theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of prisoners who have been mis-sentenced to imprisonment for public protection after the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into force to abolish the sentence. \p Lord Timpson: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 abolished the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence and it could not be imposed for anyone convicted on or after 03 December 2012.

No individuals were convicted after 03 December 2012 and subsequently given an IPP sentence.

Nine people were given an IPP sentence in 2013 but all were convicted before the sentence was abolished.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government how many diversity officers are available to prisoners with disabilities in prisons. \p Lord Timpson: The Disability Advocacy & Wellbeing Network in HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) offers internal disability awareness training to promote understanding of the issues faced by prisoners with disabilities. Prison staff have access to a suite of guidance materials in relation to disability, enabling then to be confident in their approach and meet the needs of prisoners with disabilities. These resources are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to complement our national equality policies, which provide direct instruction to prison staff on meeting the requirements of our Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Dedicated Neurodiversity Support Managers are now in place in every public prison in England and Wales. These specialist staff are tasked with making sure prisoners with neurodiverse needs are identified and can access the right education and training opportunities while in prison, as these are crucial to reducing re-offending.

Some neurodiverse offenders may have speech and language needs which can lead to challenging behaviour, meaning they struggle to engage with prison rules and rehabilitation programmes. Support managers will ensure other prison staff know how to avoid and de-escalate volatile situations when working with offenders who have neurodiverse conditions.

HMPPS has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for prisoners with disabilities. These adjustments must be monitored and adapted as necessary throughout the course of the prisoner’s sentence. Where prisoners are transferred, the adjustment requirement will transfer with them.

There is an expectation that each prison will allocate sufficient resources to ensure that equality and diversity are managed effectively locally. The amount of resource required varies from prison to prison, and it would not be possible to obtain a total figure without incurring disproportionate cost. Our newly revised policies place renewed emphasis on the responsibility of senior leaders, including prison governors, for identifying and addressing disparity and promoting inclusion.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government whether all prisons are equipped to accommodate prisoners with a disability as defined under the Equality Act 2010. \p Lord Timpson: New prisons are designed to be fully compliant with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, with many accessible rooms. This includes a large number of low mobility cells (72 at Millsike, 84 at Five Wells and Fosse Way), dependant on the number of house blocks. There are also accessible and medical cells, and all areas of the prison are wheelchair accessible via lifts.

In older prisons, the Equality Act requirements are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with appropriate provision being made accordingly. This can include adaptations to prisoner cellular accommodation (grab rails, adapted taps), and cells that can accommodate people with low mobility, cells in medical units, and cells with adaptations for higher disability requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what its policy is on deciding whether to consult stakeholders in Northern Ireland on changes to European Union legislation which are imposed on Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government regularly consults with stakeholders in Northern Ireland on a wide range of policy issues, including those relating to the Windsor Framework.

Regulations that apply under the Windsor Framework are also subject to scrutiny both in Parliament and, as provided for in law, in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Government will continue to uphold these scrutiny commitments, which include the provision of explanatory materials on amended or replaced EU legislation which is included in the annexes to the Framework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Hain:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average cost of a visa for a scientist from overseas to work in the UK, and whether they have benchmarked this against costs for similar visas provided by other countries. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The cost of a visa for a scientist to work in the UK will vary depending on the visa route they enter the UK through. Visa fees are published on gov.uk and can be viewed through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-data.

Should an applicant wishing to work in the UK as a scientist apply for a skilled worker from overseas the current cost is £719 (up to three-years) or £1,420 (over three-years). Alternatively, should they enter the UK via the Global Talent route the current fee is £716. They could also apply for a 12-month Standard Visitor visa for academics which currently costs £200.

Visa products are difficult to compare because visa offers, including benefits and entitlements gained and duration of stay, vary significantly between countries. However, UK visa fees are broadly competitive when compared with the fees charged by comparative countries globally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 March (HL5728), whether they collect or collate information about the removal of foreign nationals following the revocation of their student visas in unpublished format. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord German:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to convert Derwentside immigration removal centre to a male-only facility. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Plans for Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) are still being considered. Currently the centre remains a functioning female IRC, and we remain focused on the specific needs for women in our care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether, before selecting hotels as accommodation for asylum seekers, it is their policy to consult the chief executives and leaders of affected local authorities. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous Government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs.

When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero raised the use of Congolese child labour in the mining of minerals used in green technologies exported to the United Kingdom during his recent visit to China, and if so, what response he received. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My department is committed to working closely across Government and industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative and free from forced labour.

