theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to reform disability benefits to support transition into part-time or supported work; and, if so, how they plan to do so. \p Baroness Sherlock: This Government is committed to removing the barriers to work. We want to give people the confidence that working will not trigger a reassessment and a potential loss of benefits. That is why we are establishing in law the principle that work, in and of itself, will not lead to a reassessment. For people receiving Universal Credit, PIP (in England and Wales, Department for Communities is mirroring in Northern Ireland), or New Style Employment and Support Allowance, we are introducing legislation that guarantees that trying work, in and of itself, will not be considered a relevant change of circumstance that will trigger a PIP award review or WCA reassessment.

By legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will not trigger a reassessment we are taking an important first step to address these barriers and give customers the confidence to try work. The draft regulations are published in the House of Commons library.

Deposited paper DEP2025-0425 - Deposited papers - UK Parliament

The Government plans to legislate for this change to take effect in 2026. This will run alongside the biggest employment support package for disabled people and people with health conditions in more than a generation, backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by 2030. This new support offer will roll out from April 2026, so that all affected by the reduction to the UC health element will be offered support, provided by a dedicated Pathways to Work adviser. There will be 1,000 advisers in place across Britain through Jobcentre Plus, equivalent to two in every jobcentre. This will be in place across England, Scotland and Wales, and people affected will be able to access a conversation about their needs, goals and aspirations; offered one-to-one follow-on support, and given help to access additional work, health and skills support that can meet their needs.

Our Pathways to Work Guarantee will provide work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits. We anticipate that the Pathways to Work Guarantee once fully rolled out will include:
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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Africa regarding deaths of boys during mass circumcisions. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK Government is deeply concerned by reports of fatalities linked to male initiation ceremonies, which includes circumcision practices in South Africa. We continue to engage through various partners to support efforts that prioritise child protection, uphold human rights and reduce harm from practices that pose serious health risks to children and adolescents.
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Baroness Sheehan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of denial of access to legal counsel and family visits for Palestinian child detainees. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
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Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will set out a full timetable for the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Pornography Review, published on 27 February. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: We welcome the findings of the Independent Pornography Review and the valuable insights it has provided into the online pornography landscape. The government continues to consider the findings of the Review and its thirty-two recommendations. Due to the cross departmental nature of the Review’s recommendations, we are not yet able to provide a timeline for the Government’s response. We will provide a further update in due course.
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Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce children's exposure to harmful online content, and what further measures they plan to take following the Online Safety Act 2023 to prevent children under 18 from accessing pornographic material online. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to tackle illegal content and criminal behaviour online to protect adults and children, including extreme pornography.

Services in scope of the OSA likely to be accessed by children which allow pornography are required to implement highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering this online.

Additionally, these services must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering self-harm, suicide and eating disorder content online. They must also provide age-appropriate protections against other harmful content.

We will not hesitate to go further to protect children online where evidence shows this is necessary.
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Lord Mackinlay of Richborough:To ask His Majesty's Government why the GOV.UK One Login digital app lost its certification under the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework, what is its current certification status and whether it will be ready to manage the Companies House identity verification requirements that come into force on 18 November \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: In April 2025, GOV.UK One Login’s Trust Framework certification was suspended due to a supply chain issue where one third party allowed their certification to lapse. This was not due to any change in GOV.UK One Login’s product, approach, or security. GOV.UK One Login is working to recertify as a priority.

Companies House onboarded to GOV.UK One Login in March 2025. We have been supporting Companies House users since then, and are fully prepared to support the mandatory Companies House requirements that take effect on November 18th. Certification to the Trust Framework is not a necessary condition for this.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for greater pricing transparency in the mobile and broadband sector, specifically regarding the practice where some deals are only accessible through a negotiation process at the end of a fixed-term contract. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government has not undertaken a specific assessment, however we engage stakeholders, including Citizens Advice, who conduct relevant research.

Government also works closely with Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, who have introduced a range of measures to increase pricing transparency. For example, since 2020 providers must issue end-of-contract notifications to warn customers when their current contract is ending, and what they could save by signing up to a new deal. In 2022, Ofcom introduced one-page contract summaries for new customers, ensuring clarity on key terms like price increases.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current regulation of AI chatbots. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The government believes most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use. Generative AI services, including AI chatbots, which allow users to share content with one another or search live websites to provide search results, are regulated under the Online Safety Act. In-scope services are required to protect all users from illegal content and children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.

Responding to the AI Action Plan, the Government committed to work with regulators to boost their capabilities. We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes which AI will bring.
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce statutory safeguards to ensure that AI chatbots cannot be used to simulate sexual activity or scenarios involving children. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children – regulated services must remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.

We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring. The government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill which criminalises possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material.
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Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of oil and gas imports for the financial year 2024–25. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The value for crude oil imports into the UK in 2024 was £22,745 million, and the value for natural gas imports in 2024 was £13,615 million. These are on a calendar year basis and financial years are not available. These data are sourced from Table 1.2 of the Department's Digest of UK Energy Statistics which are published annually and available via the internet.
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Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are reviewing the policy of not allowing companies to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The Government has committed to not issue new licences to explore new fields while managing existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan.

Our ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’ consultation, which closed earlier this year, sought views on how we should implement these commitments. We are analysing responses to the consultation and will issue a response in due course.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the consultation on expanding the Clean Industry Bonus to hydrogen. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: As set out in the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, we are considering expanding the Clean Industry Bonus to hydrogen and will consult on any proposals. We are currently developing a new Hydrogen Strategy and will provide an update on this in due course.

In addition to considering the Clean Industry Bonus, we have a strong offer for domestic manufacturing including support from our Public Finance Institutions and deployment certainty through Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs). Additionally, we welcome the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content for hydrogen across the value chain from 2030.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s competitive advantage in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, compared to European counterparts. \p Lord Wilson of Sedgefield: The UK is optimally positioned to support a thriving hydrogen economy with UK companies at the forefront of hydrogen technology development.

Our approach to hydrogen balances comprehensive funding support with long-term stability, which continues to unlock significant investment.

The EU, and individual EU member states, are important partners for our shared ambitions to scale up our hydrogen sectors quickly and create opportunities for UK companies. And, as the UK Trade Strategy makes clear, supporting our businesses to grow through trade is key to future economic growth.
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Baroness Sheehan:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a global ecosystem assessment report and, if so, when. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Defra routinely conducts and updates assessments on a range of threats. HMG publishes assessments in the National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, including on biodiversity loss and its interactions with ecosystems, on GOV.UK
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Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what further resources they intend to make available to eliminate pollution of the River Wye from sewage discharges and chicken manure. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Cleaning up our rivers, seas, and lakes, including iconic sites such as the River Wye, is a top Government priority. In a joint initiative worth up to £1 million, Defra and Welsh Government will fund comprehensive cross-border research to understand pollution and other pressures and develop plans to tackle these issues in the Wye catchment.

This funding will ensure farmers, environmental campaigners, citizen scientists and other local experts, can help us gather essential evidence about what is causing this iconic river to be so polluted, and chart a course towards improving water quality and restoring nature across the catchment.

We are working with farmers, local stakeholders and experts in the Wye to research what is causing pollution in the catchment. This focus on gathering data and evidence, using a ‘living labs’ approach, will help us understand and address problems to ensure a diverse range of perspectives are heard and the evidence which is gathered is comprehensive and actionable
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Baroness Helic:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation and outcomes of statutory close seasons for hares in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and whether they intend to align the level of protection for hares in England with those in other parts of the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have indeed already introduced close seasons for their populations of hare. Whilst the UK Government has made no formal assessment of these measures, we will consider lessons from the experience in Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, wildlife management is a devolved activity and the precise nature of any changes in England will be considered on their own merit.
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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government whether South Western Railway, Greater Anglia or c2c will run Boxing Day services this year, following the nationalisation of those companies. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Greater Anglia plans to run Stansted Express services on Boxing Day this year. Services are expected to operate every 30 minutes and due to engineering work these services will start and terminate from Tottenham Hale.

South Western Railway and c2c are not running Boxing Day services this year.

The Department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand. These should be resilient and provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Typically, demand for services on Boxing Day is low and much of the network is closed to provide opportunity for essential maintenance. We expect operators and in future, Great British Railways, to continue to consider the case for Boxing Day services where there is demand and they do not further increase the burden on taxpayers.
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what regulatory oversight they are developing for autonomous vehicle AI, in the light of Waymo’s plan to launch driverless taxis in London next year. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 is delivering one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks of its kind anywhere in the world for self-driving vehicles, with safety at its core. This government announced in June 2025 that we are accelerating delivery of the Automated Passenger Services (APS) statutory instrument to Spring 2026.

The APS permitting scheme will regulate deployments of automated taxi-, private-hire -and bus-like vehicles. Where required, stringent safety assessments with be conducted by the Vehicle Certification Agency, and permits will be subject to consent by the relevant Local Authority.

Our consultation on the permitting scheme and draft statutory instrument closed on 28 September and responses are now being analysed. We aim to publish the government response in early 2026. We aim to implement the remainder of the AV Act in the second half of 2027.
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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of expanding local rail services to local economies, and of increasing rail services into cities to reduce road congestion, improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Assessments of the benefits of expanding local rail services to local economies, and of increasing rail services into cities, are assessed on a case-by-case basis to reflect local economic conditions, using Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG).

Expanded local rail services can help drive local economic growth by opening up new development opportunities, unlocking housing, reducing costs for businesses and supporting people into work. TAG is used to assess the wider benefits of rail interventions including reduced road congestion, improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions.

The Government recognises the crucial role rail plays in delivering these benefits and is backing rail with the funding needed. The 2025 spending review committed £10.2 billion provided for rail enhancements in the period over the next four years.
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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the road safety and crime prevention benefits of introducing compulsory number plates for motor-assisted cycles. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: “Motor-assisted cycles” or e-bikes as they are otherwise referred to, are only road-legal where they comply in full of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983. This includes their maximum assisted speed being limited to 15.5mph.

Where the above regulations are not complied with, the e-bike is treated as a motor vehicle. This means it must be approved and registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, as a well as being taxed and insured. It must therefore have a compulsory number plate in order to be legally ridden on the road as a motor vehicle.

It would not be practical to fit compulsory number plates to e-bikes which are road-legal in their own right. The Department previously considered the case for such a system for of all cyclists and concluded that the costs and complexities of introducing it would far outweigh the benefits.
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Earl Attlee:To ask His Majesty's Government which special orders the Secretary of State has made under section 44 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in connection with the Baker Viaduct project; and for each special order, what were the date of the movement, the length and width of the load, the site where the piece was manufactured, its destination, and details of the abnormality which brought it outside of the provisions of the Road Vehicles Authorisation of Special Types (General) Order 2003. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: I can confirm that no special exemptions have been issued for the Baker Viaduct Project under section 44 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
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Lord Spellar:To ask His Majesty's Government where the Great British Railways signature station clock will be produced. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The railway timepiece unveiled at London Bridge station on 16 October was the result of an international competition run by Network Rail. The winning team ‘Design Bridge and Partners’ are based in London. The clock in London Bridge was built in Tamworth.
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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the mixed use railways team at Network Rail is being dissolved; and if so, what assessment they have made on the impact of that dissolution on the ability of light rail vehicles to operate on parts of the main line rail network. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: Network Rail’s regional teams lead on the development of projects, including light rail proposals. Network Rail has light rail expertise centrally that supports the regions in the operation, design and implementation of light rail projects. The required resource level of this team will be reviewed as the project pipeline develops.
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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the importance of railways in improving economic growth, in particular the importance of opening new lines and stations. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: New rail lines and stations can help drive economic growth by opening up new development opportunities, unlocking housing, reducing costs for businesses and supporting people into work. The Government recognises the crucial role rail plays in kickstarting economic growth and is backing this with the funding needed to deliver.

The 2025 spending review committed £10.2bn provided for rail enhancements in the period over the next four years.  Estimates of the impact of new rail stations and lines on growth are assessed on a case-by-case basis so as to reflect local economic conditions.
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Lord Teverson:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 28 July (HL9720), how many fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over operating on the high seas they intend to declare following the United Kingdom's ratification of the International Maritime Organization 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The United Kingdom currently intends to declare 105 vessels upon accession of the International Maritime Organization 2012 Cape Town Agreement for the safety of fishing vessels.
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Lord Blunkett:To ask the Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Blunkett on 17 September (HL10619) regarding the transfer of Skills England from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions. \p Baroness Smith of Basildon: The question was answered by the Department for Work and Pensions on the 27th October 2025. I apologise for the delay and have reminded the department of the need to meet the response target of 10 working days.
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Lord Kempsell:To ask His Majesty's Government what moving costs they incurred as a result of the former Deputy Prime Minister vacating the residence in Admiralty House, including a breakdown of those costs. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: No moving costs have been incurred by the Government.
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Lord Bradley:To ask His Majesty's Government what national guidance they have issued to NHS trusts regarding the roles and responsibilities of nursing associate apprentices. \p Baroness Merron: Apprenticeship standards set out the roles and responsibilities of an apprentice, and the skills, knowledge, and behaviours an apprentice will need to have learned by the end of their apprenticeship. The Nursing Associate Apprenticeship standard has been developed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, in partnership with employers, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The standard is publicly available, including to all National Health Service trusts.
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Lord McCabe:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any risk of increased patient mortality associated with NHS England’s continued use of the 2013 Commissioning Framework for transcatheter heart valve interventions, specifically in relation to patients with (1) aortic stenosis, (2) tricuspid regurgitation, (3) mitral regurgitation and (4) valve-in-valve procedures. \p Baroness Merron: NHS England commissions the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) to collect national data on all transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures.

NICOR currently reports aggregate TAVI mortality and does not disaggregate outcomes by clinical indication. However, over the past decade, TAVI mortality has significantly reduced with, for example, in-hospital mortality decreasing from approximately 3% to 4% in 2013/14 to 0.8% in 2022/23.

Aortic stenosis pathways continue to be reviewed to improve access and productivity. In August 2025, a new policy proposition proposal (PPP) for TAVI in aortic valve disease and bioprosthetic valve failure was submitted for further consideration. NHS England is currently reviewing this PPP in line with the national methods for clinical commissioning policy development.

A PPP has also been submitted for transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for the treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation in patients who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy, and is being considered in line with NHS England’s national policy methods.

NHS England routinely commissions transcatheter edge to edge (TEER) repair for primary/degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). A clinical commissioning policy for TEER for secondary/functional MR has been developed and is awaiting consideration by the Clinical Priorities and Advisory Group.
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Lord Roberts of Llandudno:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 12 September (HL10050), what steps they are taking to accelerate the process to bring wounded children from Gaza to the United Kingdom. \p Baroness Merron: The Government continues to work to evacuate some of the critically ill and injured children from Gaza. They will receive specialist treatment in National Health Service hospitals across the United Kingdom.

I refer the noble Lord to my Written Statement HLWS899 from 2 September 2025, available on the Parliament.UK website, which sets out the Government’s medical evacuation process from Gaza
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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term fiscal implications of the updated NHS commercial framework for new medicines. \p Baroness Merron: The update to the NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines, published in 2025, provided greater detail about the options for enhanced commercial flexibilities for new medicines, and when such flexibilities can be offered. The update did not seek to expand or change the use of these mechanisms but was a technical update to provide improved clarity and to formalise existing arrangements. As such, NHS England does not consider that the update itself would be cost-inflationary for the National Health Service’s medicines budget. NHS England would expect increased costs if these updates help facilitate patient access to a larger number of medicines, but these costs would be incurred from improving patient health. Any additional costs as a result of better patient access will depend on the drugs brought forward for NHS use in the future.

However, the update also included confirmation of an increase to the Budget Impact Test threshold in England, from £20 million to £40 million. The intention to consult on the move to a £40 million threshold formed part of the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG). The cost of making this threshold increase was considered as part of the overall VPAG package.
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Lord Stone of Blackheath:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the cost of prescribed cannabis for medical purposes does not constitute a barrier to access for disabled people. \p Baroness Merron: There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with medical conditions may be eligible.

The Department does not make provision for the funding of medicines outside of the National Health Service’s commissioning systems and it remains that the cost of treatments sought privately are the responsibility of patients.

Pricing in the private market is a matter for individual companies and for private providers.
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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK-based insurers are insuring oil or gas tankers that transport Russian fossil fuel products. \p Lord Livermore: UK based insurers are permitted to provide insurance services to vessels transporting Russian origin oil or oil products if those products are shipped below the relevant price cap and the insurers comply with the conditions of the Oil Price Cap general licence. More information on the Maritime Services Ban and Oil Price Cap general licence can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/russian-oil-services-ban.

In January 2023 the UK prohibited all imports of Russian liquefied natural gas into the UK and provision of services which facilitate that import such as insurance. UK insurers are permitted to provide coverage to vessels transporting Russian gas between Russia and third countries. HMG is aware of UK based insurers who are currently involved in this trade.

These measures are restricting Russia’s funding for Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine; sanctions have deprived Russia of $450 billion in revenue, approximately four years of current Russian military spending.
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Lord Truscott:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the continued acceptance of personal cheques by banks. \p Lord Livermore: Cheques remain an important part of the UK’s payments landscape. While there has been a decline in overall cheque volumes, they continue to be used by many individuals, businesses, charities and other voluntary organisations. Cheques can be deposited through a range of different channels, including at local bank branches, shared Banking Hubs and the Post Office.

To secure the future of cheque usage in the UK, HM Treasury introduced legislative measures in 2015 to allow banks and building societies to introduce ‘cheque imaging’. Cheque imaging allows a digital image of a cheque to be sent for clearing, rather than the paper cheque itself, and has also enabled people to pay in cheques via their smartphone or tablet.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Lord Jackson of Peterborough:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the incidence of debanking without good reason by financial institutions. \p Lord Livermore: Banking services fulfil a vital role for millions of people and businesses across the UK, and the Government is committed to ensuring high standards of consumer protection and financial inclusion across the financial services sector.

Earlier this year, the Government legislated to enhance protections for customers in cases where their bank account is terminated by their provider. Under these new rules coming into force for relevant new contracts from April 2026, Banks and other payment service providers will be required to give customers at least 90 days’ notice before closing their account or terminating a payment service and provide a clear and specific explanation so the customer can understand why it is being terminated.

These changes will ensure more transparent and predictable access to banking, giving customers the time and information they need to challenge decisions or find alternative arrangements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_53

Lord Wigley:To ask His Majesty's Government what recent estimate they have made of the impact of Brexit on the economy. \p Lord Livermore: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government’s official forecaster.

In 2020, the OBR estimated that the additional trade barriers associated with leaving the EU will reduce trade intensity by 15 per cent and as a result GDP will be 4 per cent lower than it otherwise would have been. The OBR estimated that around two-fifths of the 4 per cent impact had already occurred by the time the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force, that GDP would be 2.7 per cent lower by 2025, with the remaining reduction occurring by 2031.

In the OBR’s March 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, they reaffirmed these assumptions were on track, and as of Spring 2025 these forecasts were unchanged.

Other independent studies are also consistent with this analysis, for example the National Institute of Economic and Social Research estimates that GDP will be 5 to 6 per cent lower as a result of Brexit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_54

Baroness Moyo:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the UK’s international reputation as a centre for global capital markets of the fall in sums raised through initial public offerings, declining share ownership by households, and the level of investment by UK pension schemes and insurers in the UK stock markets. \p Lord Livermore: The Government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to make it easier for all firms to list and raise capital on UK markets. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets.

At Mansion House 2025, the Government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets a core pillar.

At Mansion House, the Chancellor also announced the formation of a Listings Taskforce to support businesses to list and grow in the UK.

In the last few weeks, recent IPOs such as The Beauty Tech Group, Princes Group, Fermi America and Shawbrook Bank have highlighted the continued appeal of the London Stock Exchange for ambitious companies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_55

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what processes are in place to monitor diversion in supply chains for goods going to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. \p Lord Livermore: The latest available data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) provides the following estimates for the percentage of Northern Ireland’s trade by destination:

Trade  Partner

Industry Sector

2016 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade

2023 value of NI trade (£m) and proportion of total NI trade

Great Britain

All industries

26,712.73 (62%)

33,325.48 (56%)

Ireland

All industries

5,571.31 (13%)

12,412.28 (29%)

Rest of the Europe Union (EU excluding Ireland)

All industries

4,327.24 (10%)

6,082.86 (14%)

Rest of the World (all countries outside the UK and EU)

All industries

6,307.29 (15%)

8,136.56 (19%)

Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Last updated 11/12/2024, NISRA website, NIETS Trade in Goods and Services, https://data.nisra.gov.uk/table/NIETS02. Accessed on: 24/10/2025

The Government is committed to the UK internal market and looks forward to receiving the report of the Independent Monitoring Panel shortly. This panel exists to provide vital independent oversight and assurance over the flows of goods within the UK internal market system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_56

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the United Kingdom’s regulatory framework for crypto assets to address risks arising from inconsistent international regulation. \p Lord Livermore: The Government intends to bring forward legislation this year to create a comprehensive financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK.

The UK also continues to engage with key international partners to respond to the global challenges and opportunities presented by digital asset innovation, including through fora such as the Financial Stability Board.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_57

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government, following the UK-India investment agreements announced on 9 October, what cybersecurity policies are in place to protect cross-border digital financial transactions and financial technology cooperation between the UK and India. \p Lord Livermore: Cyber security is a top priority for the Government, and HM Treasury works with the financial authorities, industry and with international partners to strengthen the financial sector’s resilience to threats and hazards of all origins, including cyber risks.

Cross-border transactions are an essential part of the global financial system, and Financial Market Infrastructure (FMI) plays a crucial role in enabling financial institutions and their customers to make payments, both in the UK and internationally.

Financial authorities deploy a range of tools to ensure FMI firms are resilient to the wide range of risks that they could face and that transactions are secure. This includes threat-led penetration testing and sector-wide cyber stress testing, alongside technical advice provided by the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Protective Security Authority.

The UK supports efforts to enhance cross border payments and is committed to achieving the aims of the G20 Roadmap, which seeks to make cross border payments faster, cheaper, more transparent and accessible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_58

Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that financial technology regulatory reforms, including access for non-bank payment providers to payment infrastructure, maintain consumer protection and market transparency. \p Lord Livermore: The Government is committed to making the UK the best place for Fintechs, including payment providers, to start, scale and list.

The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, set out the Government's ambitions for the UK’s payments sector to deliver world-leading payments. It established three key pillars to guide future activity: innovation, competition and security. To implement this, the Payments Vision Delivery Committee, chaired by HM Treasury, is overseeing work to renew the UK’s retail payments infrastructure, including looking at access for non-bank payment providers.

Building on this, the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, published in July, delivers on the Government’s mission to shape a regulatory environment for financial services that is proportionate, predictable and internationally competitive, embracing innovation and leveraging the UK’s leadership in Fintech.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_59

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government how many men and women entered the submarine service in each of the past 10 years and how many departed in each of those years. \p Lord Coaker: I cannot provide specific detail for the numbers of men and women who entered the submarine service as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_60

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government when the refit of HMS Victorious will be completed and when will it re-join the nuclear submarine fleet. \p Lord Coaker: I am withholding details of when HMS VICTORIOUS will complete her refit and re-join the Fleet as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_61

Lord Naseby:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to encourage the setting up of combined cadet force units in state schools. \p Lord Coaker: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department for Education (DfE) recognise the vital work of Cadet Forces in schools, membership of which is proven to help develop self-confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience in young people. Since 2012 the two Departments have been working together on the joint Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) in schools. This has seen a significant increase in the number of Cadet Units in schools – the vast majority being Combined Cadet Force contingents – with the focus on improving provision in the state sector. Prior to the CEP, 75% of School Cadet Units were in independent schools; now around 60% are in the state sector.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommended an expansion of in-school and community-based Cadet Forces across the UK of 30% by 2030, an increase of some 40,000 new Cadets, backed by an investment of £70 million. The CEP will form a key component of this initiative. Expanding the Cadet Forces, which provide skills and qualifications to young people from diverse backgrounds, and support economic growth, will benefit all areas of the UK, and work is already underway to establish where the 30% increase will be realised. The SDR is clear on the need for a whole of society approach to defence and the ongoing relationship between the MOD and the DfE is an important element of that plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-10-27 conversation_62

Lord West of Spithead:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify and honour the remains of Royal Naval sailors lost with the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. \p Lord Coaker: Investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is unable to provide a response regarding the presence of human remains until these investigations have concluded.

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