theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Baroness Manzoor:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update the terms of reference for the independent commission into adult social care to include the level of spending on palliative care within the NHS. \p Baroness Merron: The independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, commenced its work in April. The Terms of Reference have been published and are designed to be sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.

The Terms of Reference are clear that recommendations should be considered within the context of the ongoing National Health Service reforms and, in phase 1, should focus on how to get adult social care working more closely with the NHS. Baroness Casey will do this by considering the existing funding for local authority adult social care services together with NHS funding for services at the interface of health and care and whether they are being best used.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has met the NHS Staff Council since 1 January. \p Baroness Merron: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Minister of State for Health meet regularly with individual Agenda for Change (AfC) trade union leaders and with representatives of NHS organisations to discuss matters affecting the NHS workforce.

It is not usual practice for Ministers to attend NHS Staff Council meetings, which are used to discuss policy issues affecting the AfC workforce and to maintain the NHS terms and conditions of service. Accordingly, there have been no meetings between the Secretary of State and the NHS Staff Council as a whole since 1 January.

Both ministers have written to the NHS Staff Council on issues relating to AfC pay, terms, and conditions since 1 January, and Department officials continue to attend meetings of the NHS Staff Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care have had with promoters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill since November 2020. \p Baroness Merron: Ministers in the Department have had 15 meetings with the sponsors of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, namely the Hon. Member Kim Leadbeater and Lord Falconer of Thoroton.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Health and Social Care on 4 September (HC70174), what is the meaning of "in due course" for confirming the funding arrangements for children and young people's hospices in 2026–27. \p Baroness Merron: The Minister of State for Care is currently having discussions with NHS England and Department officials about the funding arrangements for children and young people’s hospices in 2026/27. We hope to be able to provide further communication on this later in the year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 22 September (HL10345), whether the Senior Leadership Committee included representatives from the Ministry of Justice; and whether the recruitment process involved the Civil Service Commission or the use of an exception under the Civil Service recruitment principles. \p Lord Timpson: The roles of Director General of Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Prisons are currently being filled on an interim basis. The recruitment position is unchanged from my reply of 22 September.

Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) membership is currently made up of: Permanent Secretary, Home Office (who serves as the Chair); Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury; Chief Executive of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; Permanent Secretary, Department for Education; Government Chief People Officer (Cabinet Office), Permanent Secretary, Department for Work & Pensions; and Director General, MI5. As set out in the Civil Service Senior Appointments Protocol, the First Civil Service Commissioner also sits on the SLC as a permanent member. There are currently no representatives from the Ministry of Justice on the SLC.

Civil Service Commissioners must chair all permanent competitions for posts at SCS Pay Band 4 (Permanent Secretary) and SCS Pay Band 3 (Director General) level. This requirement applies both to open (external) competitions and to Civil Service-wide (internal) competitions. Commissioners do not have involvement in appointments where an exception is granted, although these are reported to the Commission on a quarterly basis. The current appointments were made under exceptions due to the temporary nature of the arrangements. Any future permanent recruitment will follow the Civil Service Recruitment Principles and be chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of food inflation on household budgets. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: UK consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Changes in food prices are dependent on changes in one or more of these factors.

The latest available OECD data (up to 2023) shows that food prices in the UK remained lower than in most advanced economies and the lowest among G7 countries. After the USA, UK households spend the lowest share of their income on food and non-alcoholic drinks in the G7. In fiscal year end 2024, households spent 11.3% of their income on food, rising to 14.3% for the lowest 20% by income. Over the last ten years these figures have been relatively stable, barring the impact of coronavirus in 2020-22.

Through our Plan for Change we are going further and faster to put more money in people's pockets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace or roll over the Countryside Stewardship agreements terminating at the end of this year. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements expire at the end of the year and are considering how we can support continued delivery of environmental outcomes through environmental land management schemes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-15)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop workforce and education strategies in response to the growth of AI-native businesses with minimal staff. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government is taking steps to prepare the workforce for the future through its Industrial Strategy. We are ensuring that skills and employment support are aligned with key economic priorities, including transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

The Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy will set out plans to build a system that provides the skills that learners need to thrive in work and life and supports delivery of the Plan for Change.