The Secretary of State's recent visit to China gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero raised the use of Uyghur slave labour in the manufacture of solar panels and in other forms of green technology during his recent visit to China, and, if so, what response he received. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This Government continues to stand firm on the issue of human rights in China, including relating to forced labour. The recent visit by the Secretary of State gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 19 February of Current PFI and PF2 projects as at 31 March 2024, what steps they take to detect when (1) equity holders, or (2) special purpose vehicles, transfer ownership of their stake in a project without notifying the contracting authority; and how often this has occurred in the last five years. \p Lord Livermore: The Infrastructure and Project Authority, now the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority as of the 1st April, collects data annually on PFI projects. This includes for each Special Purpose Vehicle the UK registered company number, name and address and the name of the equity holders (investors) in the Special Purpose Vehicle. Standard contract drafting provides that a contractor shall inform an authority as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within [30] days, of any change of ownership occurring. This information is collated and published annually.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations set out in the report The nature of our economy: Implementing the Dasgupta Review, published by the Green Alliance on 18 March. \p Lord Livermore: The Government agrees with the central conclusion of the Dasgupta Review that nature, and the biodiversity that underpins it, sustains our economies, livelihoods and wellbeing. It is therefore committed to integrating nature into economic and financial decision-making, and the institutions and systems that underpin it.

The Treasury continues to make progress and explore ways to strengthen processes for assessing the climate and environmental impacts of fiscal decisions and improve the Green Book in line with emerging evidence and best practice. For example, building on the extensive guidance already provided for evaluating and monetising natural capital impacts, the Government has published updated supplementary guidance to the Green Book on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach, including additional guidance on valuing biodiversity.

The UK was one of the first countries to publish natural capital accounts as part of its National Accounts, and the Office for National Statistics will continue to implement its roadmap to ensure the further development of the natural capital accounts through to 2026.

As set out in the Budget last October, the Government is continuing to invest in the natural environment, confirming £5 billion over two years to support the transition to a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England, and at least £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration to protect soils, rivers and biodiversity. To help deliver its environmental ambitions, the Government is also seeking to create the conditions to mobilise additional private finance into nature, including by driving the development of high-integrity nature markets for the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of VAT relief on new build properties on increasing house building, and what plans they have to extend VAT relief to the refurbishment of listed buildings. \p Lord Livermore: To support the construction of new homes, the Government maintains a zero rate of VAT on new-build residential buildings and a reduced rate of VAT of five per cent for residential renovations that meet certain conditions.

To preserve heritage, restorative work carried out on listed buildings previously benefited from a zero rate of VAT. However, this relief was abolished in 2012, as it was primarily used to carry out extension work unnecessary for heritage purposes. The Government has no current plans to reduce the VAT charged on work to maintain and repair listed properties, but keeps all taxes under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce further legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency market. \p Lord Livermore: The Government has confirmed that it will proceed with introducing a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK. The Government is seeking to bring forward legislation to create this regime as early as possible this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of VAT paid by overseas-based online vendors that operate in the UK. \p Lord Livermore: UK VAT is charged on goods and services sold by overseas-based online vendors at the same rate as domestic sales. This ensures a level playing field, and that these vendors contribute fairly to public finances from their UK business activities.

The Government is aware of VAT non-compliance among some overseas-based online vendors. HMRC has an overall compliance strategy which focuses on addressing all forms of non-compliance. The most recent published VAT gap shows a continued downward trend, falling from 13.7% to 4.9% between tax years 2005/06 and 2022/23.

Since 2021, for some sales, VAT is collected and remitted by the marketplace that facilitates the sale. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates these changes, alongside the removal of low-value consignment relief, will generate an additional £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that increased employer National Insurance contributions will lead to fewer jobs being available; and how this will affect individuals seeking employment. \p Lord Livermore: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) forecasts that, with all policies considered, the employment level will increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Goldie:To ask His Majesty's Government whether houses built on land surrounding military bases will be owned by the Ministry of Defence, and whether those houses will be used as service accommodation. \p Lord Coaker: If land surrounding military bases is owned by the Department, and if a requirement for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) exists in that area, then properties built by the Ministry of Defence on that land would be utilised as SFA. However, if the land surrounding the military base is privately owned, then the use of any houses built on that site would be a matter for the developer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term impact on the National Health Service of prospective successful applications for indefinite leave to remain until 2029. \p Baroness Merron: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in the levels of grants of Indefinite Leave to Remain on the National Health Service, and there are no current plans to undertake such an assessment.

Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. The Government remains committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to manage the NHS provision of biologic medications and other high-cost treatments, particularly to avoid inequality between patients under different integrated care boards. \p Baroness Merron: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new medicines, including biologics, should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their clinical and cost-effectiveness.

