theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-26 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Baroness Bull:To ask His Majesty's Government when the terms of reference for the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group will be announced on the Department for Education webpages; and whether there will be expert representation of all Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, in particular dyscalculia, in both the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group and in the Expert Advisory Group on Inclusion. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The terms of reference for both the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group and Expert Advisory Group have now been published on GOV.UK along with the associated membership lists. These terms of reference are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/neurodivergence-task-and-finish-group and https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/send-inclusion-in-education-expert-group.

The Neurodivergence Task and Finish group consists of academics, scientists, clinicians, sector charities and education experts. The members of the Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion have a range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) specialist knowledge and expertise. They are all well-established and trusted voices within the SEND and wider education sector.

In both cases, we have kept the group’s membership small to allow them to be focused, but we expect both groups and the department’s new Strategic Advisor for SEND, Dame Christine Lenehan, to collaborate with other sector experts and stakeholders in order to enrich the input into the groups and ensure appropriate coverage of all neurodivergent conditions, including dyscalculia. Together, the groups aim to inform and challenge the governments thinking on how to best improve mainstream education for all children and young people with special educational needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Storey:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to bring about a resolution to the industrial action undertaken by teaching staff at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts Multi-academy Trust; and what assessment they have made of the Trust's decision not to recognise the trade union representing those teaching staff. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department is working closely with Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) Multi-Academy Trust during the current industrial action taking place at LIPA Sixth Form College. The government cannot intervene in industrial action, but we will continue to liaise with the trust and remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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The Lord Bishop of Norwich:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards international climate and nature targets. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The UK fully supported the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and has already submitted to the Convention on Biological Diversity National Targets that are fully aligned with the Framework. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, and we will provide an assessment of our progress in the implementation of the KMGBF, including progress towards the national targets, in our seventh and eighth national reports in February 2026 and June 2029, respectively.

The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2030 and 2035 targets – to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% and 81% respectively on 1990 levels – are a fair and ambitious contribution to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and remains in place.

We are absolutely committed to our climate targets. That is why making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the five missions of this Government - delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the transition to net zero across the economy. This will make it easier and affordable for people across the country to move towards sustainable lifestyles.

The UK was the first major economy to halve its emissions, cutting them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while growing our economy by 79%.

The UK over-achieved against the first, second and third Carbon Budgets, and we will deliver an updated cross-economy plan in due course, which will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDCs on a pathway to net zero.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Baroness Willis of Summertown:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-open the Local Authority Treescapes Fund or to replace it with another similar fund. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra and the Forestry Commission are confirming plans for 2025-26 following the Autumn Statement and will be able to share more following the conclusion of our internal business planning exercise.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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The Lord Bishop of Norwich:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards meeting the statutory environmental target of 16.5 per cent tree cover in England by 2050. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: We are making progress towards the statutory target to reach 16.5% tree and woodland cover in England by 2050.

We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year and we have launched a Tree Planting Taskforce to support our plans to plant millions more trees. We will work to resolve barriers to help enable tree planting, boost biodiversity and grow the UK’s forestry sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Balfe:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish a taskforce aimed at tackling discrimination against Christians and other religious groups in the UK, similar to the taskforce created for that purpose by the government of the USA. \p Lord Khan of Burnley: All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, including that directed at Christians, and the government continues to work closely with community partners to tackle it. Churches and Christian charities occupy a valuable position in society through their access to active citizens, their role within local communities and their good relationships with other faith groups. Government and police routinely assess potential threats to ensure that protective measures are in place to protect Christian communities and their places of worship. The government has been exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to bridging divisions and challenging hatred. We remain committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion and will not tolerate discrimination against Christians in any form.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to abolish marriage value in lease extension calculations. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN HL 3047 on 10 December 2024.

