theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_11

Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer in an emergency care setting in (1) Yorkshire, and (2) other regions of the country. \p Baroness Merron: It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as early and quickly as possible and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. This will help cancer patients across England, including in Yorkshire.

We are improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres. We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practices (GPs) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Alongside improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. To support the use of rapid diagnostic centres, non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways have been rolled out across England for patients who present with vague symptoms which could indicate multiple different types of cancer, for example unexplained weight-loss and fatigue.

The Government has announced that the National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the recent publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will ensure that cancer patients in England, including in Yorkshire, will have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the higher risk of prostate cancer in black men, and what steps they are taking to provide support to black men with a higher risk profile. \p Baroness Merron: The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all people with prostate cancer, including black men, who we know are two to three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping to find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men. We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for introducing prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of treating patients with prostate cancer that was not identified at an early stage; and what steps they are taking to improve early diagnosis. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing prostate cancer earlier and treating it faster. In January 2025, NHS England re-launched its Abdominal and urological symptoms of cancer phase of the Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, including symptoms of urological cancers, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

In addition, NHS England is streamlining cancer pathways. This includes the introduction of a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer so that those suspected of having prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first, which ensures that only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy. For patients, the prostate best-practice timed pathway may reduce anxiety and uncertainty of a possible cancer diagnosis, with less time between referral and receiving the outcome of a diagnostic test.

A new National Cancer Plan will be published later this year which will include further details on how the NHS will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with prostate cancer. The plan will set out actions for speeding up diagnosis and treatment.

Given the wide-ranging work being taken forward, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the specific cost of treating patients with prostate cancer that was not identified at an early stage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the national cancer plan will include steps to integrate exercise, nutrition and well-being support into prehabilitation and rehabilitation programmes for all cancer patients, as recommended in The White Rose Cancer Report, published by Yorkshire Cancer Research on 18 June; and what plans they have to adopt the ROSE model to ensure equity in research funding and implementation across the country. \p Baroness Merron: The Government and the National Health Service recognise the importance of physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term health conditions, including cancer.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will set out how experiences and outcomes can be improved for people at every stage of the cancer pathway, including prehabilitation and rehabilitation. The Department acknowledges that more can be done to support people living with and beyond cancer.

The NHS Cancer Programme, through local Cancer Alliances, is working to ensure physical activity is fully integrated across the whole cancer pathway, which includes opportunities within rehabilitation for people who have undergone treatment.

NHS England has highlighted the positive impact of efficient prehabilitation and rehabilitation on cancer outcomes and the potential to lead to cost savings. The ‘PRosPer’ Cancer Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation learning programme, launched in partnership between NHS England and Macmillan Cancer support, aims to support allied health professionals and the wider healthcare workforce in developing their skills in providing personalised care, prehabilitation, and rehabilitation in the cancer pathway.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, and to supporting equity of research funding and implementation cross the country.

The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) supports the principles outlined in the ROSE model, by funding research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.

The NIHR has made research inclusion a condition of its funding. Applicants to domestic research programmes are required to demonstrate how inclusion is being built into all stages of the research lifecycle and are also required to provide details of how their research contributes towards the NIHR’s mission to reduce health and care inequalities.

The NIHR’s Applied Research Collaborations are regional partnerships which generate high-quality research and evaluation, and work with the system to support the scaling and adoption of effective interventions and models of care nationally, particularly in areas of high disease burden and service demand.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the use of surgical robotics in prostate cancer treatment. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England currently commissions robotic assisted surgical procedures for the treatment of prostate cancer for patients who meet the necessary criteria.

In June 2025, NHS England announced a commitment to expand robotic-assisted surgery over the next 10 years for a range of procedures. Following the announcement, NHS England published guidance for National Health Service systems to implement robotic-assisted surgery in the NHS.

