theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK’s creative industry businesses do not relocate to other countries because of the impact of AI on their work and their intellectual property rights. \p Baroness Twycross: The government recognises the importance of the UK’s copyright regime to the economic success of the creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We are committed to supporting rights holders by ensuring they have control over and receive payment for their work, especially as technology advances to include AI. We are actively working with stakeholders to ensure copyright protections remain robust and fit for purpose.

Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control and transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material. We want a set of British copyright rules that encourage AI training here, while protecting our world class creative industries.

Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which was published on 17 December and closed on 25 February, received over 10,000 responses. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received and will continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders.
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Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings about artificial intelligence and copyright issues took place between Ministers and officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and representatives of the Tony Blair Institute between July 2024 and March 2025; and what the dates and outcomes were of those meetings. \p Baroness Twycross: No meetings took place between Ministers and officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and representatives of the Tony Blair Institute between July 2024 and March 2025.
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Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay:To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; and what the anticipated timescales are for their completion. \p Baroness Twycross: Following the election, this Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.

As the House would expect, the Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.

Public reviews will be available on gov.uk as they are published.
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The Lord Bishop of St Albans:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the proposed staking limit of £5 for online slots sooner than the outlined five-year period. \p Baroness Twycross: As set out in the legislation, the online slots stake limits regulation must be reviewed within five years. We are able to review the stake limits at any time if there is evidence to do so.
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Lord Robathan:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the estimated cost of the fencing planned for the front of Parliament along Abingdon Street and what is the market cost of fencing of the same specification. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Abingdon fence installation was competitively procured by both Houses of Parliament through parliament’s framework supply-chain and benchmarked against other fencing projects within Parliament. For security reasons, the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to create regulations for artificial intelligence, and if so, how these will impact companies and customers. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, and our expert regulators are best placed to do this. The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out a number of recommendations on how the Government can proactively work with regulators to support our ambitions for AI and growth, which the Government will be taking forward.

The Government is also developing legislative proposals which will allow us to safely realise the enormous benefits of the most powerful AI systems. We will be launching a public consultation in due course to ensure our proposals are proportionate and support innovation.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to retain copper landlines in rural areas to ensure continuous telephone access during extreme weather events. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The copper landline network, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network, is a privately-owned network and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry. The industry’s decision to upgrade the PSTN is due to necessity, as the network is increasingly unreliable and prone to failure. In 2024, Ofcom (the independent telecoms regulator) recorded a 45% increase in PSTN resilience incidents. The PSTN is not being retained anywhere.

In the event of a power cut caused by extreme weather events, telecoms companies have a regulatory obligation to ensure that customers have access to emergency services for a minimum of one hour, for example by providing them with battery back-ups that power telephones during a power outage. In practice, many are offering solutions which exceed these minimum standards.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect there to be 100 per cent fast speed broadband coverage in rural areas. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: Superfast broadband (>=30Mbps) is now available to 98% of UK premises, with Project Gigabit delivering gigabit-capable broadband (>=1000 Mbps) to those not included in suppliers' commercial plans.

Over 86% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, according to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com. Our goal is that at least 99% of UK premises will be able to access gigabit coverage by 2030.

Some rural and remote premises will remain too expensive to build a gigabit-capable connection to. The government is considering what policy measures may be required to help provide them with ultrafast (>=100Mbps) connections.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the advice from Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the shingles vaccination programme, published in November 2024, whether expanding the programme (1) to adults aged 80 and over, and (2) to severely immunosuppressed adults aged 18 and over, will take place at the same time; and what steps they will take to implement these changes. \p Baroness Merron: The Department will consider this advice when setting the policy on who should be offered shingles vaccinations and update in due course.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government how, in implementing the Women’s Health Strategy for England, they plan to address the specific needs and challenges facing women living with rare autoimmune conditions, such as primary biliary cholangitis. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. We are continuing to implement the Women’s Health Strategy, for example by providing support for pregnancy loss through a full rollout of baby loss certificates, with menopause support in the workplace, and by boosting women’s participation in research and clinical trials.