PQ HL3047 (pdf, 77.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the international declaration agreed at the AI Action Summit in Paris, and whether they intend to suggest any amendments to that declaration. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: We have worked incredibly closely with the French team throughout the Summit. We agreed with much of the AI Action Summit Leaders’ Declaration and continue to work closely with international partners. However, we felt the declaration did not provide enough practical clarity on global governance, nor sufficiently address harder questions around national security and the challenge AI poses to it. We remain a very close partner to France on all aspects of AI, and an active and eager participant in all future AI Summits which were started at Bletchley Park in November 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk that DeepSeek poses to UK national security. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: The AI Security Institute (AISI) tests the capabilities of advanced AI systems, wherever they come from, and whether open or closed, to assess any risks they may pose to our security.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-26 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Moynihan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of lowering the proposed cap on ticket resales. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government has published a consultation on introducing new consumer protections on the resale of live events tickets. We are seeking responses on a range of proposals, including a price cap on resales and new requirements on resale platforms.

The consultation invites views about what the most suitable level would be for a price cap on ticket resales, ranging from the original price of a ticket to an uplift of up to 30% on that original price to cover admin costs. We will consider these views in determining the best route forward, once the consultation has concluded on 4th April.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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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 4 November 2024 (HL1875), what the policy is of (1) the Department for Health and Social Care and (2) NHS England, on recognising species dysphoria, in relation to (a) cats, (b) dogs, and (c) llamas. \p Baroness Merron: Neither the Department nor NHS England has a specific policy on recognising species dysphoria.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what contingency plans they are putting in place to continue to provide social care services in April where independent care providers withdraw their services due to the increase in employer National Insurance contributions. \p Baroness Merron: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why the Care Act 2014 places a duty on them to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

Local authorities also have a temporary duty under the Care Act 2014 to ensure continuity of care if a provider exits the market due to business failure. This is to ensure that people continue to receive the care and support they need.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-26)

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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average NHS waiting time for cataract surgery; and how many patients are currently waiting. \p Baroness Merron: There are currently 80,935 patients waiting for cataract surgery. The average National Health Service waiting time for this procedure is 15.6 weeks.

The Government is committed to putting patients first. We will ensure 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015.

We are proceeding with our commitment to cutting NHS waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care. We have delivered a reduction in the list of 160,000 pathways as well as provided over two million extra appointments, including for ophthalmology.

NHS England is also testing how improved IT connectivity between primary care optometry and secondary eye care services could improve the referral process and allow for the virtual triage of patients. This also includes looking at whether patients can be managed in the community, freeing up hospital eye clinic capacity for patients that need face to face specialist input.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-05-02 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 3 April (HL6029), what are the names of the current members of the Royal Visits Committee. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: As answered in PQ HL6029, the membership of the Royal Visits Committee is chaired by the Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and consists of senior representatives from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Royal Households, No.10, Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office.

We will not be disclosing individual names because officials need to be free to discuss and provide advice in an environment which maintains trust and confidence in the decision-making process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Lord Black of Brentwood:To ask His Majesty's Government when a meeting of the Royal Visits Committee was held to agree that an invitation for a state visit should be offered to President Trump, which members of the Committee were present at that meeting, and whether they will publish the minutes of that meeting. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: His Majesty will only extend a State Visit invitation following a formal recommendation from the Prime Minister. The Royal Visits Committee (RVC) provides advice to the Prime Minister, drawing on views from across HM Government.

The disclosure of RVC meeting minutes could potentially impact the bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the countries concerned. This would reduce the UK government's ability to protect and promote UK interests internationally.

Officials also need to be free to make and provide advice in an environment which maintains trust and confidence with the RVC membership and the decision-making process itself.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect that the Department of Transport will be reporting on the performance of trains, including on running times, cancellations, and staff absences, following the pay agreement with ASLEF. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Resolving the long running pay dispute has brought certainty for passengers as we work to improve the railways.

The Office of Rail and Road publishes quarterly and periodic (four-weekly) statistics on punctuality, reliability and causes of delay for passenger trains operating on the mainline network in Great Britain. This information shows that the moving annual average for cancellations has remained flat at 4.1per cent for the most recent three rail periods; suggesting that reliability is stabilising following a long term declining trend over the past decade. This is helping to improve revenue, which is good news for taxpayers.

