theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific policy changes they will make to ensure that integrated care boards and healthcare providers are held accountable for systemic failures in providing equitable care for people with learning disabilities. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to improving care for people with a learning disability and has recognised within our new 10-Year Health Plan the unacceptable inequalities and poor life expectancy this group of people faces.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are held accountable for the care of people with a learning disability through existing governance processes, such as the NHS Operating Framework and annual assessment of ICB delivery. ICBs are expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support the board in planning to meet the needs of its local population of people with a learning disability and autistic people and to have effective oversight of, and support improvements in, the quality of care.

Findings from learning from lives and deaths reviews (LeDeR) are a crucial tool for identifying systemic failures in the care of people with a learning disability and autistic people, as well as driving local service improvements. This is why ICBs are expected to have an Executive Lead on LeDeR and NHS England’s national LeDeR policy sets out the clear expectation that ICBs prioritise LeDeR reviews in their delivery plans and ensure that actions are implemented to improve services and reduce premature mortality.

In the recently published Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October 2025, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to reducing the health inequalities faced by people with a learning disability and autistic people, setting up ambitious targets for ICBs and health care providers. This includes reducing admission rates to mental health hospitals for people with a learning disability and autistic people, and optimising existing resources to reduce long waits for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific policy and funding steps they will take to mandate the full implementation of the learning disabilities mortality review programme recommendations. \p Baroness Merron: Learning from lives and deaths reviews (LeDeR) play a vital role in identifying learning from the notified deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people, and the recommendations made in individual reviews, as well as the annual report, are key drivers for national and local service improvement. LeDeR reviews incorporate more than just the last episode of care before a person’s death, as they also include the key health and social care experiences the person had. The Government remains committed to reviewing every death notified to LeDeR and sharing the learning from these reviews widely to inform change.

There are no plans to mandate aspects of the LeDeR programme. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are held accountable for the care of people with a learning disability through existing governance processes, such as the NHS Operating Framework and annual assessment of ICB delivery. ICBs are expected to have an Executive Lead on LeDeR and NHS England’s national LeDeR policy sets out the clear expectation that ICBs prioritise LeDeR in their delivery plans and produce an annual report on their findings and actions taken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which medicines should be prioritised for reshoring or nearshoring of manufacture, and what estimate they have made of the investment required to achieve this. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to strengthening the United Kingdom’s domestic medicines manufacturing capabilities, now and in the future, using a range of levers to support the sector more broadly.

The key lever, the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), builds on the success of three previous grant funding schemes, which are on track to provide over £520 million in private investment in medicine manufacturing and secure over 1,900 high-skilled jobs. The fund provides capital grants to support UK-wide investment in human medicines, as well as medical diagnostics and medical technology products.

One of LSIMF’s core objectives, that applications to the fund are scored against, is to strengthen the UK’s manufacturing capacity and capability to increase health resilience, as well as increasing economic growth. We define health resilience as the UK’s ability to withstand and recover from health emergencies such as pandemics, long-term healthcare challenges, and system shocks such as supply chain disruption.

Support has been provided across the medicines sector, including large pharmaceutical manufacturers, contract development and manufacturing organisations and generic manufacturers. This has bolstered the UK’s capacity in critical areas such as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing and fill-finish capability. We do not hold a prioritised list of medicines for reshoring or nearshoring.

In 2024, the Department, on behalf of the Government, joined the European Union’s Critical Medicines Alliance which seeks to enhance the security and resilience of critical medical supply chains, encouraging actions such as greater collaboration, diversification, and boosting manufacturing of key products and APIs via reshoring and nearshoring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to position the United Kingdom as a global leader in the use of newborn genetic screening data to support earlier detection and prevention of conditions, including diabetes, neurological disorders and rare genetic diseases. \p Baroness Merron: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine National Health Service care within the next decade. The Generation Study is developing evidence to inform this ambition, by evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for over 200 genetic conditions. Positive results are only returned where there is robust evidence that a treatable condition is likely to develop within the first five years of life. There are no plans to screen for conditions that appear later in life or remain asymptomatic. By summer 2027, 100,000 newborns will have had their whole genomes sequenced. The evaluation part of the study will then be completed and presented to the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). Subject to the study’s evaluation, the UK NSC’s advice, and the appropriate funding, genomic testing could be available for all newborns in the United Kingdom by 2035.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government what definition they use to define a medicine shortage. \p Baroness Merron: For the purposes of reporting to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the DHSC Reporting Requirements for Medicines Shortages and Discontinuations guidance document states that a supply shortage of a presentation of health service medicine occurs when supply does not meet patient demand at a national level, irrespective of whether it applies to the entire United Kingdom, or only to one or more of England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland as individual UK nations. However, we have a variety of escalation routes, and we will investigate issues on a case-by-case basis regardless of whether they fit this definition.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the NHS of identifying, sourcing and distributing medications for emergency prescriptions. \p Baroness Merron: The Department has made no assessment of the cost to the National Health Service of identifying, sourcing, and distributing medications for emergency prescriptions.

