theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_58
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_58

Baroness Deech:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reliability of the war-related death statistics issued by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza since 7 October 2023. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: Like many of our partners, we use data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is never straightforward. The MoH verifies and identifies each death by age, gender, and ID number. Previously, this methodology has been deemed sound by international academics. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has consulted experts from the London School of Tropical Medicine, OCHA, World Health Organization (WHO) and Every Casualty Counts, and assesses that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 estimated by OCHA is a reasonable figure, though numbers of those still missing are not yet known.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_59
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_59

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment or preparatory policy work ahead of their plans to introduce an EU–UK youth mobility scheme, and if so, whether they will publish them. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_60
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_60

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 11 February (HL4476), how many departments have implemented the Central Employee Identifier; which departments have yet to do so; and what is the expected timeline for full implementation across government. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Currently no departments have implemented the Central Employee Identifier. We will provide an update on implementation timescales in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_61

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that the principles of the Windsor Framework are not compromised as a result of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: We intend to apply UK CBAM across the UK including in NI. The EU's CBAM could only apply in Northern Ireland with the agreement of the UK and in line with the democratic safeguards of the Windsor Framework. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the EU, to ensure our approach is implemented in a way that works for businesses.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_62
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_62

The Earl of Clancarty:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to exclude international students from the net migration statistics. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Earl of Clancarty

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

4 March 2025

Dear Lord Clancarty,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether there are any plans to exclude international students from the net migration statistics (HL5079).

We are aware of stakeholder interest in an alternative measure of net international migration excluding students and are currently seeking user feedback on the requirement for this, as well as views on proposed options for how this could be estimated. We expect to report on the outcome of this process in early May 2025.

Currently, international students are included in official estimates of immigration if they meet the UN definition of a long-term international migrant, by residing in the UK for 12 months or more. Students staying long-term contribute to population change, as well as to society and the economy more broadly. Therefore, it is important to include them in the migration estimates as these feed into the calculation of official population estimates. Additionally, not all international students emigrate at the end of their studies, with many transferring into work or remaining in the UK for family or other reasons. Of the non-EU+ nationals who arrived in the UK on a study-related visa in the year ending June 2021, 48% had transitioned onto a different visa type by year ending June 2024.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

https://data.un.org/Glossary.aspx?q=long-term%20migrant
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_63

Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number and value of government contracts awarded to companies with criminal convictions. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: For contracts awarded under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, this information is not collated centrally. Departments are responsible for making their own procurement decisions.

The Procurement Act 2023, which went live on 24 February, requires all suppliers bidding for public sector contracts to register via a central digital platform and declare any relevant convictions and exclusion information. The strengthened exclusions and new debarment provisions in the Act enable and, where appropriate, require the exclusion of suppliers convicted of relevant offences.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_64
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Baroness Freeman of Steventon:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, what plans they have to ensure sufficient long-term resources for the National Biosurveillance Network to enhance the UK’s early warning systems and improve the biosurveillance evidence available for policy decisions. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Enhancing the UK’s early warning capabilities, including through scoping a National Biosurveillance Network (NBN), was a commitment in the 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy - adopted by this Government in October 2024. The Government will work to ensure that it has the capabilities it needs to protect the public from a spectrum of biological threats. Decisions on funding for future years will be made as part of the ongoing comprehensive Spending Review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_65
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_65

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government what investigatory powers for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to detect and investigate fraudulent claims they intend to establish under the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025; and how many full-time equivalent staff they intend to dedicate to fraud investigations. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The (draft) Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 do not confer any criminal investigatory powers on the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). However, a small team is being established to intervene where there are suspicious circumstances relating to a particular case, and IBCA will keep the size of that team under review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_66
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_66

Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their intention that overpayments to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will be treated solely as a civil debt under regulation 80(4) of the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025; whether the Infected Blood Compensation Authority has the power to escalate cases of deliberate fraudulent overpayment claims to criminal prosecution; and what policies and legal mechanisms exist to prosecute individuals who attempt to obtain payments unlawfully. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Regulation 80 (4) of the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 sets out that for where an overpayment of compensation is made by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, the excess amount is recoverable as a civil debt. IBCA does not have any bespoke powers to prosecute suspected fraudulent claims, but will have the same tools as other public bodies to take action against fraudulent activity. The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, introduced to Parliament on 22 January 2025, proposes new powers granted to the Public Sector Fraud Authority, to be used upon referral of a case from a public body. This meets the Government’s commitment for the better recovery of money owed to the taxpayer where public money has been stolen or overpaid.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_67
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_67