Digital skills are embedded across occupational standards, influencing T-Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, and apprenticeships. From April 2026, new short courses will be introduced in England in areas such as digital and AI, funded by the Growth and Skills Levy.

Skills England has released three data-driven reports to support decision-making and development of targeted training solutions. These will ensure that skills provision meets economic needs, including in sectors most affected by AI, and will shape sector-specific packages responding to future workforce demands.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Baroness Barran:To ask His Majesty's Government what target they have to reduce the number of children in 'stuck' schools over each of the next three years. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The legacy inherited by this government was over 300,000 pupils in more than 600 ‘stuck’ schools, many of which were not structurally changed under the previous government.

The new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will galvanise local high quality organisations to support ‘stuck’ schools that are still within the same structure since their last inspection. The department is also consulting on making structural intervention the default if the necessary improvement is not made within two years for these ‘stuck’ schools.

RISE teams are expected to begin engaging with around 600 ‘stuck’ schools within the next 15 months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Baroness Watkins of Tavistock:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to raising the Rent a Room Scheme tax-free limit from £7,500 to account for rises in energy costs, council tax, and interest rates since the limit was last raised in 2016. \p Lord Livermore: The Rent a Room Scheme has been a feature of the income tax system since 1992.The current threshold provides an income tax exemption on income of up to £7,500 for individuals who let furnished accommodation in their only or main residence. This reduces and simplifies the tax and administration burden for those affected and has taken some taxpayers out of self-assessment entirely.

At present, the Government believes that the Rent a Room Scheme threshold is set at an appropriate level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Frost:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Livermore on 25 February (HL Deb col 1567), on what basis they calculated that the Brexit deal created new trade barriers on businesses equivalent to a 13 per cent increase in tariffs for manufacturing, and 20 per cent for services. \p Lord Livermore: The figures relating to new trade barriers due to the UK leaving the EU are quoted from the “Big Brexit” report, produced by the Resolution Foundation thinktank.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they take to ensure that local authorities clear litter on A roads within responsibility of those local authorities, and whether they keep this under review. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Roadside litter is not only unsightly but can be a threat to the environment. Litter-picking also diverts resources away from other essential road maintenance activities. The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Each individual highway authority is responsible for clearing litter on the roads for which it is responsible, including local authority A roads.

Funding for local highway authorities to support them in the delivery of their highway maintenance responsibilities is provided by both the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (for revenue-funded operations including litter-picking) and by the Department for Transport (for capital-funded operations such as roads resurfacing). The Government has already announced that the Local Government Finance Settlement for the 2025/26 financial year will grant councils in England access to over £69 billion in funding, a 6.8% cash-terms increase on 2024/25. The Department for Transport has also announced a £500 million funding uplift for local highway authorities for the 2025/26 financial year which will enable them to deliver improvements to the condition of local highways.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the UK's soft power of cutting the aid budget to 0.3 per cent by 2027. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The decision to reduce the UK's international development budget was not taken lightly and is a reflection of the extraordinary security challenge the world currently finds itself facing, specifically on Ukraine. Establishing a Soft Power Council reflects the continuing UK commitment to work more strategically on soft power. The UK has enormous soft power strengths and at this time of extraordinary challenges it is even more important that we bring our hard and soft power together as a force for good, to reinvigorate alliances and forge new partnerships. As my Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary has noted, harnessing our soft power more effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase support for programmes working to end conflict-related sexual violence in (1) Sudan, and (2) the Democratic Republic of Congo. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is committed to responding to the rapidly escalating rates of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In Sudan, we have enhanced monitoring of CRSV and are working with UN and NGO partners to improve humanitarian access and aid delivery. In DRC, we have announced £79 million this financial year, enabling lifesaving assistance including support for CRSV survivors. This includes an additional package of £14.6 million of humanitarian assistance announced by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to DRC on 21 February.