Prescriptions issued on an emergency basis to patients are not treated any differently to regular prescriptions.
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Baroness Whitaker:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people aged 18 and over who have speech, language and communication needs. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England does not hold a dataset that would support an estimate of the number of people aged 18 years old and over who have speech, language, and communication needs to this degree.

The Government recognises the important role that speech and language therapy services play in supporting people to overcome health and social barriers and enhancing overall quality of life.

All NHS services, including speech and language therapy, should operate in accordance with the best available evidence-based practices. Where sufficient evidence exists, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes formal guidance. Frontline services, including those delivering speech and language therapy, are expected to adhere to NICE guidance wherever it is available and applicable.

The Department continues to work with NHS England and other partners to improve understanding of speech, language and communication needs for people of all ages.

It is the ambition of this Government that, through its commitment to deliver a single patient record, people who have speech, language and communication needs will receive more co-ordinated, personalised and predictive care across the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Porter of Spalding:To ask His Majesty's Government how many women have died after taking six misoprostol tablets that were prescribed (1) by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service after a telephone consultation, and (2) after a face-to-face consultation. \p Baroness Merron: In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The Department collects information on abortions via the HSA4 abortion notification form. The form does not record the number of misoprostol tablets prescribed by the abortion provider nor whether they received a telephone consultation, therefore the Department does not hold this information.
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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific actions and policies they are considering to help families with genetic risk profiles across chronic conditions, such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, to be proactive in managing their conditions. \p Baroness Merron: The National Health Service, in partnership with Our Future Health, will trial the use of Integrated Risk Scores, which combine genomic, lifestyle, and health data, within the newly announced neighbourhood health services. Initially focused on cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the programme will expand to includes breast, bowel, and prostate cancer, with other diseases such as glaucoma, osteoporosis, and dementia under consideration. This marks a major step toward routine genetic testing in preventive care, enabling earlier and more personalised interventions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Norton of Louth:To ask His Majesty's Government whether people who join the Senior Civil Service are required or recommended to attend workshops run by the Parliamentary Capability Team; and, if attendance is recommended, what proportion of those joining the Senior Civil Service have attended those workshops since 1 September 2024. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Parliamentary Capability Team runs an ongoing programme of training and events for all Civil Servants. Senior Civil Servants are encouraged to attend these, but it is not mandatory. Between 1 September 2024 and 5 November 2025, a total of 275 Senior Civil Servants have attended events arranged by the Parliamentary Capability Team. Data is not held on when those attendees started working at Senior Civil Servant level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering ending the role of the Bank of England in setting interest rates. \p Lord Livermore: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England. Operationally independent monetary policy is a vital part of the government’s macroeconomic policy framework, supporting the UK’s resilience to risks and reflecting best practice across the world and all G7 countries. The government is fully committed to the operational independence of the MPC.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for covering property developers under money-laundering regulations; and what plans they have to ensure that property developers are regulated for such purposes. \p Lord Livermore: The Government published its most recent National Risk Assessment for money laundering and terrorist financing in July 2025, which included an assessment of risks for property developers.

While property developers more generally are not in scope of the Money Laundering Regulations, the regulations do apply to estate agencies, and to property developers that make their sales via a separate legal entity. Other property developers fall in scope of the regulations via their financial services and products. The scope of the Money Laundering Regulations is set to ensure that those sectors most at risk of being abused to facilitate money laundering have appropriate, risk-based controls in place to protect themselves, while avoiding undue burdens on businesses and customers.