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 February (HC Deb col 964), what is the breakdown by department of the "nearly 70 direct engagements" held between UK Ministers and their EU counterparts since July 2024. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Responsibility for UK-EU Relations lies with the Cabinet Office and the Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has spoken with his counterpart Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič seven times. The Prime Minister has spoken with Commission President von der Leyen seven times and with Council President Costa three. Ministers across Government also regularly engage with their EU counterparts, including meetings held by FCDO, DSIT, DBT, DESNZ, HMT, HO, DEFRA, DCMS and others.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_68
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_68

Baroness Hayman:To ask His Majesty's Government what powers they have to alter the minimum mandated energy standards for the private rented sector. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Energy Act 2011 is the primary legislation which gives government the powers to amend the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, which set minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector. Government has launched a consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 7th February 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_69
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_69

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure their plans for clean energy (1) meet sustainable development targets, and (2) protect the environment; and how they plan to make their plans and progress transparent to the public. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As set out in the Clean Power Action Plan, we are committed to nature restoration and to ensuring joined up delivery of our climate and nature targets. We are considering how to use clean energy development to fund nature recovery unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We will be launching an engagement exercise this year to invite communities, civil society and wider stakeholders to submit their ideas on how government can best encourage nature‑positive best practice into energy infrastructure planning and development.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_70
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_70

Lord Ravensdale:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment of the decision to cap the supply of projects in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and the risk of driving up bills by reducing competition. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The capacity ranges set out in the Action Plan are not intended to cap supply of projects but, amongst other things, help prioritise the reform of the connections process. Today’s connections queue is significantly oversubscribed, with large volumes of some technologies and less of others.

It is vital that Contracts for Difference (CfD) continues to offer value for money to consumers and continue to deliver low prices, which is why auctions are designed to keep the process competitive.

Our reforms are aimed at improving the ability of the CfD mechanism to support a large volume of renewable capacity – particularly offshore wind – whilst maintaining competition, which provides value for money for consumers.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_71
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_71

Lord Sharma:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the practice of non-emergency venting and flaring from oil and gas infrastructure. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The UK has committed to the World Bank’s ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ Initiative, which relates to flaring from oil production, and to go further by ending routine flaring and venting from both oil and gas, by 2030.

In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority set out new requirements on the industry in the ‘OGA Plan’, to reduce upstream production emissions, including from flaring and venting.

With support from Government and regulators, the industry is on track to meet these ambitious targets.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_72
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_72

Lord Ravensdale:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan to allow only 700 megawatts of additional Scottish onshore wind capacity to connect to the grid between 2031 and 2035. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The regional capacity breakdowns for transmission connected technologies required for 2035 as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, connections reform annex, have been developed using ranges from the NESO Future Energy Scenarios 2024 net zero aligned scenarios.

The ‘Future Energy Scenarios: Pathways to Net Zero 2025’ document outlines NESO’s methodology in full detail.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_73
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_73

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish Great British Energy’s framework document; and what parliamentary scrutiny the framework document will be subject to. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The creation of the Framework Document is linked to the set-up of Great British Energy (GBE) and the document itself will be published in 2025, following Royal Assent, to ensure it reflects the final form of the legislation.

Regarding progress and parliamentary scrutiny, following the requirements of Managing Public Money, the Framework Document will be agreed between the Secretary of State and GBE itself, as well as HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. It will then be published on both the Department and GBE’s website.

Once published, the relevant select committees will be free to scrutinise GBE’s governance arrangements alongside any other matters they consider appropriate.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_74
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for use of artificial intelligence in writing CVs and cover letters to boost employment levels. \p Baroness Sherlock: AI has the potential to make a significant difference to the support that the Department can offer. However, it is important to use AI tools in the right way. We are working on the design for the national jobs and careers service with a pathfinder being planned. As part of the design of the service, we will explore and test the most appropriate use of technology (including AI) to support job seekers with their work search.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_75

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the current and each of the last four financial years, how many 16–24 year olds are receiving personal independence payments at (1) the lower rate for daily living, (2) the higher rate for daily living, (3) the lower rate for mobility, and (4) the higher rate for mobility; and of those, how many have depression and anxiety as the primary reason for receiving that benefit. \p Baroness Sherlock: The table below shows the number of claimants aged 16-24 receiving the different award types for both daily living and mobility components of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and for those aged 16-24 whose primary condition was Anxiety or Depression.

