theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_33
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_33

Baroness Thornhill:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent a two-tier market for shared ownership properties, where new properties have a peppercorn ground rent, lower rent increases, longer leases and protection from repair costs for 10 years unlike legacy shared ownership properties. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The changes described have been implemented through successive amendments to the shared ownership model lease. Once a lease agreement is entered into, its rights and obligations become legally binding. It is not, therefore, possible to apply policy changes to legacy shared owners without contravening legal agreements between individual shared owners and their social landlords.

Legacy shared owners will, however, benefit from the Government’s wider leasehold and commonhold reforms. Measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, once commenced, will grant shared owners the right to a statutory lease extension of 990 years.

The Government continues to give close consideration to ways to improve the experience of all shared owners, including those existing owners who were not captured by changes to the model lease.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Baroness Thornhill:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for using the Social and Affordable Homes Programme budget to fund buybacks of unmortgageable flats from shared owners and convert those flats to social rent or other affordable rent. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: Social housing providers currently have the option to repurchase homes where shared owners are unable to sell due to building safety issues. They can use Recycled Capital Grant Funding or alternative resources to do so. This is not an automatic entitlement for shared owners and is available at providers’ discretion. Providers will have their own policies setting out when this option is available, including any relevant eligibility criteria, and they are expected to publish all relevant policies on their websites in a clear and accessible format.

To deliver the scale of housing the country needs, we have confirmed a new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country. We will publish a full prospectus for the new programme in autumn 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to evaluate the effectiveness of relationships and sex education and health education teaching on gambling-related harms, and how they will measure the impact of that teaching on student understanding and wellbeing. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: As with all curriculum subjects, schools are responsible for ensuring the quality of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they provide. This includes ensuring their staff are properly trained and equipped to teach these subjects accurately and confidently.

However, the department is keen to support schools to implement the updated RSHE curriculum, which will come into effect from 01 September 2026, and plan to pilot a new RSHE training grant, starting from 2026. This will also give us the opportunity to monitor implementation going forward.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_36
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_36

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the immigration, asylum and nationality function exemption from corporate parenting responsibilities at clauses 21 and 22 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill with the removal of the UK’s immigration reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government is committed to supporting all looked-after children and care leavers. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces corporate parenting responsibilities for government departments and public bodies. This includes a new duty on corporate parents to be alert to matters which could adversely affect the wellbeing of these children and young people, when exercising their functions.

The impacts of the policy on child’s rights and equalities have been assessed. The exemption of functions relating to immigration, asylum, nationality and customs only applies to the specific functions, not to young people themselves, so all looked-after children and care leavers, regardless of immigration status, will be in scope of support provided by corporate parents. Secretaries of State, including my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, will be required to consider the wellbeing of all looked-after children and care leavers when exercising functions other than those relating to asylum, immigration, nationality or customs.

The UK gives effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in immigration matters that affect children through Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. This requires my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to make arrangements for ensuring that immigration, asylum and nationality functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_37

Lord Hampton:To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to improve consistency, fairness and transparency in the provision of special guardianship allowances concurrently with the Kinship Allowance Pilot. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The kinship allowance pilot will provide financial support to eligible kinship carers with a Special Guardianship Order or a ‘lives with’ Child Arrangement Order where the child would have otherwise been in care. These carers will receive a weekly non-means tested allowance paid at the same rate as the national minimum fostering allowance, if they reside in the pilot local authorities.

The requirements under chapter 2 of the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 (2005 Regulations) will not apply to the arrangements made under this pilot. Special Guardians receiving financial support under 2005 Regulations are barred from receiving this pilot's allowance to avoid the risk of double public-funding. We believe this will have minimal effect on financial support arrangements under the Special Guardianship Regulations because this pilot is only being run in a select few local authorities and for a specific period of time, so some Special Guardians will continue to prefer receiving financial support under the 2005 Regulations.

Further details of the pilot, including how payments made through the pilot will interact with social security benefits, will be made available when the pilot goes live.