In the longer term, our priorities for delivering the strategy will be aligned with the 10 Year Plan and the Government's missions. The 10 Year Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health, including those for women.

The Government is also committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which include helping patients get a final diagnosis faster and increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and published the annual England action plan in February 2025.
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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve and update the regulation of fertility services. \p Baroness Merron: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 provides the legislative framework for regulating fertility treatments, and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the United Kingdom’s independent regulator of fertility treatments.

The HFEA published Modernising Fertility Law in November 2023, which outlines 15 recommendations under four key themes to reform the current fertility legislative framework. Additional analysis has been requested from the HFEA and will inform the Government’s position on how we might move forwards to improve the regulatory regime. Any law reform will need to be considered within the context of the Government’s broader legislative programme.
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Lord Lucas:To ask His Majesty's Government, for each of the postcode areas BN20, BN21, BN22 and BN23, and for the BN postcode area as a whole, for pupils who did their GCSEs in each of the summers of 2022, 2023 and 2024, what number of pupils at state schools progressed to (1) academic sixth forms in independent schools, (2) academic sixth form in state schools, (3) state sixth form colleges and state further education colleges, (4) vocational qualifications at state colleges, (5) apprenticeships, (6) work and (7) unemployment; and, for each of those educational destinations, what was the average distance as the crow flies between home and 16-18 education. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

However, the department publishes annual data on the destinations sustained, rather than progressed to, by pupils in the academic year following the end of key stage 4 study. This information includes detail on the number of pupils who sustained education, apprenticeships and employment destinations, or did not sustain any, by institution. This can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-destination-measures#explore-data-and-files.

The latest available data is for the 2021/22 cohort of school leavers, completing GCSEs in summer 2022, and their sustained activity in the following year. Institution level data is available in the release, however, the geographic indicators in these statistics relate to school location rather than pupil location. All destinations are presented against the institution they completed key stage 4.

The underlying data does not include information on pupils’ home postcodes and distance to institutions. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 27 January (HL Deb col 9), when they will publish the child's rights impact assessments for the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The Child’s Rights Impact Assessment was published on 17 March 2025. This is attached and can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d7dd3ded6ca9014ba2a28e/Children_s_Wellbeing_and_Schools_Bill_child_s_rights_impact_assessment.pdf.

This assessment examines where children are directly impacted by the policies, and/or where there are particular groups of children and young people more likely to be affected than others.

Child’s_Rights_Impact_Assessment (pdf, 656.1KB)
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Baroness Smith of Llanfaes:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 20 January (HLWS369), when their review of the higher education sector will be completed and published. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: While higher education is a devolved matter, the Welsh government is engaging with the UK government regarding plans for higher education (HE) reform in England. The department will publish the plans for HE reform in England in the summer.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their strategic objectives for (1) passenger mode share, and (2) rail access, to Heathrow as part of the revised Airports National Policy Statement. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government recognises the vital role that surface access will play as part of any future expansion of Heathrow Airport, and public transport including rail access will be a key part of this.

As part of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), launched on 22 October 2025, we will consider the Government’s strategic objectives for surface access, including public transport mode share targets and rail access. A draft ANPS will be published for consultation by summer 2026.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Transport for London's submission to the consultation on the Revised National Policy Statement (NPS) on Airport capacity in 2017, which found that 61–69 per cent of people travelling to Heathrow Airport would need to use public transport to meet the requirement of no increase in airport related traffic as a result of expansion; and how this will be included in any assessment of promoters of expansion at Heathrow going forward. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government recognises the vital role that public transport has in surface access to an expanded Heathrow airport. As part of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), launched on 22 October 2025, we are reviewing the public transport targets required to support sustainable access to a third runway, as well as the impacts on the road network.

Transport for London will be a key stakeholder in this process, and my department will work closely with them. A revised ANPS will be published for public consultation by Summer 26.
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Viscount Younger of Leckie:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment will examine opportunities to improve assessment accuracy and reduce duplication by modernising delivery, including through the use of digital integration with NHS data and other public services. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.

