theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_28
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_28

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timeline for the implementation of all of the aspects of the Command Paper published on 31 January 2024, Safeguarding the Union (CP1021). \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: This Government is committed to taking all steps necessary to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market, and to working in good faith to implement the basis on which devolution was restored. This includes continuing to take forward Safeguarding the Union, and working with all parts of the community - and with the EU - to address any issues relating to the implementation of the Windsor Framework as they arise.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_29
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_29

Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the Windsor Framework of differential levels of tariffs imposed by the United States of America on the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom customs territory and internal market. As such, Northern Ireland exporters will face 10% US tariffs like exporters elsewhere in the UK

We continue to closely monitor the impact on Northern Ireland of any tariffs. This government will always act in the best interests of all UK businesses which of course includes those in Northern Ireland.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_30
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_30

Lord Frost:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to accept the European Union's position, as set out in the explanatory memorandum COM(2025) 118 of 24 March, that the European Union's AI Act should be added to the legislation in force in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains a leading AI nation and is currently assessing the content of the European Union’s notification. The substantive provisions of the EU AI Act do not apply in Northern Ireland and would only apply following an agreement at the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

Any decisions by the UK at the Joint Committee will be subject to the processes set out in Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. We are not obliged to respond to the notification within any set timeframe and will continue to engage with the European Union on this matter.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_31
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_31

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the Office for Students in protecting the interests of university students self-identifying as neurodivergent. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England and aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of HE that enriches their life and career.

The OfS is committed to supporting an inclusive experience of HE for disabled students and uses a range of regulatory tools in order to identify issues and support continuous improvement.

The OfS uses access and participation plans to support and challenge the HE sector to improve equality of opportunity. These are agreements that set out how universities and colleges will improve equality of opportunity for disadvantaged groups, including learners with learning difficulties or disabilities, to access, succeed in and progress from HE.

In the summer, we will set out our plan for HE reform and the part we expect HE providers to play in improving access and outcomes for all disadvantaged students.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_32
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_32

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government how many child's rights impact assessments they (1) prepared, and (2) published, in each year from 1 April 2018, broken down by department. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department does not collect information on the number of Child’s Rights Impact Assessments that have been prepared or published.

The department co-produced, with civil society, a Child’s Rights Impact Assessment template with guidance that has been shared with other departments.   We encourage the completion of assessments to ensure policy and legislation does not adversely affect children’s rights and wellbeing. Departments individually determine the use and publication of any assessment.

The department has conducted Child’s Rights Impact Assessments for all measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, analysing the impact on children of the policies and where particular groups of children and young people more likely to be affected than others. These documents are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_33
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_33

Lord Davies of Gower:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the planned changes to the apprenticeship levy will impact the number of available police apprenticeships. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government’s new levy-funded growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy.

Police forces in England can make use of a number of apprenticeships, including the level 4 police community support officer standard and the level 6 police constable standard.

Level 6 apprenticeships, such as the police constable standard, are a core part of our apprenticeships offer and continue to be funded by the government.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_34
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_34

Baroness Wilcox of Newport:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen mutual trust and respect between the Office for Students and those it regulates. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The government recognises the importance of the relationship between the independent regulator for higher education, the Office for Students (OfS), and those providers it regulates. We are confident in the OfS’s ability to engage and communicate with providers appropriately, and we are pleased to see the OfS’s sustained willingness to strive to make improvements in these areas wherever possible.

Independent research published in October 2024 found that perceptions of the OfS’s engagement and communications with the sector have improved. Positive feedback included direct engagement with Vice Chancellors and principals through regular mailings and briefings.

The OfS are acting on insights from this research to make further improvements. They have introduced more interactive formats for many of their events and have made changes to tailor their engagement work. This includes over 40 different engagement events since January 2024 and 44 provider visits since the start of the 2024/25 academic year.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_35
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_35

Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 27 March (HL5807), what are the names of the companies where the UK taxpayer is the only shareholder which brought a private prosecution using common law powers preserved under section 6(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in 2024. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: The Ministry of Justice does not collate or record data on individual private prosecutors, although some prosecutors may publish their own data separately. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data on the number of companies where the UK taxpayer is the only shareholder that have brought a private prosecution in 2024.