Furthermore, on 3 July 2025, the Department published the 10-Year Health Plan which outlines our commitment to expand surgical robot adoption in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care that the Government would build “250 to 300 new neighbourhood health centres” (HC Deb col 449), and further to the statement on page 32 of the NHS's 10 Year Plan for England: fit for the future that a neighbourhood would consist of 50,000 people, how they will ensure that all 57 million people in England will be covered by a neighbourhood health centre. \p Baroness Merron: The geography of neighbourhoods should be determined locally by integrated care boards in partnership with their strategic partners, particularly local authorities. The Government aims to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community as we shift from hospital to community. Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in areas with the greatest need, for instance where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including coastal towns and communities with higher deprivation levels. Wherever possible, we will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing National Health Service and public sector estates. The Department is also currently writing a business case on Public Private Partnerships for Neighbourhood Health Centres for review as part of the Autumn Budget.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in a Neighbourhood Health Centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary. The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean millions of patients are treated and cared for closer to home by new teams of professionals. We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme to support systems across the country to test new ways of working, share learning, and scale what works. This programme will inform future strategy and policy development, and outcome metrics will be rigorously monitored.

To support neighbourhood health, we will introduce two new contracts, with roll-out beginning next year, one of which will create neighbourhood providers that deliver enhanced services for groups with similar needs over a footprint of approximately 50,000 people. In many areas, existing groups of general practices will be well placed to take on these contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential cost savings to the NHS and social care system of implementing automatic stop smoking support at NHS touchpoints; and how will that inform future funding decisions. \p Baroness Merron: Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the potential cost savings from stop smoking support in all National Health Services, we know that supporting more people to stop smoking reduces preventable illness and therefore pressure on health and social care services.

An evaluation of a pilot opt-out model in Manchester showed the gross financial return was £2.12, and the public value return was £30.49, per £1 invested. NHS England has also made a tool that estimates the potential cost savings associated with the reduced demand on front line services available for maternity services.

As of the end of 2024/25, 93% of NHS in-patient services and 97% of maternity services had a tobacco dependence treatment offer.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we remain committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of their allocations for 2025/26, integrated care boards have access to funding to support the provision of tobacco dependency treatment for smokers. Funding for future years is subject to final decisions following the recent Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Baroness Altmann:To ask His Majesty's Government what they have done to ensure parity in patient education and empowerment resources between osteoporosis and other long-term conditions. \p Baroness Merron: The National Health Service website, along with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal Osteoporosis Society, has information and resources for patients to learn about osteoporosis, including advice on how to manage osteoporosis and advice on lifestyle changes that patients can make to improve their bone health and reduce their risk of fractures. The Royal College of General Practitioners’ e-learning module on the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis also provides suggested resources that clinicians can use with their patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to use artificial intelligence in prostate cancer testing for more accurate diagnosis, and what assessment they have made of the case for establishing a national screening service for prostate cancer. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is testing artificial intelligence (AI) in the areas that cause the most harm to health and to our economy, including prostate cancer. Through the £113 million AI in Health and Care Award, 86 technologies have been supported, including three projects specifically focused on prostate cancer. One of these is the Paige prostate cancer detection tool, developed by the University of Oxford.

To help provide timely personalised treatment plans, only those patients most at risk of prostate cancer undergo an invasive biopsy, and NHS England has implemented a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer, which begins with a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan.

In summer 2024, NHS England conducted a baseline assessment of AI auto-contouring systems, which showed that 39 National Health Service trusts had implemented some form of AI for radiotherapy treatment planning. The Department is aware of very early-stage trials into AI prostate cancer detection, and we look forward to seeing the results. For national screening programmes, the Government follows the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC currently does not recommend screening for prostate cancer as the current best test is not accurate enough for use in asymptomatic men.
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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the expansion of prehabilitation and rehabilitation services in cancer care could (1) contribute to cost saving in the NHS, and (2) improve patient outcomes. \p Baroness Merron: The Department and NHS England are taking a number of steps to support systems to deliver cost-effective, lifesaving prehabilitation and rehabilitation services. Local planning for prehabilitation and rehabilitation services is devolved to National Health Service trusts and Cancer Alliances in their locality.

