theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-24 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Hayward:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 12 June (HL Deb col 1528), whether the role to oversee the commercial function as a joint department of both Houses is an additional role in the management structure; and if so what is the cost of that role. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Parliamentary Commercial Department will be led by a Chief Commercial Officer. This is a new senior role in the management structure which will be responsible for overseeing Parliament’s portfolio of contracts, developing and implementing commercial strategies, and ensuring high-performance procurement across Parliament. The post was advertised in March with an annual salary of circa £150K, in line with market expectations for a role of this seniority and complexity in the public sector. The outcome of the recruitment process will be announced as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Lamont of Lerwick:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration he has given to commissioning a review by independent consultants to determine whether the microphones and audio systems in the House of Lords are of a satisfactory standard. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A project led by an independent consultant is currently underway to upgrade the sound systems in both Houses. The suspended microphones in the Lords Chamber were replaced in 2017 and are professional studio quality models. The four main table microphones are to be replaced this summer with similar quality models.

The loudspeakers installed in the backs of all bench seating were replaced last summer with modern models designed for high speech intelligibility. Some deep structural cabling issues with a small number of the speakers are currently being investigated and it is intended that these issues will be resolved over the summer recess.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Lamont of Lerwick:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when the microphones and audio systems in the Committee Corridor were last inspected; and whether their quality was judged satisfactory. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The sound systems are inspected and tested every day the Committee Rooms are in use. The reported issues with the volume of remote contributions in some Committee Rooms has been identified and remedial works will be completed during the Summer recess.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Lamont of Lerwick:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of whether the microphones and audio system in the Moses Room are fit for purpose. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The sound system in the Moses room is due to be replaced as part of a project upgrading the facilities across Committee Rooms. This work was recently delayed to ensure that related asbestos works could be undertaken safely. The work on the sound system is now scheduled to be completed in Summer 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Lamont of Lerwick:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether all the microphones in the Chamber work; and, if not, what plans there are to repair them. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The microphones in the Chamber are tested each day in advance of the sitting of the House and are in full working order.

If any Member wishes to identify any particular audio matters in the Chamber, I would be very happy to take this up with the Director of Facilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Baroness Coffey:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment he has made of the case for establishing a Select Committee, in line with section 9 of the Planning Act 2008, to consider the national policy statements for (1) energy, (2) renewable energy infrastructure, and (3) electricity networks infrastructure, for which the scrutiny periods expire on 22 July. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Liaison Committee is responsible for the establishment of select committees and it keeps the number of committees under regular review. No select committees have been established specifically for the purpose of considering National Policy Statements since the Act was passed in 2008. Existing committees can examine National Policy Statements within the scope of their orders of reference set by the House. For example, the Industry and Regulators Committee’s recent report Power struggle: Delivering Great Britain’s electricity grid infrastructure included recommendations on the National Policy Statements for Energy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the increasing use of green energy remains a central focus of UK energy policy. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The commitment to Clean Power by 2030 is a central focus of government policy, with an associated Action Plan outlining how the Government will achieve its clean power mission by rapid deployment of low carbon generation, along with transmission infrastructure. The Spending Review reconfirmed this mission. Great British Energy and Great British Energy – Nuclear will together invest more than £8.3 billion over the parliament in homegrown clean power. Landmark funding of over £500m for hydrogen infrastructure has also been announced. This will help deliver green energy while creating thousands of jobs in industrial regions and the supply chain.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what ability landlords will have to comply with tied agricultural dwelling planning conditions when an agricultural employee leaves the industry but chooses to remain in their tied agricultural occupancy property under the provisions of the Renters' Rights Bill. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Renters’ Rights Bill will transform how tenancies work ending the threat of arbitrary section 21 evictions. The new tenancy system will provide tenants with greater security and stability.

We value the contribution made by responsible landlords and believe they must enjoy robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back. The Bill clarifies and expands grounds for possession, allowing landlords to regain possession when necessary.