Details on future programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance from 0.5% of Gross National Income today to 0.3% in 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Moylan:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent case of Gary Mond, what steps they are taking to ensure that the Charity Commission is respecting the right to free speech. \p Baroness Twycross: The Charity Commission’s role as the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales is to ensure that charity trustees comply with their duties as set out in charity law. The Charity Commission has published guidance for trustees on the use of social media and managing the risks for charities.

The Charity Commission notes the Tribunal’s judgment in this recent case, and is considering what lessons can be applied to future casework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any proposals from the EU on a youth mobility scheme. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government's position remains the same - there are no plans for a youth mobility scheme. We have always said we will consider sensible proposals in accordance with our red lines as part of this process - but we have been clear that there will be no return to freedom of movement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of urinary incontinence on the (1) physical, and (2) mental, health of men. \p Baroness Merron: No such assessment has been made. NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, a copy of which is attached, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff. This guidance covers both urinary and bowel, also known as faecal, incontinence. The guidance states that “pathways of care should be commissioned that ensure early assessment, effective management of incontinence, along with other bladder and bowel problems such as constipation and urinary tract infections and their impact on social, physical and mental well-being.”

NHS England will consider the next steps for Excellence in Continence Care. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on the management of faecal incontinence in adults, which healthcare professionals and commissioners are expected to take fully into account when delivering services for people with bowel incontinence. The guidance aims to improve the physical and mental health and quality of life for people with faecal incontinence.

Document for HL5256 (pdf, 626.2KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the purpose of the changes made to (1) illegal entry, and (2) arriving without a required valid entry clearance or electronic travel authorisation, having made a dangerous journey, in the Nationality: good character requirement guidance. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: There are already rules that can prevent those arriving illegally from gaining citizenship.

On 10 February 2025, the Home Office strengthened measures to make it clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally or who arrives without a required valid entry clearance or electronic valid authorisation having made a dangerous journey, including small boat arrivals, now faces having a British citizenship application refused on the basis that they will not normally be considered to be of good character. This change means that:

However, each citizenship application will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Secretary of State may choose to apply discretion to grant citizenship on an exceptional basis where there are particularly exceptional, compelling, or mitigating circumstances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 12 February (HL Deb col 1255), what estimate they have made of the number of refugees who have arrived by unauthorised routes who will (1) apply for citizenship, and (2) have their application for citizenship accepted on the basis that their circumstances are 'exceptional, compelling and mitigating'; and whether these data formed the basis of assumptions that informed the changes made to the Nationality: good character requirement guidance in February 2025. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: No such data is available, and no such estimates have been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with European and other allies with a view to updating the 1951 Refugee Convention. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government remains committed to ensuring that all asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered in accordance with our international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. This means that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Cameron of Lochiel:To ask His Majesty's Government on what date the national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, led by Baroness Casey, will be published. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The audit will conclude within three months of commencement and Baroness Casey will submit a written report, which will detail the evidence and findings across the areas detailed at section 2 of the Terms of Reference (which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-terms-of-reference/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-terms-of-reference).

The report will provide recommendations on what further local, regional or national work may be necessary, and it will be made publicly available by the Home Secretary in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 13 March (HL5375), whether the National County Lines Coordination Centre coordinates with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) was created to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response to county lines.

The NCLCC, which is funded through our County Lines Programme has been vital in strengthening the law enforcement response and enabling police forces to work together to tackle this complex issue.