The pilot will be independently evaluated to find out how best to deliver consistent financial support for kinship families. Decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_38
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_38

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish any documents about vetting or security clearance processes that were given to applicants of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. \p Lord Coaker: When the Taleban seized control in 2021, many thousands of people who served and supported our British Armed Forces were left in Afghanistan.

The UK made a commitment to honour the moral obligation we owe to those Afghans who stood with us and there was cross party support for this at the time. This became the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.

All those resettling in the UK under Afghan resettlement schemes are coming to the UK legally. As with all those arriving to the UK, all those found eligible for ARAP have to undergo robust security checks, including for national security. If they don’t pass these checks, they are not granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK

An application must first be made, by the applicant, to the Ministry of Defence, who will decide if the applicant is eligible. If they are eligible for relocation to the UK, the second stage is that the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) will on behalf of the applicant, make an application to the Home Office for entry clearance (if they are outside the UK) or settlement (if they are in the UK). Eligibility does not guarantee resettlement in the UK. Those who are eligible must first undergo checks in accordance with the UK Immigration Rules

The MOD, as part of the first stage, sends an offer letter to Eligible Persons (EPs) which details the vetting and security process that applicants must go through to enter the UK and signposts EPs to the Government's Immigration Rules for further guidance. Permission to enter the UK is subject to the enrolment of biometrics and security checks run by the Home Office as part of the second stage.

National security is a priority for this Government and all ARAP eligible individuals who arrive in the UK will have undergone thorough security checks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_39

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to trace former British troops and their descendants affected by human radiation experiments; and what compensation, if any, has been paid to them. \p Lord Coaker: This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.

As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans’ medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.

This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.

Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pensions Scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of the Bahraini bodies that have received training or technical assistance from implementing partners under the Gulf Strategy Fund in 2024–25. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Bahrain Gulf Strategy Fund Programme supported the following Bahraini bodies in Financial Year 2024/25: the Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture; the Public Prosecution; Bahrain Space Agency; the National Institute for Human Rights; the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman Office; the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission; and Civil Society Organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_41

Lord Farmer:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise any future Official Development Assistance for Afghanistan in the light of the imprisonment of Peter and Barbie Reynolds. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has no plan to revise Official Development Assistance for Afghanistan in response to any detentions of British nationals. Our aid is targeted to reach those most in need and none goes directly to or through the Taliban.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_42

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported honour killing in Balochistan; and how UK aid to Pakistan seeks to strengthen protections for those at risk of extra-judicial murders or subjected to violence due to their minority status, ethnic origins or religion or belief. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK Government condemns honour-based violence, including the reported case in Balochistan. Through UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), we are supporting progress on human rights in Pakistan through dialogue, technical assistance, and targeted programming. The UK-funded Aawaz II programme convenes influential community leaders and minority representatives to change social behaviours and promote interfaith harmony. At the community level, Aawaz II has reached over 24 million people with information and awareness about rights and government services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_43

Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government to which conventions of the Council of Europe is the United Kingdom a signatory. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK has signed 151 Council of Europe Conventions, most recently signing the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence. Council of Europe Conventions are important for the UK's practical cooperation with our European partners since leaving the European Union, allowing the UK to shape and reform international norms and standards, as well as to rise to emerging human rights challenges.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_44

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the aggregate monetary value of crypto-currency (1) seized, and (2) non-seized, assets currently held by the Treasury. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government does not currently publish the amount of cryptocurrency restrained or recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Home office is reviewing plans to publish new statistics on Crypto assets as part of future annual statistics bulletins on asset recovery in response to the new powers that came into effect in April 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the legal penalties for perpetrators of cyber-attacks, including, in the most serious cases, (1) introducing a minimum term of life imprisonment, and (2) designating perpetrators as terrorists. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government recognises the serious threat posed by cyber-attacks, which can have devastating consequences to UK people and businesses. The Home Office is committed to ensuring the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) remains up to date and effective to tackle cyber criminality.

The CMA is the main legislation that criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems and data. The Act already provides for a range of penalties, including life imprisonment for offences that cause or create a significant risk of serious damage to human welfare or national security (section 3ZA(7)).