The NICE evaluates all new medicines and significant licence extensions for existing medicines, and NHS England and the integrated care boards are legally required to fund the medicines recommended in a NICE appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance. The NICE’s evaluations and the associated funding requirement ensures that patients are consistently able to benefit from clinically and cost-effective medicines wherever they live in England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness among patients of patient-initiated follow-up appointments and how the system works. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is expanding the use of Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) as part of our broad package of elective reform, to ensure patients have greater choice and control, with more responsive and accessible follow up care. We have committed to offering PIFU to patients with long-term conditions as standard in all appropriate pathways by March 2026, and to increasing PIFU to at least 5% of all outpatient appointments by March 2029.

Shared decision-making is at the heart of our PIFU approach. To ensure that patients are empowered to make an informed decision, clinicians will discuss patients’ suitability and willingness to sit on a PIFU pathway. To help patients understand the process of PIFU and its aims, NHS England’s national guidance for trusts includes examples of quality communication resources to share with patients, including patient information leaflets and videos. Trusts are expected to include PIFU service details and contact information on their websites, and they should inform the patient’s general practitioner when they choose PIFU. Along with our broader reforms to enhance two-way communication between patients and their healthcare teams, we will ensure all patients can readily access information on PIFU and feel thoroughly supported to use it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the future of the Greener NHS programme following the abolition of NHS England. \p Baroness Merron: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what legislation will be required or amended to legally abolish NHS England; and what functions and powers held by NHS England cannot be transferred to other bodies until new legislation is enacted. \p Baroness Merron: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements needed to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.

Primary legislation will be required, and we intend to bring this forward when Parliamentary time allows.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that guidance published by the 'Getting It Right First Time' programme is implemented across England. \p Baroness Merron: The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is a national NHS England programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through an in-depth review of services, benchmarking, and presenting a data-driven evidence base to support change and remove variation in health services across England. It is a non-mandatory programme, approved by the royal colleges and professional bodies.

The GIRFT team is working with systems and regions to help the National Health Service embed best practice in elective care, to reduce waiting times, improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, to support delivery of the commitment that 92% of all patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.

Guidance is delivered to teams all over England via national reports and best practice guidance products. While guidance is not mandatory, GIRFT tracks the audiences, downloads, and uptake of best practice guidance at a national level, ensuring that reports are driving change across the health landscape.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of trains on Network Rail are (1) cancelled, and (2) arrive more than five minutes later than timetabled, and what proportion of these cancellations and delays are caused by (a) signal failure, (b) lack of crew availability, and (c) other reasons. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: (1) The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported that in the 12 months up to December 2024 the cancellation measure was 4.0%.

(2) The ORR publish train punctuality on a quarterly basis. They report trains arriving within 59 seconds, within 3 minutes or within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. These are reported in Table 1.

Table 1. Train punctuality in the year ending December 2024, Great Britain

Trains arriving within 59 seconds

Trains arriving within 3 minutes

Trains arriving within 15 minutes

67.0%

84.8%

98.2%

Source: ORR Table 3133: Delay minutes by operator and cause

The proportion of cancellations by the available causes is report in Table 2.

Table 2. Train Cancellations by cause and responsibility in the year ending December 2024, Great Britain

Infrastructure and network management

Infrastructure owner external event

Train operator fault

Operator external event

26.0%

18.6%

51.4%

3.9%

Source: DfT analysis of ORR Table 3123: Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause

Information on the cause of delays is published by Rail Period by the ORR. This information is reported in delay minutes. The latest data (covering 3 March 2024 – 2 March 2025) on the proportion of delays minutes attributed by the available causes is reported in Table 3.

Table 3. Share of delay minutes by cause in the year ending 2 March 2025, Great Britain

NR-on-TOC

External

14%

Network Management / Other

16%

Non-Track Assets

17%

Severe Weather, Autumn, & Structures

7%

Track

7%

NR-on-TOC total

61%

TOC-on-Self and TOC-on-TOC

Fleet

15%

Operations

3%

Stations

3%

TOC Other

7%

Traincrew

10%

TOC-on-Self total

39%

Source: DfT analysis of Office of Rail and Road Table 3184 - Delay minutes by operator and cause
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness D'Souza:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have observed a reduction in death and injury caused by road traffic accidents in areas, such as central London, which have introduced a 20 miles per hour speed limit. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department for Transport published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph limits, which are 20mph schemes relying only on signage, on 22 November 2018.

The evaluation looked at twelve case studies including two in city centres (Brighton and Winchester). No case studies were in London.

It found insufficient evidence to conclude that that there had been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.

The only case study area showing a significant change in collisions and casualties, relative to its 30mph comparator area, was Brighton City Centre. This scheme covered both major and minor roads, with a 19% reduction in overall casualties, a 29% reduction in pedestrian casualties and a 51% reduction in casualties aged 75 or over. No significant change in casualties of cyclists or under 16s was found.

The evaluation stated that the changes appeared to be a reflection of the city characteristics, and the blanket implementation of 20mph limits across all roads within the scheme area, including higher flow A and B roads which were typically excluded from the residential case study schemes. There was a significant reduction in collisions across all road types, but the change was most pronounced on major strategic roads. The evaluation stressed that this represented just one case study, and the extent to which the findings were transferable to other locations was unclear.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government which unit or team in the Department for Transport is responsible for policy relating to self-driving delivery robots that operate primarily on pavements. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department has a team that is responsible for micromobility policy which includes self-driving delivery robots. That team works with a wide range of other teams on the opportunities and risks they present, including the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the introduction of a standardised battery health certification scheme for used electric vehicles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Department for Transport has worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to develop a Global Technical Regulation on electric vehicle batteries (GTR 22). If implemented, the regulation would set standards for the lifespan of a battery and its minimum durability. It will also ensure that information about electric vehicle batteries is easily accessible, accurate and comparable. The Government is currently considering options for the implementation of GTR 22 battery regulations in the UK.

In the meantime, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate requires all new electric vehicles to be sold with a warranty that includes battery replacement if capacity falls below 70% in the first 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Krebs:To ask His Majesty's Government how many freight trains they expect to use East West Rail per day. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The current scope of EWR enables up to two new freight train paths per day per direction from Felixstowe, routed via Cambridge, through to Oxford and beyond, and around two new freight train paths per day from Southampton, routed via Oxford, Bletchley and onto the West Coast Main Line. Other enhancements on the network would be required for freight to exceed these levels.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the formal performance management process for permanent secretaries; who is the designated line manager i of each permanent secretary; what role, if any, ministers play in (1) setting objectives, (2) assessing performance, and (3) contributing to appraisals; whether this is set out in any Cabinet Office guidance; and if so, whether they will place a copy of this guidance in the Library of the House. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As with all other civil servants, the performance of Permanent Secretaries is monitored through formal performance management arrangements. The majority of First Permanent Secretaries report to the Cabinet Secretary with Second Permanent Secretaries reporting to (First Permanent Secretary) Heads of Departments. Performance management activity is undertaken by the relevant line manager.

Objectives for each Permanent Secretary are set at the beginning of the performance year and include input from Ministers. Mid-year and end-year reviews are conducted by the relevant line manager, with feedback/evidence from Ministers forming an important part of the overall performance assessment. Ministers do not participate in mid and end-year review meetings.

Guidance on the process is not published.

In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to page 31 of the 2013 report Civil Service Reform Plan: One Year On, whether it is their policy to appoint all new permanent secretaries on fixed-term tenures; and whether they will publish (1) all permanent secretary-level appointments, (2) whether those appointments are fixed-term and (3) the date on which those appointments expire. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: It remains the case that Permanent Secretaries are appointed on fixed term tenures and that their appointments are published on GOV.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_35

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers are responsible for ensuring the resilience of critical national infrastructure; and if those responsibilities are split, which ministers are responsible for resilience in each sector. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The UK currently has 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Each sector has a Lead Government Department (LGD) that is responsible for sectoral resilience, including risk assessments, policy and guidance and industry engagement. The LGD Minister or Secretary of State for each CNI sector holds overall accountability for their CNI sectoral approach.

The Cabinet Office is responsible for the overarching CNI policy for the UK government, setting strategic cross-cutting priorities and providing assurance to Ministers that LGDs are fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure the security and resilience of their sectors. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) is the Cabinet Office Minister with overall responsibility for Resilience. CDL chairs the National Security Council on Resilience, at which CNI topics are routinely discussed and relevant LGDs are represented.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_36
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_36

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the causes of marginalisation of minority communities in Iran. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK remains committed to holding Iran accountable for its systemic targeting and repression of religious and ethnic minorities. We were integral to the delivery of the Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the United Nations Third Committee in November 2024, which called on Iran to cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity and to ensure rights are upheld, and to eliminate all forms of discrimination and human rights violations against ethnic minorities, including but not limited to, Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Baluchis and Kurds. In January, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights directly with his Iranian counterpart.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_37

Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to release funds currently held by Roman Abramovich’s company Fordstam to Ukraine. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We are determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as soon as possible. We are doing everything we can to bring that about quickly. This is a complex legal issue, but the UK is working with international partners, has engaged with Abramovich's team, and is exploring all options to ensure the proceeds reach vulnerable people in Ukraine.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_38
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_38