The NCLCC also has a role in sharing best practice and manage a dedicated fund which supports local police forces tackle the scourge of county lines. Whilst the NCLCC does not have a dedicated role in working with the National Rural Crime Unit and dedicated rural crime taskforces, NCLCC routinely works with a range of law enforcement and wider partners to tackle the county lines threat across England and Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 26 February (HL5029) on Stonewall funding, what steps they are taking to ensure the efficacy and utility of each project mentioned in respect of value for taxpayer money. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's LGBT+ rights programme aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT+ people around the world. This is done by tackling systematic violence, persecution, and exclusion by addressing outdated discriminatory laws, promoting protective legislation, empowering civil society organisations, and supporting the most vulnerable LGBT+ people in conflict and crisis. All programme proposals are required to set out how they will deliver and measure value for money. Successful partners are required to submit reports for the rigorous monitoring and evaluation process. These reports include a results framework or log frame to track progress against targets of the project alongside quarterly and annual progress reports, which allow us to look at the effectiveness, efficiency, efficacy, and utility of any work supported. All the information received from the partner and ongoing conversations throughout the years which the project is active allows us to track value for money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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The Earl of Dundee:To ask His Majesty's Government what further incentives they will offer to UK businesses to help deliver, through investment, joint venture or partnership, education and children's safety programmes, such as Sustainable Development Goal 4, including programmes supported by the FCDO, Unicef, the British Council, the Commonwealth of Learning, and the World Bank. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is increasingly working alongside the private sector and philanthropies to deliver Sustainable Development Goal 4. We are a founding donor of the new International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd), which unlocks additional finance from multilateral development banks, amounting to $7 for every $1 of Official Development Assistance. IFFEd is also similarly partnering with philanthropies to unlock further funding. In addition, the Girls' Education Skills Partnership (GESP) programme is another UK-funded initiative working with the private sector to provide high-quality skills training to young women aged 13 to 24 in Nigeria and Bangladesh. GESP draws on resources of the private sector (including companies such as Unilever, Pearson, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Microsoft, Accenture, Standard Chartered, Vodafone and Cognizant) combined with the technical experience of UNICEF to support girls' learning so that they can earn a living.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government, following concerns raised at the UN Human Rights Council’s 58th regular session about the continued presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray, what steps they are taking to ensure that Eritrean and other non-Ethiopian federal forces honour the terms of the 2022 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and fully withdraw. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK is working with partners to prevent a return to conflict in the region by supporting the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. On 13 March, the UK issued a joint statement with the EU and 23 countries emphasising our support for the agreement and urging all parties to refrain from violence and engage in urgent dialogue. We regularly engage with all parties and the African Union guarantors, to reiterate the importance of implementation and encourage political dialogue to overcome obstacles on the return of internally displaced persons and other outstanding issues.

The UK provides support for the demobilisation, disarmament, and reintegration process, funds international and Ethiopian human rights monitoring and supports investigatory capacity building across the country. The UK is aware of reports of illicit trade contributing to tensions in the region.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure sustained medical and psychosocial support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Africa, particularly through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative; and how they are working with international partners to strengthen long-term policy provisions for survivors in conflict-affected regions. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We put survivors at the heart of everything we do, including through regular collaboration with the Survivor Advisory Group and Survivor Champions. Since 2019, the UK has committed up to £7.85 million to the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) to support the delivery of interim reparative measure projects globally. Through this support, GSF has enhanced access to health and psychosocial care, education and financial support for over 1000 survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Sudan, we are working with United Nations and Non-Governmental Organisations partners to provide safe spaces, mobile clinic treatment, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors. We will continue to work with international partners, including through the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence and to provide the holistic support survivors need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey and President Erdoğan about the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul; and what information they have about the legitimacy of the reasons for which he has been detained. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: As a close friend and ally of Turkey the Government is closely monitoring the situation. Recent arrests are subject to ongoing domestic Turkish legal process. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. We regularly engage with the Turkish government and there has been Ministerial contact with counterparts in recent days to raise these issues. The UK supports democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and peaceful protest.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children in Sudan who are (1) affected by malnutrition, and (2) no longer in education, due to the war. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The conflict in Sudan is having a devastating impact on children. In 2024, admissions for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rose by nearly 44% compared to 2023 with an unprecedented 431,000 children treated by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Actual numbers of SAM are likely to be higher, but access constraints and insecurity complicate the ability of relief organisations to assess needs and deliver aid. In late 2024 UNICEF assessed that nearly 90% of Sudan's school age children (17 million against a population of 19 million) were no longer in school with armed violence a key driver. Both malnutrition rates and the number of children out of education will continue to rise whilst the fighting continues.