Table 1: Number of claimants aged 16-24 years receiving PIP in England and Wales by award rate for Daily Living and Mobility, split by all medical conditions and Anxiety and Depression only.

2020_21

2021_22

2022_23

2023_24

2024_25*

DL

Mob

All

A&D

All

A&D

All

A&D

All

A&D

All

A&D

Enh

Enh

111,700

4,800

132,900

6,900

164,600

10,300

196,700

14,000

216,500

16,400

Std

39,200

5,400

45,100

7,400

53,300

10,700

63,300

15,200

70,400

18,200

Nil

16,500

3,300

15,200

3,200

15,300

3,500

14,700

3,700

14,700

3,800

Std

Enh

8,100

1,100

9,100

1,200

10,800

1,600

12,200

1,900

13,300

2,100

Std

15,900

3,300

16,900

3,600

19,200

4,800

21,600

6,100

23,500

6,900

Nil

25,600

7,900

25,600

8,300

26,800

9,100

27,300

9,700

27,900

9,900

Nil

Enh

4,700

400

5,400

500

6,700

800

7,900

1,000

8,900

1,200

Std

3,600

800

4,000

1,000

5,400

1,700

7,000

2,400

8,600

3,000

Notes:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_76

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 10 February (HL4426), what are the numbers and proportions of lead carers in couples with children broken down by (1) gender of lead carer, and (2) whether employed, according to whether the couple has (a) one earner, broken down by gender; or (a) two earners. \p Baroness Sherlock: Table below provides the breakdown of the number of lead carers in couples with children receiving Universal Credit by gender of the lead carer and whether the couple has no earners, one earner or two earners.

Gender of lead carer

Volumes (October 2024)

No earners

Female

108,000

Male

23,000

One earner

Female

320,000

Male

47,000

Two earners

Female

190,000

Male

21,000

Total

709,000

Note: the data above is from Universal Credit administrative data from October 2024 and subject to retrospective changes. The volumes are of people who were in payment of UC in October 2024. The figures have been rounded to 2 significant figures. We have defined single status and couple status according to their standard allowance amount. 2-3% of households did not have a match between Universal Credit data and the Lead Carer data - those with missing values have been excluded from the figures above.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_77

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government how many couples receiving Universal Credit have earnings. \p Baroness Sherlock: In October 2024, 720,000 couples were in payment for Universal Credit and had earnings reported in that month.

Note: The figure above is from Universal Credit administrative data from October 2024 and subject to retrospective changes. The volumes are of people who were in payment of UC in October 2024 and those with a positive earnings record. The figure has been rounded to 2 significant figures. Those with missing values have been excluded from the figure above. We have defined single status and couple status according to their standard allowance amount.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_78

Baroness Taylor of Bolton:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficiency and effectiveness of their Tell Us Once service. \p Baroness Sherlock: Since its launch in 2011, the Tell Us Once service has assisted over 5.2 million families. We monitor the number of notifications generated and the time it takes for recipient organisations to open them, ensuring that notifications are received and acted upon promptly.

We work closely with service delivery partners to ensure the service meets citizens' expectations. The most recent monthly internal evaluations of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 4.6 out of 5 for the online service.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_79
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_79

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 10 February (HL4426), what are the numbers and proportions of lead carers in couples with children broken down by the person into whose bank account Universal Credit has been nominated to be paid. \p Baroness Sherlock: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_80

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 10 February (HL4425), what is the breakdown of the number of couples receiving Universal Credit where the calculation of earnings includes a work allowance, (1) by whether the couple has (a) one earner, or (b) two earners, and (2) by the gender of the lead carer where the couple has dependent children. \p Baroness Sherlock: The table below provides the breakdown of the number of couples receiving Universal Credit where the calculation of earnings includes a work allowance by whether the couple has one earner or two earners.

Volumes (October 2024)

One earner

460,000

Two earners

230,000

Total

690,000

The table below provides the breakdown of the number of couples receiving Universal Credit where the calculation of earnings includes a work allowance by the gender of the lead carer where the couple has children.

