to remove (1) legacy renewables policy costs, and (2) climate change levy payments, from energy bills for non-domestic consumers. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government is committed to ensuring that energy bills for non-domestic customers are affordable.  Legacy renewable policy costs, such as the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) schemes, are now closed to new applicants but have brought forward the successful renewable electricity sector that we see today in the UK. This, in turn, is supporting our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 so we can reduce our reliance on international gas markets.

By driving investment in renewables, they have significantly lowered the cost of renewable electricity production over time, leading to a more affordable and sustainable energy future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

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Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of approved contractors in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme that can work on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in listed properties. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is a nationally recognised quality assurance scheme for renewable technologies, setting high standards for products and installations, including under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).

As of April 2025, there are 1,580 MCS registered companies with an active BUS account, with these companies ranging from sole traders to larger corporations with large number of installers.

The Government’s Heat Training Grant continues to support existing heating engineers in England to take the relevant training to install heat pumps. Since its launch in July 2023, over 6,500 individuals have gone through heat pump installation training funded through the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_26

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government why they plan to dispose of the plutonium stockpile at Sellafield. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government took the decision to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory based on strategic, economic, technical and safety and security considerations. Immobilisation will put the material into a form which both reduces the long-term safety and security burden during storage and ensures it is suitable for disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). Implementing a long-term solution for plutonium is essential to dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy and leaving the environment safer for future generations. Furthermore, all current and planned UK reactors use uranium-based fuels.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_27

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to pursue nuclear power if they permanently immobilise and entomb underground the stockpile of plutonium at Sellafield. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: All current and planned UK reactors use uranium fuels. Through the Nuclear Fuel Fund the Government has invested over £35m to develop new domestic uranium fuel production capabilities to ensure security of supply for the UK and our international partners. The Government is further investing up to £300m to establish a high assay low enriched uranium supply chain in the UK to support advanced nuclear technologies in the UK and overseas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_28

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any assessment has been made of the impact of the plutonium stockpile at Sellafield on the long-term national interest by anyone other than the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; and if so, who. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The decision to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory was taken by the Government, based on consideration of strategic, technical, economic and safety and security factors. A substantial component of this analysis was delivered by NDA, and the Government also engaged with international partners and relevant experts in a range of organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_29

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government how a decision about the plutonium stockpile at Sellafield was made; and what work has been done to establish the potential of technology that could produce mixed oxide fuel from plutonium. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government decided to immobilise the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory based on analysis of strategic, economic, technical and safety and security considerations. This included both immobilisation and re-use in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel options. No UK reactor projects use plutonium-based fuel and the UK’s MOX fuel plant closed in 2011.

Immobilisation will deliver the Government’s objective to put this material into a safer and more stable form for long-term storage and ensure it is suitable for disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_30

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with advanced modular reactor developer Newcleo, who previously stated their intention to use UK plutonium in their technology. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: DESNZ has engaged with several nuclear companies seeking to invest in the UK, including having discussions with Newcleo on their ambitions to deploy their nuclear reactor technology in the UK. The department is currently reviewing Newcleo’s application to enter the Generic Design Assessment regulatory process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_31

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to launch a consultation on the implementation of section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, and if so, when they plan to launch that consultation. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Government is committed to commencing the Equality Act 2010’s provision requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections.

We are currently exploring when and how to commence the provision under section 106, and when to consult. We will provide an update in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_32

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timescale for commencing section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, and which protected characteristics will be covered under the provisions of section 106 when it is enacted. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Government is committed to commencing the Equality Act 2010’s provision requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections.

Introducing this policy will, through increased transparency, demonstrate tangible progress towards better representation among candidates of the population that they seek to serve. Ministers are considering which protected characteristics will be required to be reported on and the timescale.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_33

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to aid children in Gaza in 2025, and especially those in need of medical assistance. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK has consistently pressed Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza, including children, and for all parties to ensure adherence to international humanitarian law. In the last financial year, we announced £6 million for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support vulnerable families in Gaza, and £41 million funding for United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), supporting their delivery of essential services including education across Gaza, the West Bank and to Palestinian refugees in the region. £5.8 million of the UK's contribution to the Global Partnership for Education has been earmarked to support essential education service delivery in Gaza and the West Bank. Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 405,000 patient consultations in Gaza since January 2024. The UK also supported delivery of Polio vaccination campaigns protecting over 600,000 vulnerable children across Gaza through funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. As the Prime Minister has said, the UK will continue to play a key humanitarian role in Gaza.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_34

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to re-establish a ceasefire in Gaza. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We urge all parties to return urgently to talks, implement the ceasefire agreement in full and work towards a permanent peace. More bloodshed is in no-one's interest. Our priority is urging all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to ensuring the ceasefire agreement is implemented in full and work towards permanent peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

Since the hostilities resumed, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to Secretary Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, EU High Representative Kallas and the UN emergency relief co-ordinator, Tom Fletcher. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israel counterpart Gideon Sa'ar, and he plans to speak to Palestinian PM Mustafa shortly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_35

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the year-on-year commitment of the £7.85 million provided to the Global Survivors Fund since 2019; and what was the country breakdown of this year-on-year commitment. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Since 2019, the UK Government has supported the Global Survivors Fund to provide life-saving support and reparative measures for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence around the world.

UK funding to the Global Survivors Fund has supported thousands of survivors, including in Ukraine, Colombia, Iraq, South Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Turkey, East Timor, Nigeria and Nepal among others. Projects have included the provision of psychosocial, educational and livelihood support, as well as technical support to Governments.

A year-on-year breakdown of funding is as follows:

• From Financial Year (FY) 2019/20 to 2021/22: £2.7m

• FY 2022/23: £1.5m

• FY 2023/24: £1.85m

• FY 2024/25: £1.8m
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_36

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments they have made of the potential risks for British researchers and citizens from the lèse-majesté law in Thailand in the light of the arrest of American academic Paul Chambers; and what plans they have to make adjustments to travel advice accordingly. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's travel advice for Thailand highlights the lèse-majesté law in Thailand and the potential penalty for breaking this law. We regularly review our travel advice for each country or territory to ensure it includes up-to-date information and advice on the most relevant issues for British people visiting or living there.

The UK Government regularly monitors the use of lèse-majesté and other defamation-related laws in Thailand and has raised concerns with the Thai authorities. We also regularly observe public court hearings to reinforce the importance of due process and visibly supporting and promoting the work of local human rights defenders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-08 conversation_37

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they recognise the term "domicide". \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government does not recognise the term "domicide". "Domicide" is not a standalone international crime, though certain breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) involving homes may be war crimes. Promoting IHL compliance is central to the Government's humanitarian policy, and IHL compliance provides protections for civilian objects, such as homes.