This Government considers that it is important that more information about private prosecutors is available to improve confidence in the criminal justice system. This is why we have launched a public consultation on options to improve the oversight, regulation, and transparency of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system, which closes on 8 May. The consultation seeks respondents’ views on improvements to the available data on private prosecutors and the prosecutions they bring.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_36
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-14 conversation_36

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948. \p Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: The Government does not currently plan to review or repeal section 2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948. The Department of Health and Social Care recognise that this is an important issue, and the Department is looking at the drivers of cost in clinical negligence cases.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_1

Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health and environmental impacts of brominated and organophosphate flame retardants used in upholstered furniture; and whether they intend to update the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to reduce reliance on such chemicals. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Environment Agency has just published a flame retardant scoping review, which identifies flame retardant substances that are present on, or relevant to the GB market, including brominated and organophosphate flame retardants used in upholstered furniture. The review carried out a preliminary assessment of their potential impacts on the environment and an initial screen for human health effects (when exposed via the environment).

As set out in the policy paper, ‘The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’, published on 22 January 2025, the Government plans to reform the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to maintain a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_2

Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that fire safety testing requirements for domestic furniture do not hinder product recyclability or circular economy goals; and what consideration they have made of the introduction of an extended producer responsibility scheme to support the safe disposal of items containing persistent organic pollutants. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government plans to reform the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to maintain a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants as set out in the policy paper, ‘The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’, published on January 22, 2025.

Officials in the Office for Product Safety and Standards, within the Department for Business and Trade, that are leading the ongoing review of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, are working closely with Defra officials to ensure that consideration is being given to the Government’s commitment to reduce waste by moving to a circular economy.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened the Circular Economy Taskforce to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we will publish for consultation in the coming autumn. The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions from right across the economy, including extended producer responsibility schemes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_3

Baroness Gohir:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 of the proportion of anti-social behaviour recorded by police which is (1) associated with racism, (2) associated with religious hatred, and (3) associated with religious hatred towards Muslims. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office collects and publishes information about the number of anti-social behaviour incidents recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis. However, information about whether these incidents were associated with racism or religious hate is not separately identifiable.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_4

Baroness Penn:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of the National Insurance contributions grant for schools, and when will that grant be paid. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025. Payments will be made to local authorities in September 2025 and to academies in October 2025.

The NICs funding will be rolled into the schools national funding formula (NFF) from the 2026/27 financial year to ensure this funding remains a protected part of school budgets.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_5

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 5 June (HLWS681), what plans they have, if any, to increase the household maximum income thresholds for free school meal eligibility for children with no recourse to public funds conditions. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: ​​This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.

​Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.

​The department has permanently extended FSM eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds.

​In addition, families with NRPF may also be eligible to access the Healthy Start scheme, details of which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/healthy-start.

​As with all programmes, we will continue to keep eligibility for FSM, including for families with NRPF, under review.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_6

Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 5 June (HLWS681), whether the Holiday Food and Activities Programme will be made available to the expanded group of children who will be eligible for means-tested free school meals from September 2026. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: I refer my noble Friend to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57800.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_7

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government how many deaths by (1) suicide, and (2) natural causes, there were in prisons of people who were serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence between 1 January and 1 June. \p Lord Timpson: The information requested is not currently available. Releasing data on deaths of prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences between 1 January and 1 June would give an early indication of future accredited official statistics.

Data on self-inflicted and natural causes deaths in custody, including annual data on self-inflicted deaths for IPP prisoners, is published in the Ministry of Justice’s “Safety in Custody” statistics. The latest available detailed deaths data covers up to December 2024 and can be found here: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2024 - GOV.UK.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_8

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the workforce in prisons in England and Wales are employed by private contractors. \p Lord Timpson: As of 31 March 2025, there were 3,403 prison custody officers in post across the 16 privately managed prisons in England and Wales, employed in roles that are equivalent to Band 3–5 grades used in public sector prisons. This represents approximately 13% of all officer grades in prisons in England and Wales.