NHS England has highlighted the positive impact of efficient prehabilitation and rehabilitation on cancer outcomes and the potential to lead to cost savings. The PRosPer Cancer Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation learning programme, launched in partnership between NHS England and Macmillan Cancer support, aims to support allied health professionals and the wider healthcare workforce in developing their skills in providing personalised care, prehabilitation, and rehabilitation in the cancer pathway.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will look at how we can improve patient outcomes, and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, including prehabilitation and rehabilitation services where appropriate.
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Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about the impact of the discontinuation of care worker visas on care provision. \p Baroness Merron: Adult social care is a devolved matter. Prior to publication of the Immigration White Paper, devolved administrations were invited to submit their proposals for inclusion and had the opportunity to discuss the paper. Post-publication engagement with the devolved administrations has continued at both ministerial and senior official level to discuss the impacts of reforms.
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Lord Harper:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their planned advertising restrictions on less healthy food on commercial broadcasters' advertising revenues. \p Baroness Merron: The Government has set a bold ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever and will take action to address the childhood obesity crisis. This requires a range of policies, which is why we have set out decisive action in the 10-Year Health Plan. As part of this, we are committed to implementing the advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online.  These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets per year in the United Kingdom and deliver approximately £2 billion in health benefits. The restrictions are expected to reduce childhood obesity by 20,000 cases. The restrictions specifically target categories of products that have been identified as of most concern in relation to childhood obesity. However, we also recognise that the restrictions will have an impact on businesses, and we have therefore made sure that the restrictions are proportionate and strike the right balance between health benefits and impact on businesses, for example ensuring that brand advertising which does not identify less healthy food or drink products is not in the scope of the policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will publish the heritage impact assessment for the security fence outside the House of Lords required by UNESCO; when this was sent to Westminster City Council; and whether he will publish the council's response. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A detailed Heritage Impact Assessment was presented as part of the planning application for the fence between Abingdon Street and Old Palace Yard. The assessment was submitted to Westminster City Council as part of the planning application submission, made in June 2024.

The Heritage Impact Assessment took account of 'Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context' (2022) by UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN.

Westminster City Council did not respond directly to the Assessment in their determination of the planning application.

A redacted version of the Heritage Impact Assessment is available to Members, on request.
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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker at what stage in the planning or application process were members of the House of Lords Commission given photographs or artists impressions of the steel fencing outside the West Front of the House of Lords. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A paper containing details about the design, apperance and functionality of the fence was presented to the House of Lords Commission in May 2024. Four 3D rendered images, and an ariel plan of the layout were included at this time. This was prior to the submission of the planning application in June 2024 and the date of the issued decision in October 2024.
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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, in developing plans for the repair of the Victoria Tower, what consideration was given to (1) constructing a secure pedestrian walkway or passage protected from falling masonry or repair work near, or in line with, the current pedestrian walkway; and (2) keeping the footpath next to Abingdon Green clear of demonstrators to allow the free passage of parliamentarians from 1 Millbank. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In developing plans for the Victoria Tower Safety Project, several options were considered, including consideration for expanding the existing catchment area to maintain a pedestrian walkway. However, these alternatives did not fully mitigate the risk of falling masonry and were not deemed to represent value for money due to ongoing maintenence and the requirement for land licenses beyond the Parliamentary Estate. Full scaffolding and undertaking stone repairs was therefore identified as the most effective solution to fully mitigate future risks of stone fall.

Management of protest or demonstration outside Parliament is a matter for the Metropoliton Police Service. There is a balance to be struck between the right to protest and Parliamentarians' right to access the seat of democracy unimpeded. The Parliamentary Security Department continues to work closely with partners within the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure access is maintained.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when the House of Lords Commission was given copies of the planned design for the steel fencing outside the House of Lords, the heritage impact assessment required by UNESCO and the report given to Westminster City Council by English Heritage; and when the temporary permission for the fencing was changed from five years to 10. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A paper presenting an options appraisal for approaches to an interim fence between Abingdon Street and Old Palace Yard was presented to the House of Lords Commission in November 2023. Four options for the fence included, including images of each in use at other locations and a summary of their potential heritage or planning risks, costs, and security benefits.

A paper containing further information about the design, appearance, and functionality of the fence was presented to the House of Lords Commission in May 2024. Four 3D rendered images, and an ariel plan of the layout, were included at this time.

A Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared by Strategic Estates' Heritage Consultant as part of the planning application. This was not shared with the Commission in full but did form part of the submission to Westminster City Council. Historic England's consultee response to the planning application was not shared with the Commission.

Seeking either a five or ten-year planning consent was considered, with input from Westminster City Council. The formal planning application was made for a period of ten years.
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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration the security, operations and administrative directorates of the House of Lords gave to erecting a security search centre just inside the new steel fencing outside the House of Lords. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The House Administration is giving consideration to the relocation of current visitor search and screening locations. Moving current search and screening points for visitors to new locations specifically designed for this purpose would deliver visitor experience improvements, as well as security, accessibility, and operational benefits. However, this consideration is at a very early stage and does not yet have a confirmed business case, timescale, or design. In the first instance, proposals will be brought to the Services Committee, as well as subject to wider engagement with Members.
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Lord Harper:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the House of Lords Commission considered the case for (1) the security fence outside the House of Lords, and (2) the pass-controlled door at Peers' Entrance, in combination or separately; and whether they plan to reassess the need for the pass-controlled door in the light of the operational challenges faced since its installation. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The newly installed fence along Abingdon Street, on the western side of the Palace of Westminster, and the works to Peers' Entrance together form part of a single security driven construction project. The House of Lords Commission received an update on the case for enhancing security in January 2023. In November 2023, the Commission considered the options and in May 2024 considered more detailed papers relating to each of the two phases of works to both Peers' Entrance and the Abingdon Street fence. The two phases taken in sequence provide a layered security model for Parliament, to improve the safety of all those who work on and visit the Parliamentary Estate. The priority now is to ensure the door functions correctly and that this element is operating fully.
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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will publish the planning application and design features submitted to Westminster City Council for the addition of the steel fencing on top of the walls at Cromwell Green and the steel fencing on top of the Corus barriers outside the House of Lords. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I am informed that planning applications relating to security matters for the Palace of Westminster are typically not published in order to protect the security of the building and its users. While some planning applications are published with redactions, this is not possible in relation to security assets, given the sensitive nature of the details of the plans.
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Lord Oates:To ask His Majesty's Government how many reports have been made through the "Report an error with your eVisa" Gov.uk online form in each of the past 12 months. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The information requested is not currently available from published data and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals resettled in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy were identified as a case of interest, broken down by the case of interest reason of (1) criminality, (2) hate crimes, (3) Prevent referrals, (4) perceived failing, and (5) potential media coverage. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Available data on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes are available in the quarterly immigration statistics release. Afghan Transparency data is released quarterly. These are available to view on GOV.UK.

The data published in the Immigration System Statistics release gives the number of individuals under ARAP as 21,316. Available rules and guidance on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy can be found on GOV.UK.

The above is the best available operational data, as of 31 March 2025.
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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the Orgreave inquiry to report. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: As referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July announcing the establishment of an inquiry into the events at Orgreave (HLWS860), the Home Secretary is currently in consultation with the Chair of the inquiry on its terms of reference. The Home Secretary has asked the Chair to engage with key stakeholders as part of that process, and a final copy of the terms of reference will be published at the earliest opportunity thereafter.

Further details will be set out in due course.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess and prevent transnational repression of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holders and their families in the United Kingdom, particularly through the misuse of financial, tax, immigration or identity data by foreign governments. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The National Security Act 2023 has provided a comprehensive suite of powers to counter the threat of Transnational repression (TNR). The Government, working alongside operational partners, have mature mechanisms in place to prevent, assess and respond to potential threats in the UK. We will continue to take action as necessary to tackle those threats.

The safety and security of Hong Kongers in the UK is of the upmost importance, and the UK will always stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong. Any foreign state-directed crime against an individual in the UK will not be tolerated. TNR can take on many forms, but acts of TNR tend to be targeted and specific against individuals who a foreign state perceives as a threat or otherwise seeks to control. This often includes vocal critics, dissidents, or activists or those connected to that foreign state.
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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government whether those from white British, Irish Traveller or white Irish backgrounds are eligible to apply for the MI5 and Secret Intelligence Service summer internship schemes. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office noted in the written answer to a question from the Hon. Member for Bridlington and The Wolds on 30 January 2025, details of MI5 and SIS internship schemes and their eligibility criteria are publicly available on their respective websites. Across Government, individual Departments and Agencies are responsible for recruitment decisions and required to meet all obligations of relevant legislation, including the Equality Act 2010.