The Government intends to develop a new public-private strategy focused on anti-money laundering and asset recovery in the coming months. This will respond to the risks identified in the National Risk Assessment, including consideration of whether any further measures are needed to address vulnerabilities in higher risk sectors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons they have taken from the report by the Poverty and Environment Trust, Overwhelmed and Oversubscribed, published in August; and what is the timetable for bringing forward legislation to establish local supply rights for community energy schemes. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that local energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

Officials read the report with interest and thank the Poverty and Environment Trust for their work on it.

Alongside delivering the 2025/26 Great British Energy Community Fund, Great British Energy is expected to work closely with Community Energy Groups, providing commercial, technical and project-planning assistance to increase their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas, in addition to feasibility funding support.

We recognise the requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets and trading to lower bills, support renewables and increase the resilience of the electricity networks. The Department is currently investigating barriers to local supply, and is working with Ofgem, Great British Energy and relevant stakeholders to find solutions that work in the best interests of local generators and consumers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Baroness Sater:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the representations they have received from heritage and arts organisations regarding the impact of the "two-week cooling-off period" for charity memberships provided for by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The government has consulted on  the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime, including how the cooling off period operates. We are analysing the responses, including submissions from arts and heritage organisations who offer subscription memberships. Officials have also met with representatives and individual organisations in the arts and heritage sector to hear their views.

The impact assessment for subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net cost to businesses is £171m per year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

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Baroness Barker:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that charities, churches, voluntary organisations and community groups can continue to deposit cash into their bank accounts via the Post Office without the need for trustees or volunteers to hold a debit card on the organisations account. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Under the Banking Framework Agreement, banks choose which services they wish to offer through the Post Office network. Manual deposit services, where customers can deposit cash using a paying-in slip without a debit card, still exist for those banks under the framework who take up this service and are not being phased out.

The Post Office does not own the customer relationship or the banking products, and therefore neither Government nor the Post Office can mandate how current accounts operate or what arrangements banks put in place for cash deposits without the use of a debit card.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what specific measures they are taking to ensure young people aged 18-25 can access appropriate mental health support in the community. \p Baroness Merron: The Department is establishing Young Futures Hubs to bring together services that improve access to opportunities and support for children and young people in community settings, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.

Since 2024/25, 24 Early Support Hubs received top-up funding of £8 million to expand their early intervention and prevention support for children and young people's mental health and to take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services.

The evaluation of the Early Support Hubs project will make a significant contribution to the design and implementation of Young Futures Hubs, ensuring that services continue to evolve to meet the needs of young people.

Young Futures Hubs will provide early wellbeing support and ensure there is no wrong front door for children and young people, including those aged 18 to 25 years old, seeking mental health help. Hubs will direct individuals to National Health Service mental health services where more specialist support is required.

The hubs will be designed in partnership with local areas, drawing on local understanding of need and the landscape of existing services. The Government aims to establish 50 hubs over the next four years in the places where they will have the greatest impact. The first eight Young Futures Hubs will launch by the end of this financial year, supported by £2 million of investment.

Also, we will accelerate the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029.
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Physician Associate/Assistant Preceptorship Programme for primary care is open to newly qualified physician associates. \p Baroness Merron: Following the publication of the Leng Review recommendations on 16 July 2025, NHS England has updated the eligibility criteria for the preceptorship in primary care for physician assistants (PAs), which are still legally known as physician associates.

In line with the recommendation that newly qualified PAs should gain at least two years of experience in secondary care, the scheme is only open to qualified PAs already employed in primary care, as of 16 July 2025, who have not undertaken a PA preceptorship.

NHS England has published a frequently asked questions document, a copy of which is attached, to provide further information and guidance on the implementation of The Leng Review. This confirms that the scheme will be honoured and continue for those employers and PAs currently participating in the programme this financial year.

Additional document 1 (pdf, 142.1KB)
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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the NHS meeting its 2 per cent productivity growth target. \p Baroness Merron: The Government remains committed to the 2% National Health Service productivity growth target, as set out in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement. This ambition is central to ensuring that the NHS can sustainably meet rising demand.