A landlord will be able to seek possession of an agricultural dwelling using ground 5A when the duties of the agricultural employee end. This will enable the landlord to re-let the property to a new tenant in compliance with the planning conditions associated with the property.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Porter of Spalding:To ask His Majesty's Government whether homes built as part of their new towns programme will count towards councils' overall housing targets in terms of the target of delivering 1.5 million new homes over this Parliament. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN xx-xxxx-xxxx.

PQ xx-xxxx-xxxx (pdf, 82.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to paragraph 4.41 of the Spending Review (CP 1337), which new mayoral strategic authorities they are supporting to enable them to access the benefits of strong local leadership. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: At the Spending Review, this government reconfirmed its commitment to the Devolution Priority Programme. The six areas on the DPP are Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk. Following recent consultations in these areas, Government is now carefully considering the evidence collected in order to decide whether statutory tests have been met.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Baroness Janke:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of unpredictable housing transaction timelines on removals and storage businesses and the ability of those businesses to meet demand. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The home buying and selling process in England is cumbersome , taking an average of nearly five months to complete and a third of transactions fall through – this is holding up the property market.

We believe an improved home buying and selling system that is more efficient has the potential to help people move into their homes more quickly and plan their moves with more certainty. This will benefit the storage and removals sector by enabling more predictable moving timelines, helping businesses anticipate demand more effectively.

On 9 February we announced action to improve home buying and selling by digitalising the process. In collaboration with HM Land Registry, we are working with local authorities to digitise property data, introduce common data standards, and enable digital identity services for the property sector. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-local-land-charges-programme/local-land-charges-programme.

Local land charges programme (pdf, 447.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Shipley:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their formula funding of student accommodation to support local authorities in the absence of council tax or business rate income, and of whether this formula should be updated to reflect the increased numbers of students using local services over the past decade. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Government has recently published the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation document setting out detailed proposals to update and reform the local government funding system through the 2026–27 Local Government Finance Settlement. As part of these proposals, we are considering how best to reflect the impact of student populations on local authorities’ ability to generate council tax revenue.

Specifically, we are proposing to account for the presence of student-exempt properties within the Resource Adjustment element of the funding formula. This would mean that authorities with a higher number of student-exempt properties would receive a smaller resource adjustment, thereby recognising their reduced capacity to generate income locally through council tax.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Whitty:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have a strategy for dealing with trifluoroacetic acid in waterways and the water supply. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Drinking Water Inspectorate is undertaking a research programme to better understand the prevalence of TFA in drinking water sources across England and to assess treatment efficacy.

This work is being coordinated with colleagues in the Environment Agency (EA), Defra, and the Health and Safety Executive, who are also assessing TFA in the wider environment and reviewing its potential classification.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Roborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how UK farmers will replace the lost market for feed quality cereals when the UK imports bioethanol from the United States of America. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The landmark economic deal with the United States announced on 8 May 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.

The demand for UK-produced crops is subject to global market prices and supply. Crop varieties grown in the UK can be of a specification for food, feed and bioenergy standards, and this in-built flexibility helps farmers to ensure an end-use market for their product. For farmers, the opportunity to sell into bioenergy production offers a secondary market for their surplus or lower quality crops and associated agricultural residues. In 2023, 133,000 hectares of agricultural land in the UK were used to grow crops for bioenergy. This area represents 2.2% of the arable land in the UK.

The Government is working closely with the Ethanol industry to find a way forward. The Business and Transport Secretaries met with representatives from the bioethanol industry last week to discuss their concerns.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the closure of sandeel fisheries in the English North Sea is permanent. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: In March 2024, and following a public consultation, the UK and Scottish Governments closed English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish waters to sandeel fishing. The closure will shield sandeel as an essential food source for commercially valuable fish, threatened seabird populations and for marine mammals. The EU has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The Permanent Court of Arbitration found the UK was successful in three of four claims including Scotland successfully defending the permanent closure of fishing for sandeel in Scottish waters. The Arbitration Tribunal determined there was a procedural error in the decision-making process to close English waters to sandeel fishing, in that, the UK did not have sufficient due regard to the EU and the principle of proportionality, as required by the TCA. The Government is presently bringing the UK into compliance with the tribunal’s ruling.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the driest spring in 132 years on water levels, and of the impact that low water levels are likely to have on the economy and on communities. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To manage the drought, the EA and water companies have activated their drought plans. These plans outline actions that are needed to reduce the impact of the drought on the economy and communities. Current actions by the EA include enhanced monitoring, acting to save fish where rivers are at risk of drying up, responding to environmental incidents, and coordinating actions through the National Drought Group. Water companies are following statutory plans, and the Government and the EA are regulating water companies to ensure they follow their plans.

Droughts pose a risk to communities and the economy by impacting public water supply, agriculture, fisheries, energy, transport, tourism and navigation. The EA recently published the National Framework for Water Resources, which identifies the ambitious actions needed to meet these significant national water resources challenges out to 2055.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted a comparative analysis of the approaches taken by the UK and Scottish Governments on the closure of sandeel fisheries in their respective territorial waters. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government is presently considering its response to the Tribunal’s ruling and I cannot therefore comment in detail on the work we are doing to bring the UK into compliance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the ruling of the Arbitration Tribunal in The EU v The UK [Permanent Court of Arbitration Case 2024-45], on what date they submitted the measures they have taken to comply with the ruling of the tribunal to the EU. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The UK is currently taking steps to come into compliance and will be notifying the EU of the measures the UK has taken in due course. As part of the decision-making process, it is important that the UK considers the Tribunal’s ruling and that the policy decision weighs and balances considerations in relation to the adjustment period, and also the outcomes agreed between the EU and UK on 19th May as part of the UK-EU Summit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-24)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what procedures the Health and Safety Executive has established to identify addressing workplace sexual harassment as part of employers' duties under sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) sections 2 and 3 could apply to harassment offences in the workplace, but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not apply HSWA where:

HSE’s long standing policy position is that it will not seek to regulate or apply health and safety at work legislation where another regulator has specific responsibility or there is more directly applicable legislation. As a result, HSE has not established any procedures to address workplace sexual harassment under HSWA.

Since sexual harassment in the workplace is not part of HSE’s remit, it does not maintain records of instances of workplace sexual harassment.

A specific purpose of The Equality Act 2000 is to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace and from 26 October 2024, employers are under a new legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent the sexual harassment of staff at work.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service have published extensive guidance on sexual harassment in the workplace, provide advice to individuals and organisations, and will help individual people with their legal cases in seeking civil remedies to instances of sexual harassment. HSE works closely with other regulators to promote co-operation, share intelligence and where appropriate, co-ordinate on joint regulatory activities.
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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely consequences of the Employment Rights Bill and the associated repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 for the frequency of industrial action in local government. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: In October 2024 the government published impact assessments on the trade union-related measures within the Employment Rights Bill and these are available here: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK

The impact assessments covering the Bill’s repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 included an assessment of the expected impact on industrial action.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the employee activity rates for people aged between 16 and 25 in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th June is attached.

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what are the employee activity rates for people aged between 16 and 25 in (1) Wales, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland (HL8389).

An employee activity rate measures the amount of time employees spend engaged in productive billable work, versus non-billable activities. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not collect any information from businesses on their estimated employee activity rates.

We can estimate the proportion of the population aged from 16 to 25 years, that are employed as employees, which may be interpreted as an employee activity rate.

The ONS uses the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK, to estimate the number of employees in the countries of the UK and the proportion of the population aged from 16 to 25 years that this represents.

Table 1 contains APS estimates of the number of employees aged 16 to 25 years and the proportion of the population of that age this represents, for the countries of the UK, for the period January to December 2024, the latest data currently available.

The ongoing challenges with response rates, response levels and weighting approach mean that labour market statistics based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) are subject to increased volatility and are considered ’official statistics in development’ until further review.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Rourke

Table 1: Number of employees aged 16 to 25 years and the proportion of the population of that age that represents, for the countries of the UK, January to December 2024.

Number of employees aged 16 to 25 years (thousands)

Proportion of population aged 16 to 25 years (%)

England

3,257

50.7

Wales

195

52.9

Scotland

330

53.8

Northern Ireland

114

52.1

Source: Annual Population Survey
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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework: Joint Statement, 10 June 2025, what further work is required for the deployment of new facilitations in the customs area for freight and parcel movements. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The arrangements for the movement of freight and parcels that were agreed under the Windsor Framework came into effect on May 1, 2025. The UK is now finalising the delivery of certain IT systems and we continue to monitor the progress of the systems to support the functioning of the arrangements as agreed in the Windsor Framework.
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Lord Hampton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include the introduction or trial of alcohol interlocks in the road safety strategy; and whether they plan to mandate the use of alcohol interlocks for anyone convicted of drink driving. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: In 2021, the Government commissioned PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) to publish a report on alcohol interlocks: Locking Out The Drink Driver: Using alcohol interlocks to reduce drink driving in the UK.

The government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for drink driving.

The Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.
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Lord Hampton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to prevent the sale of retrofitted LED vehicle headlight bulbs. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: There are no current plans to introduce legislation to prevent the sale of retrofitted LED vehicle headlight bulbs. The Government considers that the current provisions in both the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended) and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 (as amended) effectively regulate the sale of unapproved LED retrofit light sources.

Nevertheless, the Government recognises increased public concern around headlamp glare and has commissioned independent research. This is measuring light levels experienced by drivers during real driving on UK roads and considers factors like vehicle characteristics, weather conditions and ambient lighting. Careful consideration will be given to that work when it reports later this year to determine what future actions may be appropriate to ensure the safety of all road users.
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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to commence the electrification of the Crewe to Holyhead railway line. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The previous government committed to electrification of this line, however no funding was ever made available to begin exploring the costs and benefits of such an enhancement.

This government has recognised the lack of investment in Welsh railways and made a real commitment, via the recent Spending Review, of at least £445 million over the next ten years for the country’s long-term rail infrastructure needs. We will work with the Welsh Government to agree how this is applied to routes across Wales and the Borders.
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Lord Framlingham:To ask His Majesty's Government how many farms have lost land to, or been affected by, the route of HS2. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: HS2 records show 346 farms were included within both Acts of Parliament. These Farms will be impacted to varying degrees, including through loss of land due to acquisition or other effects, such as impacts to access or impacts from noise.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable the use of fully autonomous vehicles and what are their plans for their regulation. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: His Majesty’s Government is committed to strengthening the UK’s reputation as a global leader in self-driving vehicle technology.

The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act 2024 delivers one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks of its kind anywhere in the world, with safety at its core. It sets out clear legal responsibilities, so businesses know where they stand, establishes a safety framework and creates the necessary regulatory powers. The Automated Vehicles Act Implementation programme aims to deliver the regulatory framework in the second half of 2027.

The introduction of automated passenger services regulations has been accelerated, subject to the outcome of a consultation later this summer. It will help facilitate commercial pilots of services with paying passengers and no safety driver to be deployed from spring 2026. These pilots will drive innovation, attract investment, and help shape the final regime.

In June, we launched a consultation and accompanying draft statutory instrument on protecting marketing terms for automated vehicles. This consultation aims to identify the words, expressions, symbols or marks that should only be used to describe authorised AVs to avoid consumer confusion.

June also saw the publication of a call for evidence on the Statement of Safety Principles, which will consider the safety outcomes that should be sought through the introduction of self-driving vehicles.

Further consultations will be taking place on the AV Act’s regulatory framework between now and 2027. This phased approach balances strong safeguards with the opportunity to realise the significant economic and societal benefits of this emerging technology.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the development of artificial intelligence supercomputers to encourage increased investment in artificial intelligence in the UK. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: As outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan the Government committed to increase the UK’s AI compute capacity by twentyfold by 2030. At the Spending Review, we committed £1 billion to deliver this expansion, positioning the UK as a leader in high-performance AI computing, driving global innovation and scientific discovery. This will build on the capacity coming online this summer through the initial phase of the AI Research Resource, which is made up of 6,500 state of the art AI chips.
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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 20 May (HL7143), whether the Government Digital Service has guidance and policies on cost-effectiveness and value-for-money achieved by reporting departments. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: GDS publishes policy and guidance, including the Technology Code of Practice, Cloud First Policy, and Government Service Standard that departments must adhere to and that support cost-effectiveness and value for money objectives. Where departmental submissions are not deemed cost-effective or value for money GDS can halt further progression using the digital spend controls process that is required for all citizen-facing digital services with a value of more than £100,000, and all technology spend with a value in excess of £1 million.
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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 20 May (HL7143), how much they spent in total each year since 2019–20 on (1) digital systems delivered from public cloud, and (2) the entire digital systems estate. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The historical data requested is not held centrally, however the State of Digital Government report, published in January 2025, confirms that the UK public sector spends over £26bn annually on digital technology. Additionally, GDS is currently working with public sector organisations to understand their annual spend on public cloud services.
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Lord Booth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April (HL6032), what estimate they have made of the annual cost of the AI Regulation Body. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: We are considering range of options to ensure we have the right institutional architecture for AI governance. As such, we are unable to provide an estimate of cost until policy development has been finalised.
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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to grant the new Child Protection Authority for England powers to regulate or inspect local authorities in relation to (1) children’s services and (2) other public services which may have a bearing on children. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: On 9 April, the government published its progress update on tackling child sexual abuse. This included a commitment to the creation of a Child Protection Authority in England. This will help make the child protection system clearer and more unified and ensure there is ongoing improvement through effective support for practitioners based on evidence.

The department will consult this year on a roadmap towards a Child Protection Authority. This consultation will set out in more detail the proposed roles, responsibilities and powers of the authority.

The department is clear, however, that rather than taking inspection into the Child Protection Authority, we will work to deliver the improvements to inspection, as recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, by working with Ofsted, the Care and Quality Commission, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. We think it is important for local areas to have a relationship with the Child Protection Authority that supports effective learning, and ensure areas are transparent about failings, to enable the Child Protection Authority to provide expert advice on how to improve and change. Giving the same body inspection powers could impede the effectiveness of this approach.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-24 conversation_52

Baroness Harris of Richmond:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that children eligible for free school meals under the proposals to extend free school meals on 4 June receive extended school transport. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government’s overriding priority is to tackle child hunger. 100,000 children will be lifted out of poverty by the end of this Parliament, through the extension of free school meals (FSM) to all households on Universal Credit.

Children who meet the new, higher threshold for FSM from September 2026 will not automatically be entitled to ‘extended rights’ home-to-school travel. Children will continue to be eligible for ‘extended rights’ home-to-school travel if they live in a household with an income below the existing FSM threshold and meet the eligibility criteria relating to the distance between their home and school. Further information about a new mechanism for assessing eligibility for ‘extended rights’ home-to-school travel will be available shortly.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_1

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact for disabled people under the age of 22 of the proposal to remove their eligibility for being assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity. \p Baroness Sherlock: As part of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Government invited views on the proposal to raise the minimum age for accessing the Universal Credit (UC) health element to 22. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now considering responses.

No final policy decisions have been taken and full impacting will take place before any policy changes are made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_2

Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rates of poverty among people who are assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity, and who are under 22 years old. \p Baroness Sherlock: No estimate has been made because the sample sizes in DWP’s Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Income are too small to provide robust poverty estimates for this group of people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_3

Lord Balfe:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate in-person interviews for all applicants for sickness benefits. \p Baroness Sherlock: We already undertake a number of face-to-face health assessments for people applying for sickness benefits. However, as announced in Pathways to Work Green Paper, we are planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments. We will preserve alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_4

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 8 August (HL9893), whether the definition of a woman in the next UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security will be updated to reflect the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK's Women Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP) refines our approach to WPS, responding to the changing nature of conflict and provides the strategic direction for the UK's global diplomatic, development and defence efforts. The Supreme Court decision concerned the definition of a woman in the context of the UK Equality Act 2010.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_5

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to suspend parts of the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by the Minister of State for the Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) on 2 September.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_6

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK is not part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, but closely monitors international events. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's summit resulted in numerous outcomes for participating States. This included the Tianjin Declaration, which does not contain any mention of Russia's war against Ukraine.

We will never shy away from challenging China's political and military backing for Russia. We urge the Chinese government to impress on Putin the need to end the war immediately by withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine and ceasing his illegal attacks.

More broadly, our approach to China is clear. We will cooperate where we can and we will challenge where we must - never compromising on our national security, and recognising the complexity of the world as it is.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_7

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the government of India concerning reports of rising attacks in Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh against Christian communities including targeted killings, arbitrary detentions and forced conversions; and what actions they are taking to ensure the protection of religious minorities in those regions. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK Government is committed to promoting and protecting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We are aware of reports of violence and discrimination against Christian communities in parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Our High Commission in New Delhi, along with our network of Deputy High Commissions, monitors the human rights situation closely. We also engage with civil society and faith leaders to support efforts to promote tolerance and respect between communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_8

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement with Ukraine, what departmental support and funding is available to local authorities, cultural and educational institutions in the UK that are twinned with Ukrainian counterparts. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Government actively supports initiatives by local authorities, schools and universities to foster links with Ukrainian counterparts. This includes work by the British Council to deliver the UK-Ukraine school partnerships programme which connects close to 3,000 pupils and 100 teachers in both countries. The British Council also has a range of programmes to provide funding and resources for UK Arts and Cultural Organisations to collaborate with their Ukrainian counterparts. Over £5.4 million of Government funding has been allocated to support the UK-Ukraine University Twinning Initiative, fostering over 100 university partnerships and mobilising £70 million in sector-led support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_9

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent targeted attack on the British Council building in Kyiv, whether they will increase funding to the British Council’s operations in Ukraine. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Government highly values the British Council and its work promoting the English language, UK arts and culture and education. The UK strongly condemns Russia's attacks on Ukrainian cities and the devastating impact this has on its civilian population. We also condemn the damage done to the British Council building in Kyiv, as well as EU delegation offices. We summoned the Russian Ambassador to make clear that such actions will only harden the UK's resolve to support Ukraine in defending itself from Russia's illegal invasion.

The British Council's Grant-in-Aid funding for the next three years (2026/27 and beyond) will be determined in the round, alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's other Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA allocations, later in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_10

Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with international partners and UK institutions on recognising the Holodomor of 1932–33 as genocide; and what plans they have to commemorate the Holodomor Anniversary this November. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Holodomor was a disaster of unimaginable scale. The UK's genocide determination policy is that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. The UK will commemorate the Holodomor Anniversary this November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_11

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park:To ask His Majesty's Government what communication, if any, they have had with the government of New Zealand concerning reports in October 2024 that officials at its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised the government of that country that plans to repeal a ban on the exploration of offshore oil and gas sources would potentially be inconsistent with its obligations under the UK–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK continues to engage with New Zealand through established channels under the Free Trade Agreement, including regular committee meetings and working groups, to ensure the Agreement is implemented effectively and in accordance with its provisions. The UK raised the issue of oil and gas developments with New Zealand during the Environment and Climate Change Sub-Committee meeting in May 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_12

Baroness Coussins:To ask His Majesty's Government whether their assessment of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement in the Colombia-UK Bilateral Investment Agreement has changed in the light of the legal challenge from investors in the Whitehaven Mine in Cumbria, and if so, how. \p Lord Leong: The UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) includes binding investment protection provisions which protect both UK and Colombian investors against unfair and discriminatory treatment, and expropriation without adequate compensation.

The Government maintains that it has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations in the case of the legal challenge. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-17 conversation_13

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of robbery and theft-person crime resolution rates in London on public safety. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government recognises the serious impact that robbery and theft from the person offences have on public safety, both in terms of the harm caused to victims and the wider implications for communities.

Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles. This will provide a more visible and effective service to the public, with each neighbourhood having a named, contactable officer dealing with local issues, including robbery and theft from the person.

A significant proportion of these offences involve the theft of a mobile phone which is why the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others in February to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves. The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks and identify the most effective means of tackling this criminality.