We are committed to providing transparency for passengers around performance, which is why we have made station specific performance information available more than 1,700 stations across England since March 2025.’
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend entitlement for children who are under five to receive free milk in nurseries and schools to the end of the academic year in which they turn five. \p Baroness Merron: The Nursery Milk Scheme is a statutory scheme which allows early years childcare settings to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five years old who attend a setting for two or more hours per day. Schools can claim reimbursement from the scheme in respect of their pupils aged under five years old.

There are no plans to extend eligibility for the Nursery Milk Scheme to cover children until the end of the academic year, during which they reach their fifth birthday. Separate legislation allows pupils from lower-income families, and who are eligible for free school meals, to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Lord Carlile of Berriew:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the projected cost of clinical negligence claims over the course of the Parliament. \p Baroness Merron: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

The causes of the overall cost rise are complex and there is no single fix, as costs are likely to be rising because of a range of factors, including higher compensation payments and legal costs, rather than more claims or a decline in patient safety.

We recognise that this is an important issue, and ministers intend to look at all the drivers of cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 3 April (HL6131), what is their estimate of the total cash amount of the Universal Credit standard allowance in 2029-30, both with and without the above-inflation increases listed. \p Baroness Sherlock: The estimated cash amounts of the standard allowance in 2029-30 are presented in the table below. These cash amounts are minimum estimates based on Spring Statement 2025 Consumer Price Index forecasts and are subject to change with new forecasts.

The figures should therefore be treated with caution.

Estimated Monthly Standard Allowance in 2029-30

Rate

Inflation uprating only

Minimum Amounts with Above-inflation uprating

Single under 25

£348

£365

Single 25 plus

£439

£461

Couple under 25

£546

£573

Couple 25 plus

£690

£723

Notes:

Amounts are rounded to the nearest £
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-02)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, under the proposals for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) contained in the Green Paper Pathways to Work, how many current PIP claimants, based on their present activities of daily living points total and distribution between activities of daily living, would (1) not be entitled to the daily living component of PIP at the standard rate, (2) not be entitled to the daily living component of PIP at the enhanced rate, (3) become subject to the benefit cap, and (4) become subject to the shared accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance. \p Baroness Sherlock: In the Pathways to Work Impact assessment, the Department estimated that by 29/30 around 370,000 PIP claimants currently on PIP at policy implementation would be affected, after behavioural responses were taken into account. Of these, the Department estimates that around 270,000 will already be on PIP in March 2025 and 100,000 of these would be expected to inflow onto PIP between April 2025 and October 2026. 320,000 of these claimants affected are expected to otherwise, in the absence of the change to criteria, be in receipt of the standard rate of the daily living component of PIP, while 60,000 are expected to otherwise be in receipt of the enhanced rate.

No estimate has yet been made about numbers of current claimants who would now become subject to the benefit cap; in total for all current and future claimants affected by the measure, an estimated 2,000 will be subject to the benefit cap in 2029/30. No estimate has yet been made of the numbers of claimants who will become subject to the shared accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance.

Note:

a) Figures are based on modelling of the impact of requiring 4 points to be scored in at least one daily living activity.

b) Figures are rounded to the nearest ten thousand, benefit cap figure is rounded to the thousand.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to propose a review of the provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: This Government has no current plans to propose a review of the provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The international frameworks governing refugee response have been discussed periodically in the United Nations - most recently between 2015 and 2018. Member States decided against reopening the legal regime at that time, focusing instead on improving implementation of existing frameworks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Frost:To ask His Majesty's Government whether their proposed sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU will eliminate customs procedures for the export of SPS goods to the EU. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders Summit on May 19, 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone. Routine SPS border checks will be eliminated, so fresh produce can hit supermarket shelves more quickly, with less paperwork and fewer costs.

Customs procedures are not included in scope of the agreement. The Government has been clear that there will be no return to the Customs Union.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Frost:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that their proposed sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU will remove the recently instituted French requirement for an 'enveloppe logistique obligatoire' with respect to SPS goods exported to the EU. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders Summit on May 19, 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone. Once the agreement is in place, routine SPS checks for goods in scope will no longer be required.