On 30 October, the Government published revised Terms of Reference on GOV.UK which set out further details about its scope. The Review will include consideration of:

We also announced that the Review will be co-chaired by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms, alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. They will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review's strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people's organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest process.
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered piloting changes to Universal Credit taper rates for young people in supported housing; and what options they are considering to assist people living in supported housing to take on more paid work. \p Baroness Sherlock: People on a low income living in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation, receive Universal Credit for help with their daily living costs and Housing Benefit for help with their housing costs. Customers living in Supported Housing are also able to access higher levels of housing support through Housing Benefit.

The Department for Work and Pensions acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to act on the findings of the Impact Assessment of Support for Mortgage Interest Loans, published in May 2025, including those relating to the experiences and outcomes of disabled claimants and other protected groups. \p Baroness Sherlock: Since its introduction in April 2018, my Department has kept the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan scheme under review. As a result of this, improvements to the scheme were introduced in 2021 and in 2023. The first of these allowed loans to be ‘ported’ to a new property rather than be repaid. This was primarily aimed at disabled recipients who may need to move home due to changes in their disability requirements.

The research published in May 2025 concluded SMI had the intended impact on recipients, to reduce arrears and repossessions. There are no current plans to introduce further changes.
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Viscount Younger of Leckie:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the full findings, evidence base and consultation responses of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment, in addition to the outcomes. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Timms Review will report its findings to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for decision in autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of this.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disability set out to the House of Commons on the 9 July, the Government will report the Review's outcomes to Parliament.
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Viscount Younger of Leckie:To ask His Majesty's Government why the terms of reference of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment state that the purpose of the review is not to generate proposals for future savings; and whether improving value for money and reducing inefficiency remains a priority in the design of disability benefits. \p Baroness Sherlock: The Government is committed to spending public money as effectively as possible to support disabled people in living independent and fulfilling lives. The aim of the Review is to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.
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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resilience of the UK's digital infrastructure following recent outages of online systems and communication services. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring the resilience of digital infrastructure. The Department reviews the most significant risks to the security and resilience of UK digital infrastructure and assesses their likelihood and impact through the National Security Risk Assessment. A summary of these risks is published in the National Risk Register.

Operators of UK digital infrastructure are legally required to take appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure their networks are secure and resilient. Ofcom monitors compliance and enforces standards under the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018.
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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to strengthen sovereign capacity in cloud services and cyber resilience. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: DSIT is supporting industry in building more data centres in the UK (including via AI Growth Zones), which helps enable cloud providers in the UK to expand. We are working with other government departments to speed up planning permission and grid connection timings to support this.

The Government believes complex issues such as the security of data and digital governance are best addressed through transparent, inclusive multistakeholder engagement. We remain committed to working with international partners within recognised global mechanisms to promote shared understanding and responsible international behaviours, while ensuring support for UK-based data-driven businesses to innovate and grow.

Cyber security is a key part of the Industrial Strategy. DSIT supports the development of sovereign capability in the £13.2 billion UK cyber security sector through its accelerator programmes, including CyberASAP, which commercialises cyber security research, and Cyber Runway, which supports entrepreneurs and companies. Our £187 million TechFirst programme will improve digital skills across the country, including cyber security skills. We are investing significantly in the National Cyber Security Centre, the Government’s technical authority on cyber security, which continues to work to strengthen UK cyber resilience. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will further strengthen UK cyber defences and boost protections for our essential and digital services, including cloud computing.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate on infringement of copyright arising from the use of artificial intelligence. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI) This included seeking views on the use of copyright material in AI model development.

The Government is considering all responses to the consultation. Alongside this we launched expert working groups in July, bringing together representatives of the creative, media and AI sectors, and convened a parliamentary working group. Together this will inform next steps.

The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue, and set out its proposals in due course.
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Lord Polak:To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS trusts in England have facilities for fresh-freezing brain cancer tissue samples. \p Baroness Merron: Pathology services in England are delivered through 27 regional pathology networks, and offer a comprehensive range of tests, including the analysis of brain tissues.

