theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-11-25 conversation_60

Baroness Coffey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they conduct fingerprint checks on (1) prisoners, (2) convicts and (3) those on remand, upon being released from prison. \p Lord Timpson: His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) does not require fingerprint checks to be conducted routinely at the point of release for prisoners, convicted individuals, or those held on remand. Where biometric data, such as fingerprints, is available, it will be checked as part of identity assurance during release procedures. The same discharge policy applies to remand prisoners who are released following a court appearance.

Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review which will consider whether current discharge processes are robust and make recommendations in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Boateng:To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison officers in England and Wales were recruited from (1) the Commonwealth, and (2) the European Union, in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of these earn in excess of £41,700 a year. \p Lord Timpson: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data in a single central system. Information on nationality, new joiners, and salary is recorded across separate administrative systems, and linking these datasets accurately would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Boateng:To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison officers in England and Wales hold work visas which are due to expire in 2026; and what assessment they have made of the effect of this on the morale of staff and good order within the prison estate. \p Lord Timpson: The Ministry of Justice holds data pertaining to employees who have limited leave to remain. This data includes all employees, past or present, for whom this would be the case, but there is no functionality to withdraw any ex-employees from the data other than manually checking every file. To provide an accurate response to the question would be of disproportionate cost.

We are clear that net migration, as a whole must, come down. We will of course provide support to those affected by the changes to Immigration Rules, and anyone with a Skilled Worker visa can be considered for an extension where possible.

We are working with Home Office colleagues to consider the impact of the reforms and options to ensure the safety and stability of our prisons. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Bailey of Paddington:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to include housing costs in calculating deprivation need for local authorities as part of the Fair Funding 2.0 review. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my hon friend the Minister for Local Government [Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK] (attached) which was published on Thursday 20 November, which sets out our plans for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement. These proposals represent a fairer system for all authorities which recognises the variation in demand and the cost of providing services in different places.

We have always said we are committed to supporting public services and driving growth across the country, including London, as part of our Plan for Change. This includes recognising the additional strain that commuters and tourists can place on service provision in some authorities – including those in London - and taking account of need in specific service areas like temporary accommodation.

We have also used the latest data from the 2025 Indices of Deprivation in both the Foundation Formula and the Children’s and Young People’s Services formula. These include incorporating data on Universal Credit claimants, enabling the measure to account for income after housing costs. Incorporating this data in our updated assessment of need is consistent with the Fair Funding Review 2.0’s principle of using the most recent and most robust evidence available.

LGF policy statement 2026-2027 (pdf, 603.2KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the efficacy of measures intended to increase the energy efficiency of newly built and renovated housing. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Government remains committed to meeting its target of net zero emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of buildings has to make in meeting it.

Through the Building Regulations, the Government sets minimum performance standards for new homes and buildings. In 2021, these standards were strengthened to ensure new homes and buildings are highly energy-efficient, with high-quality insulation and effective ventilation. These changes came into force in June 2022. We intend to introduce further changes to the Building Regulations through the Future Homes and Buildings Standards in the coming months. These standards will ensure new homes and buildings are extremely energy-efficient and use low-carbon heating.

A range of other mechanisms are being used to facilitate the retrofitting of existing buildings to higher energy efficiency standards.

We are investing £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan over the Spending Review period, which is a major step forward in the government’s plans to upgrade 5 million homes over this Parliament and cut energy bills for good. Through the Warm Homes Plan, we will help households take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, home batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating.

Additionally, schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme help property owners make the transition from fossil fuel heating to more efficient, low-carbon systems, by offering upfront grants for self-build homes and retrofit installations, including renovation projects.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Sharpe of Epsom:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish quarterly labour market transition-flow data showing movements between inactivity, employment, and unemployment. \p Baroness Sherlock: Quarterly labour market transition flow data is published by ONS in table X02: Labour Force Survey flows estimates - Office for National Statistics.

The Get Britain Working: Labour Market Insights October 2025 publication included the release of a series of data tables showing from January 2019 to May 2025 movements between different Universal Credit conditionality regimes each month and UC searching for work into work rates.

XO2 (xls, 368.5KB)
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The Lord Bishop of Leicester:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 12 November (HL11411), why they continue to use benefit sanctions in the light of the finding of the draft report Impact of Benefit Sanctions on Employment Outcomes, published on 6 April 2024, that "a sanction leads the average claimant to exit less quickly into pay as you earn earnings and to earn less upon exiting." \p Baroness Sherlock: Benefit sanctions form part of a wider approach to social security, acting as both a consequence for those who do not meet their work-related requirements without good reason, and as a deterrent to encourage claimants to continue to comply with their obligations.