The Home Office is considering the issue of sentencing for CMA offences as part of the ongoing review of the Act. An update will be provided once proposals are finalised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_46

Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what powers they intend local authorities to have to obtain or seize accommodation for asylum seekers. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office does not intend to introduce any such powers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_47

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the funding streams that fund training provided by Durham Constabulary to Bahrain; what that training entails, including the names of the specific projects; the duration of the contract; and whether they will publish a breakdown of the project's finances over the past three years. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office is not directly involved with any police training provided by Durham Constabulary to Bahrain.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_48

Lord Godson:To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) religious worker visas, and (2) minister of religion visas, have been issued to Iranians since July 2024; who those visas were issued to; and what plans they have, if any, to review that visa system. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa type and nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ on GOV.UK. Data on outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of March 2025.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ on GOV.UK.

The data shows that 1 Religious Worker (RW) and 1 Minister Of Religion (MOR) visa have been issued since July 2024 with a total of 1 RW and 3 MOR visas issued since March 2023. For GDPR reasons, we cannot reveal the identity of the visa holders.

The Home Office keeps all immigration routes under review, including the T2 Minister of Religion and Temporary Work – Religious Worker routes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_49

Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what grants they have given to non-government organisations and other groups assisting those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom during the past three years, and to which organisations and groups. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The requested information could only be collated and verified through manual checks by all grant making policy teams within the Home Office, something that could only be done at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_50

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government how many refugees are currently housed in social housing in Northern Ireland. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Information related to the type and location of accommodation used by individuals who have been granted refugee status is not routinely collated or published by the Home Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_51

Lord Mendelsohn:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to continue the Commission for Countering Extremism and the role of the Commissioner after the term of the current post holder ends in July. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: We are currently reviewing the roles and remits of various bodies to ensure our resources are best placed to meet current challenges.

As is usual when public appointments come to an end, Ministers are considering next steps and will update the house in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_52

Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government how many returns of people who arrived by small boat there have been in each month since July 2023, broken down by nationality. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office publishes data on returns in the Immigration System Statistics quarterly release. Quarterly data on enforced and voluntary returns of small boat arrivals can be found in Ret_06 of the ‘Returns summary tables’. This dataset covers the period 2018 to March 2025, with data up to June 2025 to be published on 21 August. Additionally, you can find more information on these returns in section 6.1 of the ‘How many people are returned from the UK?’ chapter of the Immigration System Statistics quarterly release.

Enforced and voluntary returns of small boat arrivals by quarter:

Date of return

Returns

Of which, Albanian nationals

2018 Q1

0

0

2018 Q2

0

0

2018 Q3

4

0

2018 Q4

5

5

2018 Total

9

5

2019 Q1

21

0

2019 Q2

25

0

2019 Q3

44

1

2019 Q4

38

0

2019 Total

128

1

2020 Q1

21

0

2020 Q2

1

0

2020 Q3

76

0

2020 Q4

49

0

2020 Total

147

0

2021 Q1

3

1

2021 Q2

6

0

2021 Q3

4

0

2021 Q4

16

2

2021 Total

29

3

2022 Q1

36

5

2022 Q2

60

13

2022 Q3

86

45

2022 Q4

203

161

2022 Total

385

224

2023 Q1

309

252

2023 Q2

460

390

2023 Q3

589

522

2023 Q4

695

624

2023 Total

2,053

1,788

2024 Q1

572

512

2024 Q2

629

531

2024 Q3

571

470

2024 Q4

558

443

2024 Total

2,330

1,956

2025 Q1

482

356

2025 Jan-Mar

482

356

Note: This table is a combination of data from Ret_06 and the chart found in section 6.1 of the ‘How many people are returned from the UK?’ chapter of the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_53

Lord Knight of Weymouth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that violent and abusive pornography that is illegal to distribute in physical formats is also prohibited online, as recommended in the Independent Pornography Review published on 27 February. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Independent Pornography Review assessed the effectiveness of pornography legislation, regulation, and enforcement and the Review’s findings continue to be assessed in detail by government departments. A further update on how the government is tackling the issues raised in the Review will be provided in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_54

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the applicability of the Online Safety Act 2023 to artificial intelligence chatbot providers, including those that host user-generated chatbots; and what assessment they have made of whether further guidance or legislation is required in that area to ensure the protection of children. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Generative AI services that allow users to share content with one another or that search live websites to provide search results are regulated under the Online Safety Act. This includes services which allow users to generate their own chatbots which are then made available to other users. The Act also regulates online services publishing and the display of pornographic content, including where that pornography is AI-generated.