A number of non-directly-employed staff – including contractors, volunteers and third-party service providers – also work in HM prisons, in areas, such as education, healthcare and industries. Statistics for these are not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_9

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence were deported under the Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme in (1) 2023 and (2) 2024. \p Lord Timpson: The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes official statistics on the number of individuals serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences in the community, as part of the Offender Managements Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication. The latest OMSQ statistics were published on 24 April 2025 and showed the number of individuals serving IPP sentences in the community, as at 31 December 2024. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we cannot share figures on the number of individuals who had their licence automatically terminated between March and June 2025, as to do so, would provide an early indication of data on individuals serving IPP sentences in the community, which is not yet publicly available and is intended for future publication. The next release of OMSQ is scheduled for 31 July 2025, and will show the number of individuals serving IPP sentences in the community as at 31 March 2025.

The Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) applies to foreign national offenders (FNOs) serving an indeterminate sentence. There were four FNOs serving IPP sentences that were approved for removal for the under TERS in 2023 and one in 2024. It would fall to the Home Office to confirm whether all five have now been deported.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_10

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any serious side effects from taking weight-loss drugs, including Wegovy and Mounjaro; and if so, whether those side effects have been made public. \p Baroness Merron: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of all medicines, including weight loss drugs, such as Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide), which belong to a group of medicines known as the GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Patient safety is our top priority and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. We have robust safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place, and when a safety issue is confirmed, we always act promptly to inform patients and healthcare professionals, and take appropriate steps to mitigate any identified risk.

Importantly, these medicines have been assessed to be safe and effective when used for their licensed indications. This means that if patients have been properly prescribed this by a healthcare professional following a consultation for a medical condition that these medicines are approved to treat, then they should be reassured that the benefits will outweigh risks of taking them.

Like all medicines, GLP-1 receptor agonists can cause side effects. All known side effects for these medicines, including serious side effects, are made publicly available through the Product Information. This is issued at the time of licensing, and is updated as any new side effects are identified. This includes the Summary of Product Characteristics, which is intended for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet, which is provided to patients. These documents are published on the products section of the MHRA website.

In addition, members of the public and healthcare professionals can access anonymised data on suspected side effects reported to the Yellow Card scheme via the interactive Drug Analysis Profiles platform. This ensures full transparency and enables anyone to view the types and numbers of suspected adverse reactions reported for a particular medicine.

Some of the most common side effects are gastrointestinal effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. These side effects were observed in clinical trials and make up the majority of Yellow Card reports we receive. Most side effects are mild to moderate in severity or short in duration, but in some cases, they may lead to complications, such as severe dehydration resulting in the need to go to hospital for treatment.

Although infrequent, inflammation of the pancreas, known as acute pancreatitis, has also been reported. This can be serious. The main symptom is severe pain in the stomach that radiates to the back and does not go away. Anyone who experiences this should seek immediate medical help and report the reaction to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_11

Lord Campbell-Savours:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total cost of providing free prescriptions of colostomy and ileostomy related products in 2023–24. \p Baroness Merron: It is not possible to estimate the total cost to the National Health Service of providing free prescriptions for colostomy and ileostomy related products. NHS patients pay a fixed charge for each prescription item dispensed in primary care, unless they are exempt from prescription charges or hold a valid pre-payment certificate (PPC).

In 2023/24, there was a total of 1,299,650 items with a total Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) of £239,280,020 dispensed to patients in the community in England, where the item prescribed was clearly named as colostomy or ileostomy appliances, for which no NHS charges were collected at the point of dispensing. This total includes items where no charge was collected due to a patient holding a valid PPC. This total excludes a large number of other stoma appliances that could not be clearly identified as colostomy or ileostomy from their name, although some of these other appliances will be used as colostomy or ileostomy appliances. The NIC is the basic price of a product excluding VAT. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees, or allowances paid to pharmacists and appliance contractors for the services they provide to the NHS, or prescription charge income received, where the single charge or PPC fee is paid, or foregone where prescriptions are dispensed free of charge.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_12

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that human remains found among the scrap of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse are given a fitting burial by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. \p Lord Coaker: Investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is unable to provide a response regarding the presence of human remains until these investigations have concluded.