Fresh-freezing, also referred to as snap-freezing, is a standard technique used by pathology networks to preserve tissue architecture without chemical fixatives, allowing for subsequent molecular or histological analysis, typically supporting research or advanced diagnostic applications.

Individual pathology services maintain their own standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fresh tissue samples and for the snap-freezing of tissue samples. These SOPs outline local capabilities and practices.

Information on the number of NHS trusts in England that have facilities for fresh freezing brain cancer tissue samples is not currently collected. However, the extent to which fresh freezing is used across NHS trusts is likely to vary depending on the availability of neurosurgery services.
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Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of redundancy as a result of the plan to abolish NHS England and restructure integrated care boards; and what redundancy costs have been incurred as a result of those plans to date. \p Baroness Merron: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we have been clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as on the need to scale back integrated care board (ICB) running costs and National Health Service provider corporate costs, in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy.

Good progress is being made, with the Department and NHS England having announced voluntary exit and expressions of interest respectively.

In the case of ICBs, ahead of asking the NHS to commence a multi-year planning round we are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised, including making provision for redundancy costs.
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what formal mechanism is in place to monitor and audit how local authorities and integrated care boards use resources designated for people with a learning disability, particularly where delegated agreements under section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 or equivalent arrangements are in effect, to ensure that funding intended for statutory duties is not being used to offset general budgetary deficits. \p Baroness Merron: Integrated care boards (ICBs), as set out in NHS England statutory guidance published 9 May 2023, are expected to assign an executive lead role for learning disability and autism to a suitable board member. The named lead is expected to support the board in planning to meet the needs of its local people with a learning disability and its local autistic people and to have effective oversight of, and support improvements in, the quality of care for people in a mental health, learning disability and autism.

There are clear expectations of ICBs in relation to care and support provision for people with a learning disability and autistic people, and they are held accountable through existing governance processes. The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, sets out priorities for ICBs and providers on learning disability and autism, including reducing health inequalities and reliance on mental health inpatient care. ICBs report their spend on Learning Disability and Autism Services as part of routine financial reporting, monitored by NHS England. The Model ICB Blueprint sets out the direction of travel for the role and functions of ICBs in relation to commissioning services for the needs of their local population. There is a range of best practice guidance available and published to support ICBs to commission services for people with a learning disability.
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Lord Gold:To ask His Majesty's Government, having regard to part 6 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Palestinian Government on education, published on 28 April, what recent discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority to determine whether any UK aid is being used to support teaching materials in Palestinian schools that promote hatred, extremism or the glorification of terrorism; and what steps they plan to take should such use be identified. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and robust controls against the diversion of aid. We select our partners for the strong safeguards they have in place, which reduce delivery risks and will ensure the maximum impact of UK aid for Palestinians.
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Lord Carter of Haslemere:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 4 November (HL Deb 1808) stating that official development assistance allocations will be published "in the coming months", what plans they have to make a statement under section 2(4) of the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 alongside these allocations. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: I refer the Noble Lord to HLWS887 made on 22 July 2025, published alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts 2024-25. If, when published, the FCDO annual report and accounts for 2025-26 shows that the 0.7 per cent target has not been met in calendar year 2025, the government will make the relevant statement as set out in the International Development Act 2015.
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Baroness Manzoor:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use generative AI to combat loneliness, in particular among the elderly. \p Baroness Twycross: The Government does not currently have plans to use generative AI to combat loneliness among the elderly. However, we recognise the importance of using innovative approaches to tackle loneliness. The government-funded Tackling Loneliness Hub recently published this blog; https://tacklinglonelinesshub.org/health-innovation-to-human-connection/ on health innovation and the role of AI in strengthening social connection, and hosts a range of events for members to learn about novel approaches to this issue.