Exporters to France will still need to meet French customs requirements including declarations and use of the Enveloppe Logistique Obligatoire system, as customs procedures are not included in scope of the agreement. The Government has been clear that there will be no return to the Customs Union.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are considering to protect hares and their young during the breeding season; and what assessment they have made of the introduction of a close season for the killing of hares. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra Ministers support the ambition to introduce a close season for hares in England. The hare is a much-loved species, and we fail to give it the protection we should. England and Wales stand out as being among the few European countries not to have a close season for their hares. A close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the breeding season, which runs from February to October, meaning that fewer leverets (infant hares) are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation. A close season is also consistent with Natural England's advice on wildlife management that controlling species in their peak breeding season should be avoided unless genuinely essential and unavoidable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Cromwell:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of biodiversity in lowland areas; the impact of previous environmental incentives on that biodiversity; and the extent to which lowland areas are vulnerable to intensification of agriculture in the absence of sufficiently competitive environmental land use payments. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: More than 50,000 farm businesses and more than half of all farmed land is now being managed in Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, including over 38,000 multi-year live SFI agreements covering 4.3 million hectares of land. This means 800,000 hectares of arable land is being farmed without insecticides, reducing harm to pollinators and improving soil health. It means 300,000 hectares of low input grassland are managed sustainably, helping to protect biodiversity and improve water quality, and it means 75,000 kilometres of hedgerows are being protected and restored, providing essential habitats for wildlife, improving carbon storage and strengthening natural flood defences.

The Government is committed to ELM schemes. Defra will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. This future SFI offer will build on what has made SFI effective so far. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the US–UK Economic Prosperity Deal will have on the wheat prices achieved by farmers. [I] \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

The deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. For the first time ever, this deal will also open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do. Any agricultural imports coming into the UK will have to meet our high sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.

Other than beef and ethanol, no access has been offered to US farmers into the UK market. We are working closely with the ethanol industry to find a way forward.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expedite planning permission for, and the construction of, (1) the Fens Reservoir, and (2) the Lincolnshire Reservoir. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government is taking decisive steps to expedite the delivery of the Fens and Lincolnshire reservoirs as part of our long-term strategy to improve water resilience and support sustainable development in water-stressed regions. Both projects have recently been designated as Nationally Significant. This means that planning decisions will be made by the Secretary of State through the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, rather than by local planning authorities. The DCO process consolidates multiple consents into a single application, helping to reduce duplication and avoid unnecessary delays.

These designations are intended to provide greater certainty for developers, regulators, and local communities, and to ensure a more efficient route through the planning system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that valuable, potentially tolerant, or disease-resistant trees, such as ash trees that have survived chalara ash dieback, are not unnecessarily felled. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: From observations in Europe and the UK, we expect 1-5% of ash trees to show useful levels of genetic resistance to ash dieback, caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Resistance is heritable which offers hope for a future breeding programme.  We recommend that land managers consider this resistance in ash trees and retain ash trees where they stand out as being healthier than those around them, providing it’s safe to do so.

The Government has invested more than £8 million to advance our scientific understanding of this disease since it was first detected, including into the development of resistant ash trees. We have conducted the world’s largest screening trials for tolerant trees have planted two living archives, one in Southern England in 2019 and the second in Scotland in 2025, to protect and maintain these important genotypes and facilitate the possibility of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.

Decisions about the management of individual ash trees are the responsibility of the landowner, but the Government has worked with partners to publish tailored guidance for woodland owners, farmers and local authorities on managing diseased ash, including a Local Authority Ash Dieback Toolkit (second edition published in 2025). The guidance recommends the identification of ash trees showing the highest levels of disease tolerance, before any felling action takes place, as the retention of these trees will help maintain a genetically diverse ash tree population in the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to put labelling provisions in place for genetically modified and hormone produced foods imported under the US–UK Economic Prosperity Deal. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

The deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. For the first time ever, this deal will also open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do. Imports of genetically modified beef or hormone-treated beef will remain illegal. Any agricultural imports coming into the UK will have to meet our high sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.