If the remains of British Service personnel are identified, the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) will ensure that they are afforded a dignified military funeral and final resting place.

In unfortunate cases where there may be insufficient evidence, resource or capacity to name the deceased they will remain 'unknown', but be afforded the appropriate dignity and respect. Similarly, in cases where the evidence set may be too broad, remains are afforded a shared, final resting place.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_13

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using the ongoing Operation Highmast deployment to repatriate one of the anchors of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales that were illegally salvaged in Malaysia. \p Lord Coaker: The Malaysian authorities have primacy over the investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales and it would be inappropriate to comment at this stage. Decisions on the preservation of any artefacts will be made once investigations have concluded.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_14

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to attract people with business skills from overseas to settle in the UK. \p Baroness Gustafsson: The Government is committed to attracting highly skilled, talented individuals from abroad to live, work and contribute to the UK economy. Which is why we have launched the new Global Talent Taskforce. The Taskforce – working alongside the Global Entrepreneur Programme and our £54 million Global Talent Fund – will support the world’s best researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, top tier managerial and engineering talent and high-calibre creatives, to relocate to the UK. This builds on commitments in the recently published Industrial Strategy and Immigration White Paper to fast-track the relocation of the brightest minds into the UK to supercharge our growth-driving sectors.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_15

Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister raised the issue of human rights in Bahrain, including the plight of political prisoners, during his meeting with the Crown Prince of Bahrain on 19 June. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the Noble Lord to the read out of the meeting:

The Prime Minister welcomed His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain to Downing Street today.

The leaders reflected on the strength of the UK-Bahrain relationship, and welcomed the UK becoming a full member of the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) today. The agreement will deepen trilateral cooperation with Bahrain and the United States on regional security at a critical time, both agreed.

The Prime Minister also welcomed the signing of the Strategic Investment and Collaboration Partnership, building on the two-way investment partnership between the countries, and how this will unlock new investment, growth and jobs into the UK, delivering on the Plan for Change.

The leaders also underscored the importance of the new Defence Cooperation Accord between the two countries, deepening joint military training and building on the two nations’ strong naval ties.

Highlighting the strength of the 200-year relationship between both nations, the leaders looked forward to further cooperation, including trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Turning to the situation in the Middle East, the leaders called for de-escalation and both agreed on the need for enduring and closer relationships across the region to support stability.

The Prime Minister and Crown Prince looked forward to speaking again soon.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-04 conversation_16

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the increased defence expenditure being invested in Scotland referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in her spending review Statement on 11 June (HC Deb col 978) will be spent in Scotland in each of the next three financial years. \p Lord Livermore: The recently published Strategic Defence Review set out a new vision for defence. The Spending Review 2025 sees the Ministry of Defence (MOD) budget grow by £10.9bn in real terms from 2023-24 to 2028-29, allowing the Defence Secretary to start delivering on this new vision. The Defence Secretary will set out the detailed articulation of the new defence programme in the Defence Investment Plan later in the year which will include details of the programme and where we expect money to be spent, which will include programmes in Scotland. This includes an initial investment of £250 million over the next three years to begin the multi-decade multi-billion-pound redevelopment of HM Naval Base Clyde through the ‘Clyde 2070’ programme.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_1

Baroness Grey-Thompson:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the document Guidance for the provision of absorbent products for adult incontinence, published by the Association of Continence Professionals and the Royal College of Nursing in February 2023, which states that the number of absorbent products provided per 24 hours must “meet patients’ fundamental care needs, including maintaining independence”, consistent with NICE guidance QS54, CG49 and NG123; and what steps they are taking to ensure that that guidance is followed by NHS and social care providers in England. \p Baroness Merron: We are aware of the most recent publication by the Royal College of Nursing relating to continence pads. NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, health and social care staff. This guidance covers both urinary and bowel, also known as faecal, incontinence. A copy of the guidance is attached.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence or emerging issues not in the scope of the original guideline.