This Government is committed to supporting people at risk of loneliness, including the elderly, to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen positive social connections is a key part of achieving wider government objectives to create a healthier society and more connected communities across all ages. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and loneliness are embedded in government policy making, including the recently published Pride in Place strategy, and the upcoming Men’s Health Strategy and National Youth Strategy.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence in news production and distribution complies with regulated media standards. \p Baroness Twycross: AI is a tool that could help the UK realise its full potential as a global creative powerhouse. While we should be aware of the risks of AI, we should also be positive about its possibilities. DCMS is working closely with DSIT and other departments on tackling harmful misinformation and the role our media sector plays in fostering a healthy online environment.

The independent regulator Ofcom enforces standards on broadcast media through their Broadcasting Code, which includes rules that ensure that broadcast news is duly accurate and impartial. Ofcom has set out guidance around the use of synthetic media, including AI: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/bulletins/broadcast-bulletins/2023/issue-471/note-to-broadcasters-synthetic-media-including-deepfakes-.pdf?v=329464. This is attached to this answer.

The UK has a self-regulatory system for the press, which was established independently from Government to protect press freedom. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and The Independent Monitor for the Press (Impress) are industry-led regulators for the press. They enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including accuracy. Impress has also published specific guidance regarding best practices when using AI for news content creation: https://www.impressorg.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Impress-Best-Practice-Note-The-Use-of-Artificial-Intelligence-April-2025.pdf).

Ofcom Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin (pdf, 197.3KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Lord Swire:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with Ofcom regarding the editing of President Trump's speech in the Panorama programme Trump: A Second Chance?. \p Baroness Twycross: Senior Officials have regular contact with Ofcom leadership, on a variety of matters - the independence of the regulator is nevertheless vital and discussions always respect this distinction. Maintaining the BBC’s editorial standards is also very important, as is the need for the BBC to be accountable.

We support a strong independent BBC. In an age of disinformation, the argument for a robust impartial British news service is stronger than ever. It is important that trust is maintained and that errors are corrected quickly. Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have subsequently both taken responsibility for the mistakes they admit the BBC has made.

As the BBC is independent of Government, it is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of the BBC, to ensure that the BBC fulfils its obligations to audiences as outlined in the Charter and the Broadcasting Code.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Baroness Neville-Rolfe:To ask His Majesty's Government whether any formal mechanism exists to directly link public sector pay settlements to measurable improvements in productivity at either departmental or workforce level. \p Lord Livermore: The Government is firmly committed to improving public sector productivity and efficiency, as set out in its plans for a more productive and agile state at the Spending Review. At Budget 2024 the Government set a 2% productivity, efficiencies, and savings target for government Departments. The Office for Value for Money and its Chair have worked closely with all departments to agree bespoke and stretching efficiency targets, supported by robust delivery plans. Altogether, the Government will deliver technical efficiencies worth nearly £14 billion a year by 2028–29.

The Pay Review Body (PRB) process is used to set the pay for many public sector workforces. This process is independent from Government and PRBs will consider a range of evidence when forming recommendations on pay. This can include productivity factors, amongst other considerations such as the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably qualified people.

Pay awards will need to be funded within departmental settlements set out at Spending Review 2025. If the PRBs recommend pay increases above the level departments have budgeted for, departments will need to carefully consider the justification for these awards and determine whether these additional costs can be borne either through offsetting savings or through further productivity gains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual tax revenue arising from the gambling industry. \p Lord Livermore: Total Betting & Gaming Duty receipts for 2024-25 were £3.6 billion [1].

HMRC does not collate separate data for gambling operators for other tax heads.

[1]See https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-betting-and-gaming-statistics for further detail

UK Betting and Gaming Statistics (xlsx, 103.0KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the use of artificial intelligence by financial services for financial decision-making processes, such as underwriting and credit pricing, on UK financial stability. \p Lord Livermore: The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying and addressing risks to the UK financial system. The FPC’s latest remit was set out by the Chancellor in November 2024. It notes that whilst recognising the significant economic opportunities presented by emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, the Committee should continue to consider potential financial stability risks associated with their widespread adoption.