There will be no changes to labelling requirements as a result of what has been agreed so far within the UK-US agreement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include (1) creating alternative diagnostic pathways for people with signs and symptoms of cancer, and (2) expanding direct patient access to diagnostics, as part of the national cancer plan. \p Baroness Merron: The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, research, and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including improving diagnostic performance.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

Full roll out of non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways, designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer, has been achieved across England. NSS pathways introduce a route to possible diagnosis for patients who display symptoms that could indicate cancer, but which do not align to specific cancers. The new non-specific pathway complements current cancer diagnostic pathways, as well as providing elements that can be applied to existing pathways.

Additionally, general practice (GP) direct access enables GPs to directly request diagnostic tests, including several imaging modalities, such as ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, rather than first requiring a patient be referred to a specialist in an outpatient appointment. Performing diagnostic tests at this stage ensures that patients receive test results more quickly.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-12 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-12 conversation_11

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 22 May (HLWS662), what discussions were held between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding the decision to delay the legislation to regulate unhealthy food and drink advertisement on TV. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

The decision to exempt brand advertising from these restrictions was made following consultation, and was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the Health and Care Bill.

The position of the Government has been consistent, and on 7 April we re-confirmed our view that brand advertising is not in scope of this policy, as the legislation only restricts adverts that could reasonably be considered to be for identifiable less healthy products.

Industry raised significant concerns in response to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) draft implementation guidance published for consultation in February. We are aware that many brands have prepared advertising campaigns in good faith ahead of the restrictions’ current coming into force date of 1 October 2025, and remain concerned about how these adverts will be affected by the ASA’s implementation guidance.

There were several meetings between ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. These discussions culminated in setting out a resolution in our statement of 22 May. We announced that the Government will explicitly exempt ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. This is to avoid pigeon-holing brands as less healthy, and instead encouraging brands to reformulate their products and offer healthier options.

Providing this legal clarification on the policy’s intention will provide certainty to industry and will support businesses to invest in advertising with confidence, while ensuring that we deliver on our commitment and protect children from further exposure to junk food advertising and the lifelong harms of obesity.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_1

Lord Berkeley:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to place in the Library of the House a copy of the confidential document referred to in the Daily Telegraph on 18 December 2024, about the MV Ruby and its cargo of ammonium nitrate, as well as all correspondence with the Health and Safety Executive on this subject and any modelling of the dispersal of the chemical in sea water and its effect on marine life. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The MV Ruby has completed the successful discharge of her cargo and is currently undergoing repair in dry dock. The document referenced by the noble Lord was an internal briefing note and thus not prepared for publication, and we do not intend to provide any further documentation.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Transport for London on improving disability access across the London Underground. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London on a variety of issues including accessibility of their network. Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL is responsible for managing the London Underground.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_3

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what capital commitment they have made, or plan to make, to improve disability access at stations across the railway network. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: £350m is currently allocated to the Access for All programme until 2028/29. A further £75m programme of works to install platform edge tactile strips on at stations that did not already have them is approaching its completion. These investments are in addition to accessibility enhancements delivered as part of other major projects or industry renewal activities.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_4

Lord Rogan:To ask His Majesty's Government how many electric vehicle public charging devices have been installed in each of the past five years; and how many they expect to be installed in each of the next five years in order to meet their target of 300,000 charge points by 2030. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The number of electric vehicle public charging devices installed in each of the past five years is not available. However, the Department does hold data on the total size of the public network.

While the number of devices over time is not equivalent to the number of installations, since some devices will be decommissioned in any given year, it can be used to show growth of the charging network and this is given in the table below.

There were 73,334 public charging devices in the UK on 1st Jan 2025; this was 19,657 higher than 1st Jan 2024.