Gender of lead carer

Volumes (October 2024)

Female

510,000

Male

68,000

Total

580,000

Note: the data above is from Universal Credit administrative data from October 2024 and subject to retrospective changes. The volumes are of people who were in payment of UC in October 2024 and those with a positive earnings record. The figures have been rounded to 2 significant figures. We have defined single status and couple status according to their standard allowance amount. 2-3% of households did not have a match between Universal Credit data and the Lead Carer data - those with missing values have been excluded from the figure above.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase military aid to Ukraine. \p Lord Coaker: The Government is steadfast in our commitment to continue to supply military assistance and the UK will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends for as long as it takes. Last year, the Prime Minister recommitted to £3 billion a year of military support for Ukraine until 2030-31 and for as long as needed.

The UK is stepping up and speeding up its military assistance, spending £4.5 billion on military support for Ukraine this year - more than ever before. We have also earmarked our additional $3 billion contribution under the ERA loan for military spending.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_82
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what military aid and equipment they expect to have supplied to Ukraine by the end of the 2024–25 financial year; and what military aid and equipment they have committed to supply in 2025–26. \p Lord Coaker: Since the start of the conflict, we have provided Ukraine with over ten million rounds of various types of ammunition, delivered 500,000 artillery shells, hundreds of armoured vehicles, over 10,000 drones, a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks, Storm Shadow cruise missiles and over 15,000 anti-tank weapons.

We continue the high pace of delivery, and by the end of the financial year 2024-25 we will have delivered a further 10,000 drones under the drone capability coalition and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Continuous deliveries of military aid and equipment to Ukraine are planned for Financial Year 2025-26, including 15 Gravehawk air defence systems, a significant quantity of the recently announced 650 Lightweight Multi-Role Missiles (LMM), and the majority of the recently announced £150 million support package. We are in close dialogue with the Ukrainian Government to ensure the military aid and equipment meets their needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what resources they have provided to Ukraine through military equipment and aid since the start of the Russian invasion. \p Lord Coaker: Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK's total military, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine amounts to £12.8 billion.

The UK will spend £4.5 billion on military support for Ukraine this year - more than ever before.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Viscount Trenchard:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the external scrutiny team of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations will remain independent of the Ministry of Defence if the Council of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations is converted into a non-departmental public body. \p Lord Coaker: Defence Ministers are very grateful for the hard work of the External Scrutiny Team (EST). Alistair Carns DSO MC OBE, Minister for Veterans and People, expressed this sentiment on 17 December 2024, when he placed a copy in the Library of the House of the EST’s Annual Statutory Report 2024 on the health of the Reserve Forces.

Defence is clear that the EST is indeed independent, since it directs its own business, and we would aim to ensure that this independence is maintained if the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations are converted into a Non-Departmental Public Body.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_87
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Lucas:To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils took examinations in summer 2024; how many GCSEs each pupil took on average; and what was the average grade achieved by the worst-performing 10 per cent of pupils in (1) mainstream schools, (2) special schools, (3) alternative provision and (4) all of the above. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: In 2023/24, there were 629,275 pupils in state-funded schools at the end of key stage 4. Of these pupils, 614,265 took at least one GCSE. The average number of GCSEs taken by pupils at the end of key stage 4 in state-funded schools was 7.3. This figure includes pupils who did not take any GCSEs.

These figures are all publicly available in the key stage 4 performance statistics release and the Compare School and College Performance (CSCP) website, which are available via the following links: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance and https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/.

The table below shows the average score for the lowest performing 10 percent of pupils broken down by school type. This is based on grading from 1 to 9, with grades U and X assigned a score of 0.

Average score for lowest performing 10%

All pupils at the end of key stage 4 (1)

All pupils with an entry (2)

All state-funded schools (including Hospital, pupil referral units (PRU), alternative provision (AP))

0.62

1.12

State-funded mainstream schools

1.04

1.18

All state-funded special schools

0.00

0.05

Hospital schools, PRU and AP

0.00

0.00

(1) Includes all pupils at the end of key stage 4. If no examinations were entered a pupil’s total grade is counted as 0.

(2) Includes pupils who have at least one entry which counts towards performance tables.

(3) Includes scores from all qualifications that count towards performance tables, not just GCSEs. All qualifications are assigned scores on the 1 to 9 scale.

(4) State-funded mainstream schools includes community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, foundation schools, sponsored academies (mainstream), converter academies (mainstream) and free schools (mainstream).

(5) State-funded special schools includes community special schools, foundation special schools, special sponsor-led academies, special converter academies and special free schools.