Recent data indicates good progress. NHS England’s latest estimates show productivity growth of 2.4% between April to July 2025, building on a 2.7% increase in 2024/25. While challenges remain, such as industrial action, these figures, which focus on the acute sector where data quality is strongest, suggest the NHS is on track to meet its productivity commitments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the powers for local authorities and their associated enforcement agencies to regulate non-surgical cosmetic procedures and what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement a mandatory licensing scheme in England. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.

In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.

The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.

Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent learning disabilities nurses were employed across all NHS organisations in England in each of the past three years. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England publishes monthly NHS Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics for England. These include staff working for hospital trusts and core organisations but excludes staff working for other providers such as in primary care, general practice, or social care. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent learning disability nurses in hospital trusts and core organisations across England as of 30 September for each of the years 2022 to 2025:

30 September 2022

30 September 2023

30 September 2024

30 September 2025

Learning disabilities nurses

2,974

2,998

3,040

3,167

Source: NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics, NHS England.
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Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that more research and clinical trials are undertaken into the causes and treatment of brain cancer. \p Baroness Merron: The Department delivers research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and is committed to furthering our investment and driving scientific advancements in research into the causes and treatment of brain tumours. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the NIHR invested £11.8 million, and UK Research and Innovation invested £46.8 million in this area.

During the same period, the NIHR’s wider investments of approximately £37.5 million in research infrastructure and the research workforce have enabled the delivery of an additional 261 brain tumour research studies, allowing over 11,400 more people to participate in brain tumour research. NIHR infrastructure provides world-class research expertise, specialist facilities, a research delivery workforce, and support services to enable and deliver research across the National Health Service and wider health and care system.

In September 2024 the NIHR launched a package of support to deliver a step-change in brain cancer research by establishing a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium to bring together researchers from different disciplines to drive scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage, and treat brain tumours. We will announce funding decisions this year, including a dedicated funding call for research into care, support, and rehabilitation for people living with brain tumours, as well as the Allied Health Professionals Brain Tumour Research Fellowship programme, a partnership with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission.

These funding calls mark an innovative collaboration between charities, research funders, and the Government to listen and consult with the brain tumour community to increase and accelerate research into brain tumours. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain tumours.

To improve clinical trial access for brain tumour patients, the 10-Year Health Plan outlines how the Department will fast-track clinical trial set-up time to 150 days by March 2026. We are building capacity to deliver clinical trials through 21 new Commercial Research Delivery Centres across the United Kingdom, and we also support the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. Once implemented, this bill will make it easier for brain tumour patients to be recruited to clinical trials.

Additionally, the National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, including access to genetic testing to support treatment.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the full-time equivalent vacancy rate for learning disabilities nurses across all NHS organisations in England in each of the past three years. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England published data every quarter on vacancies in National Health Service trusts. However, the data is not granular enough to identify rates for learning disability nurses.
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Lord Smith of Finsbury:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of invoices for contracts entered into by NHS England are settled within four weeks. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England monitors the payment of invoices made within 30 days, to confirm compliance with the Better Payment Practice Code, which sets a target of 95%. In the 2024/25 financial year, 97% of invoices were paid within 30 days, with a slight reduction to 94% in the 2025/26 financial year for the six-month period to 30 September 2025, the latest period for which figures are available.
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to align the UK’s import policy with forthcoming EU measures prohibiting products from regions where antibiotics are used for growth promotion. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government has begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing barriers to trade for British producers and retailers.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, key marketing standards and compositional standards - as well as pesticides.

Detail as to what will be included in the scope of the agreement remains subject to negotiations, and we will not be providing a running commentary.

The use of antibiotics for growth promoters has been banned in the UK and the EU since 2006. With good farming practices, the UK does not consider that using antibiotics for growth promotion is necessary and strongly advocates for phasing out the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion globally, in line with Codex standards and WOAH guidelines.
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Earl Russell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the large-scale illegal waste dumping sites in (1) Sittingbourne in Kent, and (2) Camborne in Cornwall, which were listed as "active" in the letter from Baroness Hayman of Ullock to Lord Krebs on 5 November, are currently still receiving waste; and if so, why and what steps they are taking to close those sites. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Waste input ceased at the site in Sittingbourne in 2021. The site at Camborne experienced a period of cessation from June 2025 until the end of November 2025. At the end of November one further deposit of waste was discovered.