The FPC’s April 2025 ‘Financial Stability in Focus’ report sets out the Committee’s view on the financial stability implications of AI, including in relation to the use of AI in banks’ and insurers’ core financial decision making. It also sets out the FPC’s approach to monitoring and mitigating risks from AI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to granting businesses that employ people with learning disabilities an exemption or reduction in employer National Insurance contributions. \p Lord Livermore: The government is committed to helping people with health conditions and disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, to start and stay in work.

The government provides support to employers to recruit and retain disabled people through the Access to Work scheme, which assists with the cost of specialist equipment, workplace adjustments or support workers.

The government has also announced the largest investment in employment support in at least a generation to help sick and disabled people, reaching £1 billion per annum by 2029-30. The government has also made significant investments in employment support for disabled people at the Spending Review, including through the rollout of Connect to Work which will help up to 100,000 individuals a year to secure work and the delivery of Work Well, a programme which aims to improve health and employment outcomes through locally led work and health services.

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of consumer protection for those using AI tools for personal finance purposes, in particular in regard to protection from data misuse, inaccurate advice and fraud. \p Lord Livermore: The government’s ambition is to make the UK a global leader in AI, leveraging our dual strength in financial services and AI to drive growth, productivity, and consumer benefits. Safe adoption is an essential part of realising that vision.

The UK's data protection framework applies to the processing of personal data throughout the design, development and deployment phases of AI tools. Organisations are required to ensure that personal data is processed fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely. People also have a number of rights over how their personal data is used, such as the right of access, rectification, or erasure.

In relation to financial advice, the government recognises that people do not always have access to the support they need when making financial decisions, and an increasing number are turning to technologies such as general-purpose large language models for help.

The government wants to ensure that people can receive meaningful support from firms they know and trust – such as their bank or pension provider. That is why we are taking steps to enable trusted firms to do more to proactively support their customers.

To this end, the government is introducing a new regime for targeted support, allowing firms to engage directly with customers and suggest products or courses of action suitable for their financial situation. As announced by the Chancellor at her Mansion House speech earlier this year, targeted support will be available online in time for the next financial year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce financial incentives for businesses that employ people with learning disabilities. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Department for Business and Trade does not have any plans to introduce financial incentives for businesses that employ people with learning disabilities.

The Government's Access to Work scheme offers a grant to help employees with a physical or mental health condition or disability get or stay in work. Businesses can also apply for finance through the Government-backed British Business Bank which aims to improve access to finance to help businesses invest and grow.

Additionally, the Government commissioned Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working Review, because we recognise the vital role employers can play in helping address the challenges faced by disabled people and people with health conditions in work, which are holding back individuals, businesses and the economy, and we are determined to tackle this issue. The final report was published on 5 November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town:To ask His Majesty's Government what allowance is made under the Companies House requirement for company directors to verify their identity online, or by starting the process on-line, for those who do not have access to the internet or the ability to apply in this way. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: Companies House have invested in expansion and training of our customer service team to assist users in their identity verification journey. This includes establishing a specialist team to support customers who have accessibility requirements.

Users can ask someone they know to help them prove their identity: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-someone-use-govuk-one-login. Where identity cannot be verified online, users may be directed to complete the process in person at a participating Post Office. The invitation to initiate this journey can be issued via post.

Authorised Company Service Providers may also offer non-digital identity verification services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to enable students to obtain International Baccalaureate qualifications in each of the past five years, and how much funding they will provide for that purpose in 2026–27. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: Funding is not provided specifically to enable students to obtain International Baccalaureate qualifications. The amounts of total programme funding allocated to institutions for 16 to 19 year olds to undertake T Levels and study programmes, which include the International Baccalaureate over the last 5 years can be found in the table below:

Academic Year

Total Programme Funding for 16 – 19 year old students

2021 to 2022

£5.9 billion

2022 to 2023

£6.5 billion

2023 to 2024

£7.0 billion

2024 to 2025

£7.6 billion

2025 to 2026

£8.6 billion

Department for Education funded providers offering the International Baccalaureate will continue to receive 16-19 education funding in the 2026/2027 academic year but the allocations have not yet been made and so the total programme funding figure is not yet available.