(6) Alternative provisions includes pupil referral units, academy alternative provision, community hospital schools, and free school alternative provision.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Lord Laming:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help young people to avoid the dangers of gambling. \p Baroness Twycross: We are committed to protecting young people from gambling harm. Since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England.

We are introducing a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators raising funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have better informed and protected young people when it comes to gambling-related harms.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_90
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_90

Lord Bassam of Brighton:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect and promote Cluniac sites; and what discussions they have had with the European Federation of Cluniac Sites about their UNESCO World Heritage bid. \p Baroness Twycross: I recognise the important contribution that Cluniac sites make to our country’s heritage - many of which are already well protected, such as the Grade I Listed Ruins of Lewes Priory amongst others included on the National Heritage List for England.

DCMS and Historic England have had discussions about Cluniac sites and the European Federation and the importance of these places receiving the recognition they deserve. I am pleased to see the network of Cluniac Sites in Europe, which includes sites in the UK, already has international recognition, being designated a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 2005.

With the large number of existing UK World Heritage Sites and our commitment to supporting UNESCO’s ambition for a more globally balanced, representative World Heritage List, the UK Government does not currently have any plans to consider additional sites for nomination to UNESCO, beyond those already included on the UK’s Tentative List.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_91

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect free speech within the law and the expression of gender critical beliefs in relation to (1) views expressed by staff of Arts Council England, and (2) the awarding of grants by Arts Council England. \p Baroness Twycross: The government is committed to freedom of speech, including in the cultural sector, and the Secretary of State for Culture has expressed an unequivocal ambition that the era of the government stoking “culture wars” should be over. The government is clear that whilst it is right that protections from discrimination exist for LGBT+ people, such as those contained in the Equality Act, this does not prohibit people from expressing their views, opinions or beliefs which are also protected. However, it is important to protect people from illegal discrimination, harassment, and hate speech.

The government meets with Arts Council England on a regular basis to discuss and hold it to account on a wide range of issues. All Arts Council Staff are expected to uphold the Nolan principles, which includes Objectivity. That principle notes that holders of public office must act and make decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Arts Council England has clearly stated its commitment to freedom of expression for artists and cultural organisations, which it views as a foundational value. Darren Henley, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, has been unequivocal to parliament on this matter: for any legally constituted organisation that is entitled under Arts Council rules to make an application to them, that application will be considered absolutely fairly, and Arts Council will be looking at the artistic and creative content of that in the same way as they would any other application.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_92

Lord Moynihan:To ask His Majesty's Government what financial support UK Sport is offering to squash, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and T20 cricket in the build-up to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 for the preparation of potential Team GB members of these sports. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government is fully committed to our elite sport system and enabling our athletes to achieve their potential and excel on the world stage. The Chancellor has confirmed that a multi-year investment will mean a total of £344 million is invested into UK Sport for Olympic and Paralympic success ahead of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.

UK Sport made their funding decisions following a long and detailed investment process which included extensive discussion and consultation with each of the National Governing Bodies involved, and assessment against their investment principles.

UK Sport have made the following awards for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics:

Squash: £500,000

Baseball/Softball: £700,000

Flag Football: £500,000

Lacrosse: £700,000

T20 Cricket, as a sport with established alternative revenue streams, does not currently receive UK Sport funding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_93

Lord Aberdare:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the requirement for heart screening for young people engaged in sport beyond organisations which already require and provide such screening. \p Baroness Twycross: The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. NGBs are independent of Government, but the Government expects NGBs to make the health and safety of players their top priority.

Sport England, DCMS arm's-length body for grassroots sport, works closely with Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), an organisation which aims to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening, research, and supporting affected families. Sport England is helping increase awareness of CRY in the community sports sector, including through Buddle, its online site for clubs and community organisations.

The Department for Health and Social Care has responsibility for preventative healthcare strategies. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisory body which advises health ministers and the NHS in the four nations of the UK on all aspects of screening. It is currently reviewing a submission received via its annual call process to consider Sudden Cardiac Death screening in young people aged 14-35 engaging in sport. More information on the annual call process can be found here: UK NSC annual call.

Countries often cited as screening for more conditions than the UK are not always running national programmes; often, there are small pilots operating in one region or city, led by a single clinician. They are therefore not directly comparable to the national screening programmes operating in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_94

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism's impact on the cost of electricity for households and businesses in Northern Ireland. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government plans to apply the UK CBAM across the whole UK, including Northern Ireland, from 2027. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the EU, to ensure our approach is implemented in a way that works for businesses.