These internships are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in the UK intelligence community to individuals who have particular skills and expertise, want to work in a particular area and/or are from demographics and backgrounds currently under-represented in the intelligence services workforce.
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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure homeless people can access benefits. \p Baroness Sherlock: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL9238 on 17 July.

The Government has committed to a cross-government strategy to get the country back on track to ending homelessness. We have already taken the first steps, making a £1 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services in 2025/26, a £233 million increase on the previous year, to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and to help prevent rough sleeping

My department is committed to ensuring people experiencing homelessness receive the benefits and support they need. Support is in place to help people experiencing homelessness claim and receive benefits, including:

Jobcentres provide outreach in community and homelessness settings in areas with high levels of homelessness and organise referrals to local authority housing teams under ‘Duty to Refer’ legislation. There are single points of contact in every jobcentre to support work coaches with complex homelessness cases, along with training to better understand and support vulnerable customers. Our advanced customer support senior leaders and vulnerable customer champions review our processes to ensure we are effectively safeguarding such customers

The Government’s plans to get Britain working include the new Jobs and Careers Service, which will provide individualised support to those with the greatest barriers to work, while Connect to Work will provide support to people with disabilities, health conditions and complex barriers, including those experiencing homelessness.
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Baroness Browning:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend for the proposal to remove eligibility for the limited capability for work and work-related activity group from those under the age of 22 to apply to disabled adults receiving residential care. \p Baroness Sherlock: As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses. The Government’s conclusion will be announced in due course.
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Baroness Scott of Needham Market:To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 23 July, what steps they have taken to engage with the families of young disabled people who may be affected by the proposal to removal eligibility of those under 22 years of age for the limited capability for work and work-related activity element of Universal Credit. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Pathways to Work Green Paper was published on 18 March 2025 and closed on 30 June 2025, setting out plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support.

We ran a programme of consultation events to hear from disabled people and people with health conditions directly, including 7 virtual events and 11 in-person events across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

As part of the consultation, we welcomed views on raising the age someone can access the Universal Credit Health Element to 22. This consultation received over 45,000 responses and we are considering responses; we will set out our plans in due course.

If we proceed with this change, we will consider what special provisions need to be put in place for those young people where engagement with the Youth Guarantee is not a realistic prospect.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_38

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will announce details of the eligibility criteria and timeline for introducing a new Sustainable Farming Incentive offer. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that will better target SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. We will provide further details about our plans for the SFI offer later this summer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_39

Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 22 July (HL9221), what was the overall cost to date of implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework, including the individual capital costs of constructing inspection centres at ports in Northern Ireland; and what were the costs of operating those centres. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: In accordance with the Statement of Funding Policy on funding the devolved Governments (copy attached), the Government maintains its commitment to fund direct costs associated with reaching the required level of compliance to implement obligations under the Windsor Framework. A full breakdown of devolved funding can be found in Block Grant Transparency, the next update to which will be published in due course.

The Government has committed to a maximum funding allocation of £192.3 million for all the facilities at the four ports. Of this allocation, Defra has spent £111.3 million up to 30 June 2025.

Statement of Funding Policy (pdf, 819.3KB)
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_40
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_40

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of gearing in water and sewerage companies; how they calculate gearing for the purpose of any official or internal statistics on the insolvency risk of water and sewerage companies; and whether they use equity or assets as a denominator when making any calculation o gearing. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The gearing of water companies is reported by Ofwat in its annual Monitoring Financial Resilience Report. Ofwat requires companies to report gearing as net debt divided by Regulatory Capital Value.

Water companies are allowed to raise debt to fund the delivery of their services; this is normal practice across all parts of the private sector. At sensible levels, debt can be an appropriate way to fund investment for essential infrastructure over the longer term. However, we recognise some companies will need to take further steps to strengthen their financial resilience.

The Independent Water Commission has made recommendations around the financial resilience of companies. The Government’s full response to the Commission’s recommendations - including those around financial resilience - will be outlined later this year through a White Paper. The proposed reforms will then form the basis of a new water bill to modernise the entire system so that it is fit for decades to come.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_41

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report of the Independent Water Commission published on 21 July; what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations; and by when. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government has already responded to a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations, as set out in the statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 July.

This set out the Government’s intention to establish a single regulator for water, to include a regional element within the new regulator, to establish a new statutory water ombudsman, to end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring, and to issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements.

The Government will respond to Sir Jon’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, published for consultation this autumn, and a new Water Reform Bill to be introduced early this Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_42

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the paper by Torgerson and others published in the Royal Society Open Journal on 11 June claiming that other studies of badger culls contain methodological weaknesses; and what plans they have, if any, to ensure that the Cornwall Badger Vaccination Pilot has a peer-reviewed protocol before any work can continue. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Work has started on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy for England, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament.

The evidence surrounding bovine TB control, including recent studies such as the paper by Torgerson, is being independently reviewed by a panel of experts led by Professor Sir Charles Godfray, which the Government has reconvened.

Unlike previous badger culling studies, the Cornwall Badger Project is focused on testing different methods of delivering badger vaccination, rather than evaluating the impact on bovine TB in cattle. The project is being delivered by the NFU in partnership with the Zoological Society of London, who have a track record of publishing peer-reviewed research on the subject of badger vaccination. The project will continue to be regularly reviewed by Defra as it progresses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_43

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government why wild release beaver projects are required to produce a 10-year project plan; and what steps they are taking, if any, to support communities and landowners seeking to release beavers into the wild where there is high social and ecological feasibility, but who lack the resources to commit to a project plan covering at least a 10-year period. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Whilst beavers can bring many benefits, their reintroduction must be carefully planned to avoid negative effects on farming, food production, and infrastructure. They pose challenges to those responsible for land and infrastructure in some locations, especially if their activity is not effectively managed.

The requirement for a 10-year project plan ensures that the licence holder takes responsibility for minimising the risk of negative effects and works with local landowners and managers to ensure the community has the support it needs to learn to live alongside beavers.

It is the responsibility of any beaver wild release project to secure the necessary resources for the duration of the project, as per the beaver wild release licensing criteria set out by Natural England. The Government is not providing funding for wild release licence applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_44

Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have had of the approach by European nations, in particular France, to solving the issue of abandoned and derelict boats in rivers and estuaries. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: End of life recreational vessels are recognised as a source of litter and pollution when abandoned. The UK is leading an action under the second OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels.

The Government commissioned research on the number of vessels reaching end-of-life and the policy options to reduce the issue of marine litter from abandoned vessels. This work reviewed existing good practices, including the extended producer responsibility scheme in place in France. OSPAR Contracting Parties have agreed to produce best practice guidance to inform regional and national action, based on the research commissioned. This guidance is currently under development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-30 conversation_45

The Lord Bishop of Norwich:To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they are undertaking with producer countries as they develop an approach to implementing Schedule 17 to the Environment Act 2021 so that it delivers robust due diligence standards while ensuring that smallholder producers are meaningfully supported and not disadvantaged. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The UK Government works closely with producer countries bilaterally and through key international platforms, such as the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue. FACT convenes 28 major producers and consumers of globally traded agricultural commodities to agree collective actions that protect forests and other vital ecosystems, while promoting sustainable trade and development. A core focus of FACT is the inclusion of smallholder farmers in international value chains - an issue that was central to recent meetings we convened with the Government of Malaysia.

The UK also provides direct support to smallholder farmers through its Overseas Development Assistance. For example, we are co-funding the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders programme alongside the Netherlands. This helps smallholders improve the sustainability of the palm oil sector. We also support the Living Income Community of Practice, an alliance of partners developing data and tools aimed at lifting smallholders out of poverty.

We will set out our approach to addressing UK consumption of forest-risk commodities in due course.