This financial year (2024-2025), the UK will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. As part of this, we support UNICEF who are providing lifesaving nutrition programmes to some of the most vulnerable children in Sudan. The UK also supports Education Cannot Wait, providing safe learning spaces and psychological support to 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central Africa Republic and Uganda. We are also one of the largest donors to the Global Partnership for Education who are delivering urgent support to children across Sudan.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of UK aid to Sudan that (1) reaches recipients via emergency response rooms, and (2) supports emergency response rooms. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Sudan conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world with over 30 million people in need of assistance. This financial year the UK will provide £226.5 million in life-saving aid towards the crisis. Since the conflict started more than 2.5 million people have received UK funded humanitarian aid. As part of this, we are one of the largest donors of the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and a consortium of international non-governmental organisations. Last year, we provided £23 million to the SHF. We continue to diversify our funding to ensure it reaches local responders such as the ERRs. We are unable to provide more detailed information around how many people the UK's aid reaches through the ERRs specifically.
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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are considering to address the persecution of Uyghur refugees in China, including coercive birth control measures; and what steps they are taking to engage with international partners to address these concerns. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: This government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.

We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively). We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners and work in multilateral fora to hold China to account for human rights violations. Most recently we raised the persecution of Uyghurs within our Item 4 statement at the Human Rights Council.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK aid to Sudan will include support for refugees who flee Sudan into other countries in the region. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The conflict has created a displacement crisis with more than 3 million Sudanese refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries, and a further 8.8 million people internally displaced within Sudan. In November 2024, the Foreign Secretary announced a £113 million aid package, which doubled the UK's aid commitment to £226.5 million. This package will assist over 600,000 people in Sudan and 700,000 people in neighbouring countries who had fled the conflict, including Chad and South Sudan. Education Cannot Wait will also receive UK support to provide safe learning spaces and psychosocial support for 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_15

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any organisations collecting and preserving evidence of atrocity crimes in Darfur. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), established following UK-led Security Council resolution, is the most effective mechanism to support accountability in Sudan. The FFM published its first report in September 2024 and concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both warring parties constituted war crimes and, in the case of the Rapid Support Forces, additionally crimes against humanity. The UK is also supporting the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body gathering open-source evidence about the conflict in Sudan with a view to supporting future accountability. The CIR has been able to assist the FFM in verifying reports of violations through its use of digital information. The UK also strongly supports the International Criminal Court's (ICC) active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. We welcome the ongoing cooperation between the ICC and the FFM and the significant progress made by the ICC in investigating and prosecuting past and current crimes in Darfur. The conclusion of the Ali Kushayb trial in December 2024 marks a historic milestone as the first trial concluded based on a Security Council referral.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_16

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce regulation to ensure the safe use of artificial intelligence technologies in healthcare. \p Baroness Merron: Ensuring technologies are safe is a top priority. To ensure the regulatory pathway is clear for both developers and adopters, the Department has supported the launch of numerous regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service (AIDRS) and the AI Airlock.

The AIDRS collaborates between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. The service, by providing a collaborative ‘one stop shop’ of information, advice, and guidance, allows adopters and developers of artificial intelligence (AI) to easily understand what regulatory and evaluation pathways need to be followed before an AI tool can be safety deployed across health and care.

The AI Airlock is an MHRA-led initiative, supported by the NHS AI Lab, designed to create a controlled testing environment where developers can rigorously validate AI tools in real-world clinical settings before full-scale deployment, ensuring they meet National Health Service standards for safety, efficacy, and integration into existing healthcare workflows. The AI Airlock fosters collaboration between developers, regulators, and healthcare providers, and reduces the risks associated with early-stage implementation while providing valuable feedback for developers to refine their products.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_17

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to water companies of adding fluoride to the water supply. \p Baroness Merron: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for reimbursing water undertakers for the reasonable costs associated with water fluoridation schemes. In the financial year 2023/24, these costs were £4,109,521 in revenue and £348,351 in capital for the estimated six million people in England covered by such schemes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_18

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment of adding fluoride to the water supply which takes account of (1) the financial cost, and (2) the possible health risks. \p Baroness Merron: An impact assessment was completed as part of the proposals to expand the existing water fluoridation scheme in the North East of England, to a further 1.6 million people. This sets out a net present social value of the proposal of £201 million over 40 years, and accounts for estimated benefits through dental health care cost savings, productivity gains, and quality of life benefits to individuals. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has a duty to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on health, and to publish reports at intervals no greater than four years. The findings of monitoring reports published in 2014, 2018, and 2022 are consistent that water fluoridation, at levels recommended in the United Kingdom, is a safe and effective public health measure to reduce dental caries.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_19

Lord Shinkwin:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment each government body or department has made of the value for money of the subscription fees paid to the Business Disability Forum for (1) membership or (2) partnership, and what criteria were used for each assessment. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: This information is not held centrally. Government departments are responsible for decisions about whether to buy services from third sector organisations to support equality, diversity and inclusion in their organisations.

Cabinet Office procured the Business Disability Forum subscriptions as a partner following a review of market options. This included looking at both the technical offering and price. Any future subscriptions will be subject to updated market analysis and value for money considerations.

The Business Disability Forum (BDF) provides support and guidance to the Cabinet Office on accessibility and disability-related issues, including reviews of procedures and policies, guidance on accessible training materials, and training for staff.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_20

Lord Shinkwin:To ask His Majesty's Government how much each government department or body that is (1) a member, or (2) a partner, of the Business Disability Forum has paid in subscription fees in each year of its membership or partnership. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office is a partner of the Business Disability Forum and has been a member since 2020. The Cabinet Office paid £26,400 for 2024/25. The annual cost varies each year.

Information on which Government Departments and bodies are members and the subscription fees paid is not held centrally.

The Business Disability Forum (BDF) provides support and guidance to the Cabinet Office on accessibility and disability-related issues, including reviews of procedures and policies, guidance on accessible training materials, and training for staff.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_21

Lord Shinkwin:To ask His Majesty's Government which government departments and bodies are (1) members, and (2) partners, of the Business Disability Forum. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office is a partner of the Business Disability Forum. Information on which other government departments and bodies are members or partners is not held centrally.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_22

Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on people convicted of a criminal offence who seek employment in education. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government has a robust safeguarding framework in place in the form of the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) statutory guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The KCSIE guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.

This guidance clearly sets out the requirements regarding safer recruitment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks, that schools and colleges should undertake for all staff, including external staff, and visitors, to ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.

Employers must assess whether a conviction deems an individual to be suitable for a role, taking into account the nature of the offence, its relevance to the role and any safeguarding risks.

However, KCSIE stresses the importance of creating a culture of safer recruitment, ensuring that schools and colleges have robust processes and policies in place to ensure people who might pose a risk to children are not employed in education.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_23
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-01 conversation_23

Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty as it applies to schools; and whether they plan to update the school admissions code (1) to give priority to children of Service families, and (2) to provide for siblings, where appropriate, to attend the same school. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government has policies in place to support schools and local authorities to fulfil their duty to give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant. This includes in specific areas of education provision, including school admissions.

The school admissions code already contains a number of measures to support service children in relation to school admissions.

These measures include requiring admission authorities to allocate school places in advance of a service family moving into the area, where a place is available, provided the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a re-location date. Children of UK service personnel can also be admitted as exceptions to the infant class size limit if they move outside the normal admission round.

Furthermore, admission authorities are able to give priority in their oversubscription criteria to children in receipt of the Service Pupil Premium, and publicly funded boarding schools must give service children who qualify for Ministry of Defence financial assistance with the cost of boarding fees priority after looked after and previously looked after children.

Admission authorities are already able to give priority to siblings in their admissions criteria where they feel that is appropriate to their local circumstances, although they are not required to do so.

Through the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, this government is taking further steps to ensure a more robust safety net for children who struggle to secure a school place via the usual in-year admissions processes, by giving local authorities the levers they need to secure places for children more quickly and efficiently, when the usual in-year admissions processes fall short.