Date

Public charging device network count on this date

Year-on-year change to public charging device network count

1st January 2020

16,505

1st January 2021

20,775

4,270

1st January 2022

28,375

7,600

1st January 2023

37,055

8,680

1st January 2024

53,677

16,622

1st January 2025

73,334

19,657

The Department for Transport does not hold a specific forecast of the number of charging devices to be installed in each year. But based on the observed growth rate we are confident that the UK is on track to meeting a projected demand of at least 300,000 devices in 2030, as echoed by the recently published National Audit Office (NAO) report. This will be supported by government investment, including the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund which is estimated to deliver at least 100,000 chargepoints.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_5

Lord Grocott:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 4 December 2024 (HL2747), which Restoring Your Railway projects are (1) already in delivery, and (2) not yet in delivery. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Following the Chancellor’s announcement in July 2024, the Restoring Your Railway (RYR) programme has been brought to a close. Three RYR-originated projects were already in the delivery phase, which we are continuing funding for: Northumberland Line, Thorpe Park Station, White Rose Station. This is in addition to the three projects already delivered under this programme: Dartmoor Line, Thanet Parkway Station, Marsh Barton Station.

All other RYR projects were not yet in delivery and are in scope of the Chancellor’s announcement. The Spending Review, announced by the Chancellor at Budget, will consider the funding available for rail enhancements and schemes will be considered as part of that process.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the results of the pilot schemes for renting e-scooters. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department monitors how the e-scooter trials are running on a continuing basis to ensure they are operating safely and developing the evidence base that will inform our future decisions on e-scooters.

A second national evaluation of e-scooter trials will start early this year. This will look to understand what journeys are being replaced by e-scooter journeys and how they integrate with public transport; their safety for users and for others; and examine accessibility impacts of e-scooters. It will also explore changing travel patterns since the coronavirus pandemic, when the trials were initially set up, and as e-scooters have become more embedded in public life.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_7

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that firms are not managing to reach the 22-per-cent electric vehicle sales target; and what assessment they have made of whether the UK has the appropriate (1) legislation, and (2) infrastructure, in place to support the sales of electric vehicles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Due to the CO2 conversion flexibility included in the ZEV Mandate legislation, which allows a manufacturer to sell fewer ZEVs in exchange for reducing their CO2 emissions of their non-ZEVs, the Government believes that the car market as a whole has complied with the 22% target. In December the Government launched the consultation Phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and supporting the ZEV transition which seeks views from the public and industry on how to support vehicle manufacturers to meet the targets going forward.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_8

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were killed in collisions where the driver was under the influence of drugs in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, (5) 2023, and (6) 2024. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Data on road injury collisions are reported by police using the STATS19 system. Police officers who attend the scene can assign factors to a driver if they believe that they may have contributed to the collision occurring.

The number of fatalities from collisions where the road safety factor “affected by drugs” was assigned to the driver of a motor vehicle for the years 2019 to 2023 are shown in the table below.

Data for 2024 will be published in September 2025.

Year

Fatalities

2019

90

2020

92

2021

78

2022

96

2023

144
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_9

Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban all petrol and diesel motorcycles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government has no plans to ban all petrol and diesel motorcycles.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_10

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance transitioned to Personal Independence Payment over the last five financial years. \p Baroness Sherlock: The table below shows the proportions of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) caseload that have undergone a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment in each of the last five financial years (FY).

FY

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Percentage of caseload

Children

6.2

7.3

8.1

9.5

8.4

Adults

22.1

7.4

2.7

2.8

2.6

Total

16.7

7.4

5.1

6.1

5.7

Points to note:

- Figures are for England and Wales only.

- Figures are split for children and adults. Adults include those of working age and those over state pension age.

- Reassessment statistics count individual people who have registered PIP claims that are classified as DLA reassessments, where there is a matching DLA record.

- Children are usually invited to claim PIP on or shortly after their 16th birthday. If they choose to apply for PIP this will be considered a reassessment.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-01-16 conversation_11

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what data they have on the employment rate of individuals (1) before they claim Personal Independence Payment, and (2) in the 12 months after their claim is approved. \p Baroness Sherlock: Of all individuals who subsequently went on to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), 37% were in employment in the month their PIP case was cleared.

Of those who were awarded PIP, 23% were still in employment after 12 months.

Notes: