theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Lord Foster of Bath:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review and update the guidance for dual citizens in the light of the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation; and what steps they are taking to ensure that such guidance is easily accessible to British citizens resident overseas. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government has published guidance on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) for dual British citizens, accessible via Gov.UK. Our communication and support offer is updated in line with feedback from users.

There is no single specific legal requirement that a British Citizen must travel on a British passport. However, primary legislation is clear that evidence of right of abode in the UK can only be demonstrated at the UK border through the production of either a British passport or other passport endorsed with a certificate of entitlement to the right of above (CoE). This is the means by which British citizens demonstrate their right to enter the UK.

The introduction of ETAs makes no change to legal requirements for dual British citizens.
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the proposal in the Immigration White Paper published on 12 May to increase the standard qualifying period for settlement from five to 10 years on (1) the number of children who will be born in the UK without British citizenship, (2) the number of children whose right to be registered as a British citizen will be delayed, and the extent of that delay, and (3) children’s best interests \p Lord Hanson of Flint: We will be consulting on both the earned settlement and citizenship schemes later this year and further details on the proposed schemes will be provided at

that time. This will include ensuring children who have been in the UK for some time and discover they do not have status, are fully supported to regularise their status.
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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government when the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration on the Home Office's use of age assessment will be published. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration on the Home Office's use of age assessment has been submitted to the Home Office, and the Department is reviewing and preparing a response.

The report will be available on gov.uk the same day along with the formal Government response.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of training a police officer with no previous experience of policing. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: High quality training is essential to equip officers with the skills they need to meet the demands of modern policing and to build public trust and confidence.

The cost of training a new police officer with no prior experience can vary, depending on the entry route, local delivery models, and support arrangements. Estimates are typically held at the local level by individual police forces. Recruitment and training are managed locally by Chief Constables, accountable to their Police and Crime Commissioners, in line with national guidance maintained by the College of Policing.

The College of Policing plays a central role in maintaining and reviewing the national policing curriculum, which underpins the training delivered to new recruits across all entry routes. While training costs are managed locally, the College seeks to support forces in delivering high-quality, practical training in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
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Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the target time for a patient to obtain a GP appointment. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments and services, including in Eastbourne. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a GP. The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours.

The GP Contract requires practices to offer patients an assessment of need, or to signpost them to an appropriate service, on the day they contact the practice, so that patients are not asked to call back another day. An appointment may not always be clinically necessary but where this is appropriate, we expect practices to offer one within two weeks, with urgent needs seen on the same day.
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Lord Krebs:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of minimum unit pricing on alcohol-related cancer incidence. \p Baroness Merron: Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across the Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

The National Cancer Plan will build on the shift from sickness to prevention set out by the 10-Year Health Plan and will seek to reduce risk factors. The plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention. This will include alcohol consumption alongside other risk factors, given that alcohol is linked to an increased risk of seven types of cancer, namely: mouth; pharynx, or throat; larynx, or voice box; oesophagus; breast, in women; liver; and bowel, which includes colon and rectum cancer.

In relation to ensuring public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer, the Government has a responsibility to provide the most up to date health information to enable people to make informed choices about their drinking. Both the UK Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines, and National Health Service webpage on alcohol, clearly state that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing seven types of cancer.

Published evidence on the impact of minimum unit pricing does not break down how the policy impacts alcohol-related cancer.
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of young people in England who (1) have autism, and (2) entered adulthood during the last 12 months, who were issued with a transition plan as they moved from the care of children's social services to adult social services. \p Baroness Merron: It is the responsibility of local authorities to carry out an assessment when it seems that a young person is likely to need care and support into adulthood.

We are working closely with the Department for Education and other partners to understand the difficulties young disabled people and their families can face when they transition into adult social care, and to identify opportunities to better support young people at this crucial stage of their life.
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Lord Blunkett:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide continuing and updated services to match the development and use of the NHS app for those unable or unwilling to use a smart phone, to ensure that such patients have equivalent access to services. \p Baroness Merron: We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services.

We conduct user research on an ongoing basis with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our service works for everyone. This includes patients with a range of access needs and diverse groups, for instance ethnic minority groups, visual impairments, neurodiversity, and physical impairments. We have recruited users who are blind or partially sighted in community-based research, research with local National Health Service teams, and in remote research, either one to one or in groups. We use the findings of user research to plan and prioritise new work to improve accessibility.

NHS England has successfully run several programmes to support patients, carers, and health service staff with their digital skills. These include:

- the Digital Health Champions programme, which is a proof of concept to support citizens who have no or low digital skills with understanding how to access health services online;

- the Widening Digital Participation programme, which is aimed at ensuring more people have the digital skills, motivation, and means to access health information and services online; and

- the NHS App ‘Spoken Word’ Pilot project, which is designed to test the efficacy of promoting NHS digital health products and services in languages other than English.

We have also recruited over 2,000 NHS App ambassadors and 1,400 libraries to help people to learn how to use the NHS App.

NHS England has published a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion and is developing further resources to support practical actions. All programmes are actively considering how they can contribute to improvements in healthcare inequalities and digital inclusion.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing for research and development into new diagnostic technologies for dementia, including blood-based biomarker tests. \p Baroness Merron: Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme has invested £13 million into a range of biomarker innovation projects which include a broad range of biomarker technologies, ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the NIHR is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the National Health Service to support diagnosis of dementia.

The NIHR has also invested nearly £11 million of funding to develop new digital approaches for the timely detection and diagnosis of dementia. Funded projects include a range of innovative tests such as spatial awareness, image recognition, hearing tests, and monitoring sleep disturbances.

The UK Dementia Research Institute, primarily funded by the Government, aims to increase our basic scientific understanding of dementia and its causes, unlocking pathways to developing ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat the condition. The NIHR is investing £20 million in the UK Dementia Research Institute over four years to enable discoveries to be taken out of the laboratory and into the lives of people that need them.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Welcoming applications on dementia to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that integrated care boards (1) better assess the mental health needs of young people, and (2) provide more integrated community based mental health support for young people; and what plans they have to publish statutory guidance for integrated care boards in this area. \p Baroness Merron: Integrated care boards are responsible for determining and meeting the mental health needs of the young people in their local populations, and there are no plans to publish statutory guidance in this area. The Department expects integrated care boards to continue to improve access to community-based mental health support for children and young people under our plans to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, under the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen support for early dementia diagnosis, including through the enhancement of the NHS Health Check for those aged over 40, and the provision of risk reduction advice. \p Baroness Merron: The Government and NHS England remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate. The new approach to planning guidance will improve the operating model, giving local leaders the freedom and autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia.

The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, aims to prevent some cases of dementia in eligible people by making them aware that many of the risk factors for CVD are the same as those for dementia, and that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain. Through the programme, people aged 65 to 74 years old are also made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia, and are signposted to local memory services where appropriate.

We are considering the guidance supporting the dementia component of the NHS Health Check, to ensure it reflects the most recent evidence and best practice.
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Baroness Finlay of Llandaff:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their response to the consultation on the proposed changes to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice, and a revised timetable for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is currently reviewing options for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. Introduction of the Liberty Protection Safeguards would include a revised Code of Practice. We will set out our plans in due course.
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Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle:To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions were given to women between the ages of 18–52 for sodium valproate in 2024, and what improvements have been made to the information provided to midwives to help them prepare expectant mothers with epilepsy. \p Baroness Merron: The number of prescription items prescribed in England to women between the ages of 18 to 52 years old for sodium valproate in 2024 was 201,834.

Valproate must not be prescribed to women under the age of 55 years old who are able to have children, unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, and the patient fulfils the conditions of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP). As part of the PPP, healthcare professionals should discuss the risks of valproate in pregnancy with the patient and the need to take effective contraception. The number of women who become pregnant while on valproate is very small and is monitored. Pregnant women with epilepsy should only be treated with valproate if there are no other treatment options.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has recently updated its guidance to assist healthcare professionals, including midwives, in supporting all women, especially those who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. This updated guidance is readily available online.
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Lord Reay:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the US National Toxicology Program’s Monograph on the State of the Science Concerning Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopment and Cognition: A Systematic Review, published in August 2024, and of its implications for the fluoridation of drinking water in England. \p Baroness Merron: The US National Toxicology Program conducted a systematic review of the published scientific literature on the association between fluoride exposure and neurodevelopment and cognition. It concluded that there is “moderate confidence” that levels of fluoride intake, such as those approximated to be from drinking water concentrations greater than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) drinking water Guideline Value of 1.5 milligrams per litre, were associated with lower IQ in children. The target dose for fluoridated drinking water in England is below this value, at one milligram per litre.

There is no convincing evidence for adverse health effects from exposure to fluoride in drinking water below the WHO Guideline Value or the United Kingdom’s drinking water regulatory limit of 1.5 milligrams per litre. This value is intended to be protective of health for the whole population for a lifetime of exposure. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has a legal responsibility to monitor health impacts of fluoridated drinking water, and the next report will be published in 2026.
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Lord Booth-Smith:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of diabetes research funding capacity. \p Baroness Merron: There has been no specific assessment of diabetes research funding capacity. The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diabetes. In the 2024/25 financial year, the NIHR invested £33 million in direct research funding on diabetes.
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Baroness Finlay of Llandaff:To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the role of approved mental capacity professionals, and whether they plan to extend eligibility for this role to include speech and language therapists. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is currently reviewing options for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The Liberty Protection Safeguards would include the introduction of approved mental capacity professionals. We will set out plans in due course, which will involve clarifying eligibility for this role.
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan on (1) farmland, and (2) fisheries. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan will enable Government to seize the growth opportunities from the Clean Energy Superpower Mission, creating good jobs across the country. By supporting the development of sustainable supply chains, the Sector Plan will contribute to environmental objectives. The Plan will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and support cleaner industrial processes, reducing air and water pollution.

The specific environmental impacts of policies under the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan will be assessed via the policy development and implementation process, in line with the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS). Where trade-offs occur between emissions reductions and environmental impacts, mitigations will be taken to minimise such harms.
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Lord Inglewood:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of incorporating lessons learned from the recent US bombing of Iran in the planned design of the repositories for the long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The geological disposal facility will isolate and secure radioactive waste against credible threats, in accordance with regulatory requirements. The design of the facility will incorporate international learning, to contain the waste in engineered vaults at a depth of hundreds of metres, so that no harmful quantity of radioactivity reaches the surface environment. The independent Office for Nuclear Regulation is responsible for assessing the safety and approving security arrangements for the facility, and for securing compliance with those arrangements once a nuclear site licence has been granted.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of energy prices on the speed of adoption of emission curbing technologies; and whether they plan to introduce measures to reduce energy costs for the adoption of those technologies. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: There has been rapid growth in clean technology adoption such as EVs and heat pumps over the last year.

Over this Parliament the government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers, including addressing the price disparity between electricity and gas to attract more consumers to adopt clean technologies.
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Lord Freyberg:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with regulators and the furniture industry on adopting safer fire safety technologies that reduce smoke toxicity; and what measures they are considering, if any, to encourage the use of inherently fire-resistant materials and innovative design solutions in place of chemical flame retardants. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: As set out in the Policy paper The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, published on 22 January, the Government will reform the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to ensure they maintain a high level of fire safety while allowing for manufacturing innovation and facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants.

The Government is committed to improving the communication of information about chemical flame retardants used in upholstered furniture in order to support more informed consumer choices and more effective enforcement as well as the circular economy.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to inform policy making, including manufacturers, test houses, charities and consumer groups.
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Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government how much public funding has been provided to UK motor manufacturers to develop self-driving vehicles. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: From 2015 through to FY2025/26 the UK Government, through the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, a joint DBT and DfT unit, has provided £22m of matched, grant funding to UK motor manufacturers for the development of self-driving vehicles.
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Lord Leigh of Hurley:To ask His Majesty's Government what business representative bodies they have met to discuss the impact of the Employment Rights Bill, and whether they will publish the minutes of those meetings. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: The Government has engaged and consulted with many business representative bodies across a wide variety of sectors on the Employment Rights Bill. The Government continues to be committed to publishing details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations. Further details of such meetings can be found in departmental transparency returns on gov.uk.
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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the hospitality sector’s contribution to social productivity and inclusive economic growth across the UK. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: We recognise the vital role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

We plan to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, We have reduced alcohol duty on qualifying draught beer products, saving the sector over £85 million annually. We’ve introduced a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment. We have also launched a licensing taskforce to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth.

DBT ministers are pleased to be working with the Hospitality Sector Council on strategic issues facing the sectors. The next Council meeting in July will be addressing the topic of the sector’s social and economic contribution.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK continues to call for the release of those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. On 19th June, to mark Aung San Suu Kyi's 80th birthday, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific called for her release and for all those arbitrarily detained. On 1st February, the Foreign Secretary called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release and all those arbitrarily detained. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Myanmar, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been arbitrarily detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threats facing religious personnel in Khartoum and surrounding regions, following the reported killing of a Catholic priest; and what representations they have made to call for an urgent ceasefire, the protection of clergy, and unhindered humanitarian access in that region. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: The UK strongly condemns the reported killing of Catholic priest, Father Luka Jomo, in El Fasher, North Darfur, and also condemns the reported bombing of churches which killed and injured multiple people. We will continue to recognise the issue of Christian persecution globally, alongside the persecution of other individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. Our Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief, David Smith, made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. On 15 April, following the London Sudan Conference, the co-chairs' statement called on relevant parties to enact an immediate ceasefire, and allow and facilitate rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas of need through all necessary routes in adherence with their obligations under international humanitarian law. On 27 June, during an open briefing at the UN Security Council, the UK echoed the UN's calls for humanitarian pauses in Sudan, emphasising the need for aid to reach those most in need.
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Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide funding for association football in Northern Ireland, following the decision to contribute £50 million for the redevelopment of Casement Park. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government wants to see infrastructure in Northern Ireland for all sports. That is why we have invested, between 2021-2025, over £12 million of UK Government funding through the Grassroots Facilities Investment Fund, the Levelling Up Fund, and the Community Ownership Fund to improve and refurbish grassroots football facilities. The Government has also provided £5.1 million to Ulster Rugby for its Club Capital Improvement Project, to upgrade thirty rugby clubs under Ulster Rugby’s remit. And, between 2022-2025, the Government has invested over £30 million through the Levelling Up Fund and the Community Ownership Fund into a range of other sports and leisure facilities, including the redevelopment of Dundonald Ice Bowl in Belfast, the construction of Ballycastle Leisure Centre, and the construction of Canal Boxing Academy Sports Hub in Lisburn.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland recently met with Gerard Lawlor, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Football League, and Patrick Nelson, the Chief Executive of the Irish Football Association, to discuss football funding and other related matters.

The Culture Secretary confirmed on 19 June that work is continuing with the Home Nation football associations and devolved administrations to develop a bid for the UK to host the Women’s FIFA World Cup in 2035.
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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will extend the timeframe for the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to include the Omagh bombing to enable the ICRIR to consider issues within the Republic of Ireland. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Government does not intend to expand the temporal scope of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. Criminal matters relating to conduct which took place in Northern Ireland after 10 April 1998 remain the responsibility of the PSNI.

The Omagh bombing is the subject of an independent inquiry established by the UK Government, chaired by Lord Turnbull. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Irish Government and the Inquiry on cross-jurisdictional information sharing, and the Irish Government’s commitment to facilitate the giving of oral evidence, are important steps.

The Government continues to work intensively with the Irish Government to reach an agreement on a joint-approach to legacy and information sharing, which is vital if we are to achieve better outcomes for victims and survivors.
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Viscount Camrose:To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that Microsoft has withdrawn services from the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, what steps they are taking to ensure that software services provided to public sector bodies by non-UK based companies cannot be unexpectedly withdrawn. \p Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: We are aware of media reports that Microsoft may have blocked the email account of Karim Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in compliance with US sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. It is our understanding that Microsoft has strongly denied this action, it would therefore be in appropriate for us to comment further at this point in time, other than to note that we constantly keep our commercial relationships under review.
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Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £50 million of funding they have committed to the Gaelic Athletic Association for the redevelopment of the Casement Park stadium has any clawback or repayment conditions attached. \p Lord Livermore: The UK Government has provided £50m of Capital Financial Transactions funding to redevelop Casement Park. While the UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive, it is up to the Executive to design and implement the Financial Transaction. The Financial Transaction will be provided to the Executive on a net basis, it does not need to be repaid to the UK Government and the Executive can recycle any repayments indefinitely.
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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of uncontracted and unsold affordable homes across England; and how many housebuilders have been supported since the Section 106 Affordable Housing Clearance Service was launched in 2024. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The government does not collect or publish data on uncontracted and unsold affordable homes in England.

The Homes England clearance service launched in December 2024 to help improve the functioning of the market for affordable housing, by supporting buyers and sellers to find each other more effectively - with developers able to share details of unsold section 106 affordable homes for registered providers and local authorities to search.  Since its launch, as of March 2025, 411 organisations have registered. This includes:

The government calls on all developers with uncontracted Section 106 affordable homes, as well as registered providers and local planning authorities, to engage proactively with the service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Baroness Scott of Bybrook:To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total public funding allocated to the National Housing Bank will be (1) used for administrative and operational costs, and (2) made available directly for housing development. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the noble Lady to the Written Statement UIN HCWS712 which sets out that the National Housing Bank will be established as a new subsidiary under Homes England because we believe this is a good first step to ensure strategic coherence in our housing investment activities to deliver our ambitions, and build on its impressive track record.

The investment criteria and detailed investment strategy for the Bank – which will form a key part of Homes England’s overall strategy – will be jointly agreed by my Department, Homes England and HM Treasury and will be published in due course. Furthermore, we have already committed to providing the National Housing Bank with £2.5 billion to issue low interest loans to housing associations to deliver social housing, which means the homes built through this intervention will be genuinely affordable. We will share further details on operational costs and investment profile of the National Housing Bank and the number of additional homes it is estimated to deliver in due course.

Written Statement (pdf, 104.4KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord Pearson of Rannoch:To ask His Majesty's Government which ten local authorities in the UK (1) had the highest proportion of Muslim voters 20 years ago, (2) have the highest proportion of Muslim voters today, (3) they estimate will have the highest proportion of Muslim voters in 2045; and what assessment they have made of the effect this may have on freedom of religion and speech in the UK. \p Lord Khan of Burnley: Electoral registers are held locally in each local authority and not centrally. No demographic data is collected when people register or vote, so we are not able to provide statistics. The Electoral Commission provides some data on voter registration: Explore the data: Who is and isn't registered to vote? | Electoral Commission.

To vote in the United Kingdom, individuals must be registered and meet eligibility criteria based on age, nationality, and residence. Demographic and religious data are not part of the registration process. The Government is clear that everyone has a fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. We do not make assessments on the impact on freedom of religion or speech using electoral registrations or predicted population figures.

Electoral Commission  (pdf, 74.2KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord Jamieson:To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336), what is the monetary value of the Affordable Homes Programme over the 10-year period, adjusted for (1) the GDP deflator, and (2) the Treasury’s Social Time Preference Rate as set out in the Green Book. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: At the Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. The Spending Review document sets out that spend on the AHP will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and rise in line with inflation subsequently.

Up to 30% of the funding over the programme will be delivered by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in London, with at least 70% available for the rest of England via Homes England, depending on the level of future bids.

Government does not usually publish year-by-year spend on specific programmes in advance.

We have announced the overall funding commitment for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and will continue to publish departmental capital spend figures on an annual basis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to improve the safety of Israeli citizens in the UK, and to stop the rise in antisemitism. \p Lord Khan of Burnley: Making sure that Jews in Britain are not only safe, but also feel safe, is one of our top priorities. We are particularly concerned about the steep increase in antisemitism we have seen since the abhorrent 7 October attacks. There is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by antisemitic hatred and discrimination, and we support the police in taking the strongest possible action against those crimes.

The Government is committed to protecting the safety of the Jews in the UK and making our streets and communities safer. That is why funding of £72 million has been allocated for the Community Security Trust to continue their vital work from 2024/25 until 2027/28, providing security to schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.

From 2024/25 to 2027/28, the Community Security Trust has been allocated £18 million annually through the JCPS Grant to continue this important work. We continue to work closely with the CST to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities across the UK.

The Government recently established an Antisemitism Working Group to provide advice to it on antisemitism, the domestic effect for antisemitism of international, national and local events, and on the most effective methods to tackle it.

The Government also works closely with the Independent Adviser on Antisemitism to provide independent advice to the Secretary of State on the most effective methods to tackle antisemitism and to ensure that the Jewish community’s concerns about antisemitism are heard and acted upon. We also work with the police to regularly review potential threats and ensure that everything is done to protect communities from hate crime.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the aviation sector to emissions in the UK, and of the impact on the UK's ability to meet climate targets. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: According to the latest final UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, greenhouse gas emissions from domestic and international civil aviation in 2023 totalled 34.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This was 8 percent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.

The government is making great strides in transitioning to greener aviation, including by introducing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and introducing the SAF Bill to implement the revenue certainty mechanism.

The government makes regular assessments concerning the impact of aviation emissions on climate targets. A Carbon Budget Delivery Plan will be published later this year, detailing policies to decarbonise all sectors, including aviation, covering the carbon budget 4 - 6 period (2023 – 2037).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government which trade unions are recognised by the MyCSP. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: MyCSP operates as a private company, delivering the administration of Civil Service pensions through commercial contract arrangements starting 2013 and ending December 2025.

Any decisions concerning the recognition of trade unions are made independently by them as the employer. They are contractually obliged to comply with UK legislation, which includes worker and employment rights, including those rights associated with trade union recognition.

As far as we are aware, MyCSP does not currently recognise any trade unions either by voluntary or statutory arrangement. They do have staff representation on their Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-09)

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Lord Clement-Jones:To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to departments about the ethical and reputational risks of awarding public contracts to suppliers, such as Fujitsu, that are subject to public sector inquiries. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to question HL8487 on 30th June.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Hanson of Flint on 30 April (HL6646) and 25 March (HL5728), what plans they have, if any, to collect data on the revocation of student visas. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Baroness Foster of Oxton:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enhance intelligence capabilities and inter-agency co-operation to pre-emptively address the threat posed by groups, such as Palestine Action, which use innovative tactics for direct action. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The police have significant powers available to counter criminal behaviours by direct action groups, and the Government fully supports the police in the use of those powers both to prevent criminal activity occurring, and to ensure that perpetrators face the full force of the law.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy for publishing information about enforcement actions for non-compliance with fisheries regulations in English waters; and what measures they are implementing, if any, to increase public access to information about enforcement activities, penalties and sanctions, for breach of those regulations. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: There is currently no requirement to publish enforcement statistics relating to non-compliance with fisheries regulations in English waters and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) does not routinely do so. It does, however, share details of specific court cases where there may be a wider public interest or where it is considered appropriate to do so, and it continues to engage with the fisheries sector on compliance matters directly, through established groups and networks, and through wider-reaching awareness campaigns.