The original letter to Lord Krebs on 5 November gave descriptions of ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ sites. The description of an ‘active’ site said it continued to accept waste – this was incorrect. Defra apologises for this mistake and has issued a correction to Lord Krebs accordingly.

A site is considered ‘active’ in this context if the Environment Agency is taking action at the site. A site having ‘active’ status does not necessarily mean that the site is actively receiving waste
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent findings from Which? that nearly 800 products for sale on online marketplaces were similar or identical to items already flagged as unsafe by the Office for Product Safety and Standards in the past year, whether they plan to introduce a duty for online marketplaces to tackle unsafe products sold on their platforms; and if so, when. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe before being placed on the market. However, it continues to be too easy for non-compliant goods to be made available to UK consumers online. The Government has therefore introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025. The Act allows us to introduce clear and proportionate obligations on online marketplaces to improve consumer safety and ensure fair market competition.

We have committed to consult on proposals to modernise these responsibilities in early 2026. This will build upon best practice to create an effective and proportionate regulatory framework.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for publishing the secondary legislation following the enactment of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 have already been used to introduce secondary legislation. The Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for Use Outdoors (Amendment and Transitional) Regulations 2025 was the first statutory instrument to be laid (13 October). Other secondary legislation will follow, after appropriate consultation, as is required by the Act. As announced in the Budget, this includes consulting in early 2026 on proposals to tackle the prevalence of unsafe products sold online and streamline the processes for enforcement.
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Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to replicating the Office for Investment: Financial Services model for other key strategic sectors identified in the Science and Technology Framework. \p Lord Stockwood: The OfI: Financial Services is a bespoke concierge service partnership involving HM Treasury, the OfI, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the City of London Corporation. It was created to address the particular investment-related needs of the FS sector but was deliberately branded as the OfI to reflect its commonality with the OfI’s remit of sourcing and securing transformational investment. Whilst the Government will always consider the optimum approach to attracting investment, the OfI remains the single front door investment delivery body for the UK. The OfI works closely with DSIT to maximise investment in the Tech sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

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Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what metrics are used to assess the effectiveness of the Office for Investment's concierge service for high-value investors; and how they ensure that departments and arms-length bodies are accountable for delays or failures in progressing high-value investments supported by the Office for Investment. \p Lord Stockwood: OfI uses a range of metrics to assess the effectiveness of its operations. These are currently for internal use. OfI’s output is reported in the Official Statistics, and cover market origin, sector and distribution of investment across the UK. This will be supported by the OfI Board, which will coordinate investment activity across HMG and is chaired by the Minister for Investment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_15

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to attract greenfield foreign direct investment in sectors crucial to the UK's industrial strategy. \p Lord Stockwood: The UK’s new ten-year Industrial Strategy, launched in June 2025, is explicitly designed to attract and support investment by providing a stable, long-term framework. Targeted initiatives and incentives exist or are planned in areas such as nuclear power expansion, AI Growth Zones, Industrial Strategy Zones and lower energy costs. The Office for Investment (OfI) has expanded its remit, offering tailored support to major and strategically aligned investors. This includes a new Strategic Investment Opportunities team working with local leaders and agencies to identify and deliver high-impact projects, especially in government-priority sectors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_16

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for a coordination service to assist new international investors; and what steps they are taking to deliver this. \p Lord Stockwood: The Government has established the service described. It is the Office for Investment (OfI), a joint unit of HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, and Number 10 Downing Street. The OfI was launched in its current form in June 2025, with a remit to source and secure transformational investment that drives economic growth, job creation, and increased productivity across the UK. The OfI operates as a central government function, working across departments and with external partners to attract and land high-value, strategic investments into the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_17

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage long-term, high-value entrepreneurship through foreign direct investment. \p Lord Stockwood: The Government is taking decisive steps to foster long-term, high-value entrepreneurship through foreign direct investment. Reforms to procurement, generous R&D tax reliefs, and targeted programmes such as BridgeAI, Growth Catalyst (£130 million) and Enterprise Fellowships will unlock capital, markets and talent. Major investment in AI and semiconductors, alongside a three-year stamp duty holiday for UK-listed firms, gives global investors confidence to back UK innovators and drive sustained growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_18

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 17 June (HL Deb col 1963), and following the publication on 17 November of updated guidance for placing children in secure accommodation, whether they still intend to extend the powers that the Secretary of State already has to make regulations in relation to secure accommodation to children deprived of their liberty. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: As part of changes introduced by Clause 11 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will amend Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 (CA 1989) to allow for authorisation of a deprivation of liberty in ’Relevant Accommodation’ under the CA 1989, the department can confirm that the same regulation making powers that exist currently for the Secretary of State in relation to Secure Accommodation will also be available for ’Relevant Accommodation’.

It will be made clear in regulations that Secretary of State approval will be required to deprive children under the age of 13 of their liberty via Section 25 of the CA1989 in Relevant Accommodation. As per updated guidance published on 17 November, there is no such regulatory requirement regarding Secretary of State approval for applications to the High Court under its inherent jurisdiction for a deprivation of liberty order – this does not amend the requirements or guidance on the use of Section 25.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_19

Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 17 June (HL Deb col 1926), whether they have published the interim evaluation led by Ecorys UK of the Regional Care Co-operative pathfinders; and, if so, what the evaluation shows in terms of the impact on the commissioning and placements of children and their outcomes. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The independent Phase 1 report from the evaluation of the Regional Care Co-operative (RCC) pathfinders to understand early implementation, led by Ecorys UK, has been completed and is currently undergoing final departmental clearance. The department expects to publish it imminently.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_20

Baroness Deech:To ask the Leader of the House what was the cost of answering Questions for Written Answer about Israel and Gaza in the past two years. \p Baroness Smith of Basildon: In the past two years the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department have received 323 Questions for Written Answer from Members of the House of Lords on Israel and/or Gaza. There would be a disproportionate cost in seeking to identify the exact cost of answering each question, the maximum total cost to the Department to answer all 323 is up to £274, 550.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_21

Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government how many contracts the Ministry of Defence has with Damen either directly or through contracts with third parties, and what is the value of those contracts. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence has no direct contracts with Damen. We have identified one contract through a third party, Serco, for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In Port Services Contract which encompasses the Vessel Replacement Programme. Damen Shipyards is a subcontractor for this programme with the value of this subcontract representing approximately £200 million, 22% of the total In-Port Services contract value. The decision to award the contract to Damen Shipyards Group was made by Serco.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_22

Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to award the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts to Serco on UK shipbuilding jobs. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of supporting UK shipbuilding and undertook market engagement to encourage bids from UK shipyards for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts. Despite these efforts, only one compliant bid was received, and Serco, as the prime contractor, was free to select its subcontractors.

The Government remains committed to supporting UK shipbuilding, and recent reforms to public procurement, including the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in February 2025, provide greater flexibility to prioritise British companies in strategically important sectors. The MOD continues to work with the National Shipbuilding Office to maximise opportunities for UK suppliers in future procurements.

The operational necessity of the DMS-NG contracts and the need to maintain critical maritime capabilities were key considerations in the procurement process, as was programme affordability at the time. However, some £200 million will still be spent through DMS-NG at British boatyards for the maintenance of the new vessels, which will bring benefits to the UK ship repair sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-08)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-12-08 conversation_23

Lord Beamish:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with Serco prior to awarding the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts about the ability of UK shipyards to build the vessels required under the contract. \p Lord Coaker: Prior to awarding the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract in April 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducted several rounds of market engagement activities to encourage participation from across the UK shipbuilding sector, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The intention was to maximise domestic involvement.

Despite these efforts, only a single compliant bid was received, necessitating a single-source approach to maintain programme momentum and ensure continuity of essential services. Serco was free to select its subcontractors, and the MOD was not permitted to require Serco to discriminate on grounds of nationality. The selection of Damen was based on Serco’s assessment of programme requirements and was consistent with all applicable procurement regulations. Damen Shipyards Group was selected by Serco.

The Procurement Act, which came into force in February 2025, offers greater flexibility to prioritise British companies in strategically important sectors such as shipbuilding.