The Government is committed to keeping young people safe online. The Secretary of State has been clear that we will not hesitate to strengthen the law further to ensure the safety of our children and the British public.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact and allocation of the funds budgeted to support those who lose their jobs as a result of the transformation of Port Talbot. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales, supports those affected by Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation transition and is supported by £100 million of funding. £80 million of which is provided by the UK Government, as confirmed by the Chancellor in the Budget on 30 October, and the remaining £20 million is provided by Tata Steel UK. The joint investment by UK Government and Tata Steel UK of £1.3 billion in an Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot has helped to protect 5,000 jobs and many more within the supply chain.

The Transition Board, in under a year, allocated the full UK Government £80 million funding to help those people and businesses affected by the transition, and to regenerate the local area. The UK Government Funds have created:

The Transition Board receives updates on the impact of the funds at every Board meeting, containing data provided by delivery partners, such as Neath Port Talbot Council and Business Wales. The Transition Board last met on 26 June, and the following progress was reported up until that date:

Funding for growth and regeneration projects in Port Talbot have also been funded by the Transition Board:

The growth and regeneration projects will also create construction jobs during the building, refurbishment and remediation phases.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_56

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will attach conditions to the funding for the Casement Park project; and whether these will include not using taxpayer-funded sports grounds for competitions named after terrorists. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The UK Government has committed £50m of Capital Financial Transactions funding to help the Northern Ireland Executive to redevelop Casement Park. However, it is up to the Executive to decide how to implement the development of the stadium.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_57

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Gaelic Athletic Association to ensure that Gaelic Athletic Association sporting competitions, particularly for young people, are not named after terrorists. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Everyone has the right to celebrate their culture but they should do so in a respectful and lawful manner. Sport has the unique ability to bring people together and it ought to be something which unites rather than divides us.

Any allegation of glorifying terrorism is an operational matter for the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland, both of which are independent of government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Baroness Browning:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support disabled people with complex needs who are not eligible for the Youth Guarantee. \p Baroness Sherlock: As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.

We recognise, however, that for a small minority of young people, work may never be a realistic goal. We acknowledge that we would need to include special provisions for this group and are working through how they can be best identified and supported.

The current benefit system categorises too many young people as unable to work, often leaving them without meaningful engagement or support. For most disabled young people and young people with a health condition working at some point in the near future must be a credible ambition.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out proposals to create a distinct and active youth phase for people aged 18 to 21 in the health and disability benefit system. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now carefully reviewing all responses as we develop the new support offer and our expectations of engagement.

This will build on the many interventions already, or soon to be, in place to support disabled people and people with a health condition, more broadly. This includes our new voluntary Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, which is rolling out across England and Wales throughout 2025 and provides bespoke employment support to help people get into, and stay in, sustainable work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Baroness Scott of Needham Market:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on young disabled people and their families of the removal of eligibility of those under 22 years of age for the limited capability for work and work-related activity element of Universal Credit. \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. The Government’s conclusion will be announced in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposal to remove eligibility for the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity group from people who are under the age of 22 will affect those in specialist education colleges. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Universal Credit Bill makes no change to the eligibility of young people under 22 for the Universal Credit Health element. The proposal to restrict access to the element was the subject of a consultation which closed on 30 June. The responses to the consultation are now being reviewed, and the Government’s conclusion will be announced in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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The Lord Bishop of Lincoln:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Children's Commissioner, Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published on 8 July; and (2) the recommendation that children in low-income households be prioritised for access to new homes under the Affordable Homes Programme. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Child Poverty Taskforce, co-chaired by the Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, is committed to listening to the voices of children and families and embed the voices of these families directly into their work.