NICE maintains surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance and would consult on proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence was to emerge.

Both integrated care boards (ICBs) and healthcare providers are expected to take into consideration national guidance when commissioning and delivering services, respectively.

HL5110 - Additional document (pdf, 626.2KB)
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_2

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources will be allocated to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to support their role as lead commissioning body of the use of statutory levy for prevention of gambling-related harms. \p Baroness Merron: We recognise that the statutory levy represents a generational change to funding arrangements and a significant transformation in the government’s approach to strengthening efforts to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm. As work progresses on the development of our future approach to prevention, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will consider any additional resource requirements.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_3
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_3

The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government how many employees in the Department of Health and Social Care are working for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. \p Baroness Merron: On 31 January 2025, 1,010 full-time equivalent employees were working for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_4

Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government what research they are funding, and at what cost, into treatment options for long Covid, including clinical trials. \p Baroness Merron: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have dedicated funding to research into treatment options, clinical trials, and to understanding the underlying mechanisms of long COVID. This investment spans both infrastructure supported projects and programme awards.

The total funding for the research studies, which include at least one element on treatments, is over £16.2 million. We have provided the overall figures of investment into the relevant studies, although not all funding would have been directly spent on treatments or clinical trials, which are as follows:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_5

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Merron on 27 January (HL4224 and HL4225), what steps they are taking to ensure hospitals meet the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation target of revascularisation in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia within five days of admission. \p Baroness Merron: In 2022, NHS England commissioned the two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients who have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) and who undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.

NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either a lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or major lower limb amputation. From quarter one of 2022 to quarter four of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN standards had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had increased by approximately 14%, and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.

Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics, including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR, working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_6

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of predictive AI models in NHS England to forecast when someone is likely to become ill. \p Baroness Merron: Against a backdrop of increasing demand for National Health Services and significant workforce pressures, artificial intelligence (AI) presents significant opportunities for improving the delivery of care and outcomes for patients, whilst also saving money and staff time. AI even has the potential to support with the prediction and prevention of illness.

AI tools that can assist with predicting the health trajectory of patients have been trialled in multiple NHS England trusts. These tools use existing healthcare data to recognise complex patterns and forecast future disorders, symptoms, medications, and procedures. These tools have been trained on de-identified, anonymised NHS electronic health records, which ensures that patient data is protected whilst allowing the AI to learn from real United Kingdom health data that represents our diverse population. The initial trials of these predictive AI tools showed accuracy levels of 68% and 76% in two major NHS England trusts when forecasting the next possible disorders that could appear in a patient’s timeline. These accuracy levels rose to 80% and 81% when predicting wider concepts, including disorders, symptoms, relapses, or medication. These trials were funded by the NHS AI Lab and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and were closely monitored by the Department.

Deployment of AI in the NHS is still at a relatively early stage, with the majority of AI technologies, including predictive models, being deployed in a research capacity. To address this, the Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_7

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to make administrative processes in the NHS a priority for staff and patients, and to set goals for improving and measuring people’s experience of administration. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to improving National Health Service administrative processes, which are a crucial factor for patient experience. This includes reforming the digital landscape to improve efficiency and convenience for patients. We are changing the NHS App as part of our shift from an analogue to digital service, to make it quicker and easier for patients to access information about appointments. By the end of March 2025, 85% of acute trusts will enable patients, who wish to use it, to view appointment information via the NHS App.

Two-way communication, for example via patient engagement portals, is also important and enables patients and their healthcare team to send messages and documents. An improved NHS App will help with this, and NHS England will provide support to all acute trusts adopting these technologies.