Baroness Sugg:To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) grassroots organisations, (2) local non-governmental organisations, (3) international non-governmental organisations, and (4) development partners, who advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Philippines. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK has supported efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in post-conflict areas of the Bangsamoro region, recognising that gender equality is essential to sustainable peace. The Integrated Security Fund Philippines programme has contributed to the development of the Bangsamoro Gender and Development Code and the Gender Ombud Guidelines, supported awareness-raising initiatives to end harmful practices such as child marriage, and worked with communities to strengthen the capacity of women's desks to provide better support for survivors of gender-based violence. The UK has also engaged with UNFPA to discuss how they can protect and promote SRHR in the Philippines further.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_39
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_39

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that China has used the death penalty on four Canadian citizens this year, whether they will direct the Great Britain–China Centre to suspend its training and cooperation with members of China's judiciary until executions cease. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. This Government believes that the death penalty's use undermines human dignity, that there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value, and that any miscarriage of justice leading to its imposition is irreversible and irreparable.

Great Britain-China Centre (GBCC) has for many years worked to reduce the application of the death penalty in China, with the ultimate goal of abolition, by providing technical legal training to defence lawyers and support to legislative reforms that restrict the use of the death penalty. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not provide funding to this work within GBCC's Grant-in-Aid.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_40
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_40

Baroness Northover:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are committed to maintaining the Global Mine Action Programme. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Global Mine Action Programme is being maintained through the financial year 25/26. Beyond this, Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-04-07 conversation_41

Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government what the relationship will be between the biodiversity net gain rules and the future Nature Restoration Fund. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: Last year the Environment Act introduced a new mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement of 10% for new developments, subject to some exceptions.

The Nature Restoration Fund will be in addition to BNG and will run concurrently, focusing on enabling development in areas where that has stalled due to specific environmental obligations relating to impacts on protected sites or species in those areas

We will ensure that developers receive a user-friendly experience and that BNG credit and the Nature Restoration Fund revenue is deployed in a joined-up manner to maximise environmental outcomes.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_1

Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government how they take account of the increasing number of properties used for holiday lets when estimating the size of the population. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

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

The Lord Roberts of Llandudno

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

14 July 2025

Dear Lord Roberts of Llandudno,

As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how the increasing number of properties used for holiday lets is taken into account when estimating the size of the population (HL9240).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) currently estimates the UK population using a combination of census data, administrative records, and statistical modelling. This is an estimate of people (not properties), and property information does not form part of the approach to producing the estimate.

Analysis of Census 2021 data shows the areas where second addresses are used as holiday homes across England and Wales[1].

You may also be interested in analysis produced by our housing analysis team titled Comparing empty home statistics in England and Wales[2] which included holidays lets and caravan parks.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Rourke

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/numberofvacantandsecondhomesenglandandwales/census2021

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/comparingemptyhomestatisticsinenglandandwales/2024-08-09
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_2
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_2

Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government how many large-scale exercises with their involvement were undertaken in the past year to prepare for terrorist attacks and other civil contingencies, and what were the learning outcomes from those exercises. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: As is longstanding practice under successive administrations, the Government does not publish the exercises that it undertakes for terrorist attacks or other civil contingencies unless requested to by inquiries or where it would serve to make the public better prepared.

The national exercise for 2025 will be a pandemic preparedness exercise. It will aim to test our ability to respond to a pandemic arising from a novel infectious disease, involving all regions and nations of the UK and thousands of participants.

The publicly available UK Resilience Academy Lessons Digest synthesises and shares lessons learned from selected large-scale exercises and emergency responses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_3

Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the national security implications of the ownership of UK critical infrastructure by CK Hutchison, in the light of recent reports that Hong Kong authorities intervened in the company's overseas divestment decisions with regard to sale of ports on the Panama Canal. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government works closely with CNI operators, alongside our National Technical Authorities and industry partners, to ensure resilience and preparedness to the broad and diverse range of threats and risks the UK faces.

As is longstanding practice, the Government does not generally comment on individual investors or investments in the national security context.
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-07-17 conversation_4

Lord Patten:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 25 June (HL8364), whether they will now answer the question put; namely what period of time is meant by the phrase “in a generation” in their Plan for Change published on 5 December 2024. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the noble Lord to the answer of HL8364 given on 25 June 2025:

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what period of time is meant by the phrase “in a generation” in their Plan for Change published on 5 December 2024.

Baroness Anderson answered: The use of the term “in a generation” in the Plan for Change is consistent with language used in other government documents to indicate ambitious reform. Milestones for this Parliament have been clearly set out.