The EU's CBAM could only apply in Northern Ireland with the agreement of the UK and in line with the democratic safeguards of the Windsor Framework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_95

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government on higher education reforms including how universities are funded and governed, and how students are financially supported. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The UK’s world leading Higher Education sector makes a vital contribution, as both education and research institutions, to our economy, to society, to industry and to innovation.

The Secretary of State for Wales has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a range of issues, including Higher Education. The Department for Education has engaged at both official and ministerial level with the Welsh Government regarding plans for Higher Education reform and financial sustainability and will continue to do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_1

Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the costs of the UK–EU security and defence partnership announced on 19 May. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership is an important agreement that will enable enhanced dialogue and cooperation on key issues including Ukraine, the Western Balkans, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure, and military mobility. It also complements our relationship as a leading member of the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization, the cornerstone of the UK's defence. There are no costs directly associated with the partnership. As we implement the partnership and take forward key areas of collaboration, I will ensure that any commitment - whether financial or non-financial - provides value to the UK taxpayer and delivers the UK's defence and security objectives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_2

Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since July 2024 to pursue justice and accountability for Uyghurs, and what further action they will take within the next year. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghur Muslims. We continue to refer to the OHCHR's 2022 Xinjiang Assessment, which is based on independent evidence and China's own records. We raise our concerns on human rights at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts. We continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly in October 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_3

Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government which Schengen Area countries currently allow British citizens to use e-Gates; which additional countries are expected to do so before the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) later this year; and whether passport stamping will still be required in all cases for British citizens before the full implementation of the EES. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We have secured confirmation that there will be no legal barriers to eGates use for UK nationals travelling to and from EU Member States after the introduction of the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES). But the Prime Minister has been clear that there should be no reason why European countries cannot go further and faster on this now. We are now working with individual Member States to make that happen as soon as possible. Until EES is fully implemented all third-country passports will still require a stamp on entry/exit to the Schengen Area. But where eGates are used, the process is likely to be swifter and more straightforward as, in most circumstances, border guards will not need to carry out further passport checks. UK nationals' access to eGates in the Schengen Area is a decision for each individual country.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_4

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with (1) the Sudanese Armed Forces, and (2) the Rapid Support Forces, about the ongoing conflict in Sudan. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: As part of ongoing efforts to push for an end to the conflict in Sudan, the UK engages with both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Senior officials including the FCDO's Director General for Africa, the Americas and Overseas Territories, the UK's Special Representative to Sudan as well as the FCDO's Africa Director have each recently travelled to Port Sudan including in both the lead up to, and aftermath of, the 15 April London Sudan Conference to meet with key members of the SAF, including General Burhan. In these engagements, UK officials have continually pressed the warring parties to agree to a permanent ceasefire, to allow unrestricted humanitarian access, to protect civilians, and to commit to a meaningful peace process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_5

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards securing the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah from prison in Egypt. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Government is committed to securing Mr El-Fattah's release and we continue to press his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case in a phone call to President Sisi on 22 May. I raised the case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 25 May, and with the Egyptian Ambassador on 31 May. The Foreign Secretary also raised the case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 1 June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_6

Lord Oates:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding compliance with international humanitarian law and restoring humanitarian access to Gaza. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: We call on the Government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza, now. The Foreign Secretary regularly presses his Israeli counterparts on these issues. We are calling on the Government of Israel to allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza, and let the UN and humanitarians save lives. On 13 May the UK, along with European partners, called an urgent session of the UN Security Council to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary announced that we have suspended negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement, decided to review cooperation with them under the 2030 Bilateral Roadmap, and imposed further sanctions on settlers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-05 conversation_7

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are providing assistance to establish an ad hoc tribunal for Daesh; and what steps they are taking to ensure that evidence collected by the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL can be used by prosecutors globally. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK has not provided assistance to establish an ad hoc tribunal for Daesh. We would look at any proposal with interest but it would be vital to have wide international support, including from Iraq.

Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council established the National Centre for International Judicial Co-operation (NCIJC) in October 2024. The centre is Iraq's legally-designated authority for international judicial cooperation and evidence-sharing on counter terrorism, and it holds the majority of evidence collected by the UN Investigative Team. All requests for evidence for foreign prosecutions go to the NCIJC, which will then arrange for evidence to be obtained and provided.