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Growing up in a low-income family: Children‘s experiences, was commissioned by the Child Poverty Taskforce to provide evidence on children’s lived experience of poverty to support the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy. The findings of the report make for uncomfortable reading, but it is vital that we face up to the reality of what children in poverty are feeling so we can develop a Strategy that is fit for purpose and truly responds to the needs of children as they set out from their perspective. This valuable research forms part of the Taskforce’s ongoing wider work to ensure those voices are a central part of developing a strategy.

​The Child Poverty Unit, based in the Cabinet Office, worked closely with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner on the report, including at research design and reporting stages, and the findings have already been considered as part of strategy development.

​The Minister for School Standards is planning to meet with the Children‘s Commissioner for England to discuss the report in detail and a Children’s Commissioners roundtable, co-chaired by the Minister for Employment and the Minister for School Standards, will be held in September to bring together all four Children’s Commissioners for a broader discussion on child poverty.

​The Taskforce is considering the report’s recommendations in advance of publication of the strategy in the autumn.

Given the priority this government accords to social rented housing, at least 60% of homes delivered through the new Social and Affordable Homes programme will be for Social Rent.

The programme will not set numerical targets for particular types of homes other than Social Rent but will be designed with the flexibility necessary to support a greater diversity of social and affordable supply including council, supported, community-led and rural housing.

We will set initial targets for Homes England and the GLA after receiving bids from Registered Providers and will review these targets across the lifetime of the programme to maximise delivery. It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_62

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote savings, particularly in pensions. \p Baroness Sherlock: Automatic Enrolment has succeeded in transforming pension saving with over 22 million employees participating in saving in 2023, an increase of over 10 million since its roll out in 2012. However, there is more to be done to build on this success as many people are still not saving enough for a financially secure retirement. This is why the government have relaunched the Pensions Commission which will explore how to improve retirement outcomes, especially for those at the greatest risk of under saving.

In addition to supporting pension saving, the government is committed to supporting people of all income levels and at all stages of life to save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. This includes saving via Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 each year, and any savings income and gains within an ISA is tax free. Separately, the Help to Save scheme also aims to promote financial resilience among working households on low incomes. The existing Help to Save scheme has been extended until April 2027 and in April 2025 eligibility was extended to all Universal Credit claimants who are in work.

Through its MoneyHelper service, the Money and Pensions Service also offers practical tools such as savings calculators and budget planners to support people in developing regular saving habits, alongside specialist pensions guidance on how to grow their retirement pot. In addition, the government is working with the Financial Conduct Authority to roll out targeted support for consumers by early next year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade and will represent a step change in the support that consumers receive to invest.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_63
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-04 conversation_63

Baroness Neville-Rolfe:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Ministers occupying official residences pay the second homes premium on council tax, where that residence is not their primary residence and where the local authority levies such a premium on dwellings; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the current guidance given to Ministers on paying council tax on official residences, other than the Ministerial Code. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Ministers who are allocated an official residence are reminded of their responsibility for all personal tax liabilities, including council tax, in line with the principles of the Ministerial Code.

As has been the case for successive administrations, where a minister occupies an official residence as a second home, the responsibility for payment of council tax falls to the responsible Department.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_1

Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 July (HL Deb col 135), on what basis they calculated that 35,000 people who arrived in the UK specifically by small boats were removed last year. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: I would like to correct a statement I made in the House of Lords on 22 July 2025 whilst debating a Topical Question raised by Lord Empey; ‘To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the “pull factors” attracting migrants to enter the United Kingdom illegally’. [Illegal Migration: Pull Factors. Volume 848: debated on Tuesday 22 July 2025]

On 22 July 2025, I stated that, ‘35,000 failed asylum seekers who came on small boats were removed last year, which is 13% more than in the 12 months previous, when his Government were in charge. There has been a 51% increase in the number of people who have been arrested and prosecuted on illegal working visits.’

The correct information should have been, ‘35,000 people were returned last year, which is 13% more than in the 12 months previous, when his Government were in charge. There has been a 51% increase in the number of people who have been arrested on illegal working visits.’
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_2

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance through hospital wastewater; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of on-site treatment at healthcare facilities to remove pharmaceutical and microbial contaminants before they enter the municipal sewerage system. \p Baroness Merron: The 2024 to 2029 United Kingdom antimicrobial resistance (AMR) National Action Plan (NAP) encompasses a range of One Health activities to target the drivers of AMR. This includes understanding and reducing the spread of AMR through wastewater and built environments.

As set out in the NAP, the UK Health Security Agency’s modular ward will generate evidence on how the hospital environment contributes to the spread of AMR infection, and how wards should be designed, refurbished, and operated to enhance infection, prevention, and control. A particular focus of the modular ward is understanding how risks associated with water and wastewater can be mitigated.

Evidence will be used to inform the New Hospital Programme, which aims to reduce AMR through innovative approaches to design and care models for the next generation of National Health Service hospitals.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_3

Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase access to auditory verbal therapy for deaf babies and children, including by increasing the number of clinicians trained in the auditory verbal approach. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including non-hearing children. Auditory verbal therapy is one of a range of approaches that can be used with deaf babies and children.

NHS England and the Department for Education are co-funding £10 million over two years in nine Early Language Support for Every Child pathfinder sites to improve early identification, universal and targeted support for speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools, with quicker referrals to specialist services when needed.

Delivering services that will raise the healthiest generation of children ever begins with its people. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_4

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing a comprehensive breast cancer risk assessment for all women, including younger pre-screening age women. \p Baroness Merron: In England, breast screening is offered to women under the age of 50 years old according to nationally recommended guidelines, based on their assessed risk of developing breast cancer. These can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s website in an online-only format.

Women younger than 50 years old are not routinely screened for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breasts. The denseness of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.

Due to this and other factors, there is a risk of over-treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer but would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests. Therefore, the Government does not currently plan to introduce comprehensive breast cancer risk assessments for women under 50 years old, although the UK National Screening Committee keeps age brackets under review.

Some women have an increased chance of developing breast cancer because of their genes. Five to 10 out of 100, or 5% to 10% of, all breast cancers happen because of an inherited tendency, also called a genetic predisposition.

National Health Service breast cancer risk assessments in England are undertaken to identify the risk of having an inherited tendency of developing breast cancer. It is up to integrated care boards to commission breast cancer risk assessment services locally in line with national clinical guidance.

The NHS website has a webpage that raises awareness of checking breasts for potential symptoms of breast cancer in all age groups. The NHS Breast Screening Programme produced a five-point plan for being breast aware. The plan sets out that individuals should know what's normal for them, look at and feel their breasts, know what changes to look for, report any changes to a general practitioner without delay and attend routine screening when invited.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_5

Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government how they are working with NHS England to ensure equitable access to diabetes innovations, particularly for patients from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England is working at a national level on behalf of the Department as part of a wider equality monitoring review programme. This review is exploring how best to update equality monitoring arrangements, including ethnicity categories, by reference to the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

The National Diabetes Audit (NDA) is a major national clinical audit, which measures the effectiveness of diabetes healthcare against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and NICE quality standards, in England and Wales. This includes NICE’s guidance on diabetes innovations like continuous glucose monitors and hybrid closed loop systems. The NDA is delivered by NHS England, in partnership with Diabetes UK.

The NDA consistently reveals inequalities in diabetes care and outcomes across different socioeconomic and demographic groups. People living in more deprived areas, younger individuals, and some ethnic minorities experience poorer access to care processes and treatment targets compared to their counterparts in less deprived areas and among older individuals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_6

Lord Shinkwin:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will (1) publish an implementation plan, and (2) announce pump-priming to support the implementation plan, for the roll-out of the fracture liaison services outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England. \p Baroness Merron: Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-08-05 conversation_7

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide mental health support to patients with prostate cancer during and after treatment. \p Baroness Merron: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. The Government will transform mental health services into 24 hour a day, seven day a week neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach and giving patients better access to support directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will seek to improve both the physical and mental health aspects of cancer care. The plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and earlier diagnosis to accessing treatment and ongoing care, and will apply to all cancer types, including prostate cancer.