In addition to improving communication with patients, we are taking action to reduce the burden of administration for clinicians in between seeing patients. This includes the Red Tape Challenge, launched in October 2024 by the Government and NHS England, which is looking to address bureaucracy between primary and secondary care to ensure health professionals can make the most effective use of clinical time.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_8

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that medical-grade probe covers are used in ultrasound procedures instead of non-medical materials, such as condoms. \p Baroness Merron: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the regulator of medical devices in the United Kingdom. It works to make sure that medicines and healthcare products available in the UK are safe and effective. We would expect the use of probes that are medical devices to be within their intended purpose as defined by their manufacturer. Use of a medical device outside of its intended purpose can be done at the discretion of a healthcare professional.

The MHRA does not have a role in regulating healthcare practitioners in clinical settings. The MHRA has issued guidance on the off-label use of medical devices, which sets out that an individual should use medical devices as described by the manufacturer in the instructions. If you use the device in any other way, it’s considered ‘off-label’ use.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_9

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that known allergens and perfumes present in condoms are labelled on condom packaging. \p Baroness Merron: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is continuing its work to strengthen the regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom and ensure medical devices are safe and effective. A condom is a medical device, and medical devices placed on the UK market are subject to rules requiring labels and instructions for use to contain precautions related to certain materials in the device that could result in sensitisation or an allergic reaction.

The MHRA undertakes a range of compliance and enforcement activities to ensure medical devices being placed on the UK market meet relevant regulation requirements. Once a medical device is on the market, the MHRA continuously monitors their safety, including via reports of suspected adverse events associated with medical devices received through the Yellow Card scheme. Should any new safety concerns be identified, we will take necessary regulatory action to minimise these and ensure the benefits of use continue to outweigh the risks.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_10

Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie:To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of funding for the NHS is spent on pensions. \p Baroness Merron: For 2023/24 we estimate that National Health Service employer contributions are some 7% of total NHS funding. As of 1 April 2024, the NHS employer pension contribution rate rose to 23.7% from 20.68%. In addition, NHS employees pay between 5.2% and 12.5% of their earnings.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_11

Lord Allen of Kensington:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their industrial strategy. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The government will publish our Industrial Strategy alongside the multi-year Spending Review in Spring 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_12

Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to address restrictive software licensing practices by dominant cloud providers, as identified by the Competition and Markets Authority, to ensure fair competition in the cloud services market. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has indicated in its provisional Cloud Services report that it will recommend to its Board prioritising Strategic Market Status (SMS) investigations into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. Decisions on which SMS investigations to launch are for the CMA, as the UK's independent competition authority. The Government will consider any additional recommendations made by the CMA in its final report, which is not expected until Summer 2025.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_13

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted:To ask His Majesty's Government why the Financial Reporting Council’s Guidance on the Going Concern Basis of Accounting and Related Reporting (including Solvency and Liquidity Risks), published on 25 February, does not mention that using the going concern basis of accounting is relevant under Part 23 of the Companies Act 2006 in considering whether or not a distribution is lawful. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Financial Reporting Council (FPR) 'Guidance on the Going Concern Basis of Accounting and Related Reporting (including Solvency and Liquidity Risks)' (the guidance) is non-mandatory and non-statutory guidance issued by the FRC to support its public interest outcomes. The guidance was not developed to address matters relating to distributable profits.

Section 393 of the Companies Act 2006 is referenced in the guidance as one of the relevant requirements. Accounting standards set the threshold for departing from the going concern basis of accounting. As noted in paragraph 3.3 of the guidance, there are often realistic alternatives to liquidation or cessation of operations.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-03-10 conversation_14

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will detail the bilateral and multilateral trade deals and arrangements they have signed or acceded to since coming into office. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Since the General Election in July 2024, the UK has acceded to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and has signed a landmark Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Iraq – a treaty on trade and strategic cooperation. We have also signed non-legally binding arrangements with partners, such as an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) with Thailand, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with U.S. state of Colorado, and endorsed a joint workplan to further bilateral cooperation with Malaysia at the inaugural Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).