The analysis in The Impact of Benefit Sanctions on Employment Outcomes: draft report is limited to the impact on those who were sanctioned due to non-compliance with their Universal Credit claimant commitment and excludes any claimants who were not sanctioned. It does not address the deterrent impact of sanctions and therefore does not represent a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of sanctions within the wider social security system.

Our goal is to ensure that all those who can work should be supported to do so. Our work coaches stand ready to help people to get into work or to move closer to the labour market, depending on their circumstances. And we are investing record amounts in supporting customers to overcome barriers to work whether related to health, skills, childcare or other things that stand in their way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Sharpe of Epsom:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Sherlock in the Chamber on 13 November that they will "create a guaranteed job" for eligible young people on Universal Credit for more than 18 months, how they define "guaranteed job"; who will provide it; and whether this means that every eligible young person will be provided with such a job in all circumstances. \p Baroness Sherlock: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced that every eligible young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will be offered guaranteed paid work. Participants of the scheme will receive support to take advantage of available opportunities, with the aim of helping them transition into regular employment.

The scheme forms part of the government’s aim to provide targeted support for young people at risk of long-term unemployment.  Further details, including eligibility criteria and the structure of placements, will be confirmed at the Autumn Budget.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the safety measures in the Online Safety Act 2023 apply to conversational interactions between users and artificial intelligence chatbots where an online search has not been conducted. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: AI chatbots that allow users to share content with one another are regulated by the Online Safety Act. This is in addition to chatbots which search live websites to provide results. Over 100,000 services are in scope of the Act including many services with chatbots.

These services must protect users from illegal content, and they must protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Government has been clear that we will act to address new and emerging AI harms. For example, government is tackling the disgusting harm of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse with a new offence to criminalise AI models which have been optimised for this purpose. The Secretary of State has also commissioned the department to see what gaps there are if any, in coverage of the Online Safety Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision of the High Court in Getty Images v Stability AI [2025] EWHC 2863 (Ch) on copyright and innovation policy, in particular in relation to the use of copyrighted materials to train AI models. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Government is aware of the judgment in this case and is considering its implications. We are currently preparing a report on copyright and artificial intelligence, for publication next year. This report will take into account a range of views and evidence, including this judgment.

We recognise how important decisions on AI and copyright are to individuals and business across the creative industries and AI sector and are committed to developing an approach that allows both to thrive.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-25)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 finding that over 40 per cent of UK businesses experienced a breach or attack in the past 12 months. \p Baroness Lloyd of Effra: The Cyber Security Breaches Survey shows the cyber threat is significant and it is critical businesses leaders take urgent steps to improve their cyber security. That is why the Government wrote to chief executives and chairs of leading UK companies recently asking them to make action on cyber security a top priority.

The Government has developed tools for businesses to protect themselves, including:

The Government is also taking action to protect the economy. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, introduced earlier this week, will boost our cyber defences and better protect our essential public services. Next year, we will publish a new National Cyber Action Plan setting out how Government will respond to the cyber threat and work with industry to raise resilience across the economy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Bull:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between government support for dance students on the Music and Dance Scheme and (1) the success of UK-trained dance students in international dance competitions, and (2) the continuing prominence of UK-trained dancers on the international stage. \p Baroness Smith of Malvern: The department regularly reviews information from Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) providers about the post-MDS activities of their students in relation to education and employment.

Providers do not share information with the department relating to MDS alumni involved in international dance competitions or their prominence on the international stage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Viscount Waverley:To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria for UK Export Finance to increase the provision of financial support for investment in Argentina. \p Baroness Gustafsson: UK Export Finance (UKEF) maintains a rigorous credit due diligence framework, to ensure that it abides by its mandate to operate at no net cost to the taxpayer over time.

UKEF assesses each country in which it has an actual or potential credit exposure, using methodologies that are widely used in the commercial sector and draw on a range of external factors, and assigns a credit rating.

As a result of this assessment, UKEF’s business in Argentina and Nigeria is currently limited to medium or long-term projects that are foreign exchange earning (i.e. projects that generate revenue in currencies other than that of the destination country itself, and are structured in a way that reduces the credit risks to UKEF), and short term insurance and guarantees (again, subject to robust credit risk mitigants being in place). We regularly refresh our credit risk due diligence, and should the circumstances, change, UKEF would be able to offer a wider set of products in support of exports to Nigeria and Argentina.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Columbia on removing the investor state dispute settlement provisions from any renewed bilateral investment strategy. \p Baroness Gustafsson: Following the UK-Colombia Bilateral Investment Treaty’s (BIT) initial ten-year term, in accordance with the treaty’s provisions, it shall remain in force indefinitely unless it is terminated by either Party. The Government has not been formally approached by the Colombian Government regarding proposals to amend the BIT.

The Government regards the UK-Colombia BIT as playing an important role in the investment relationship between our two countries. The stock of total investment between the UK and Colombia was £6.8 billion in 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include an exemption in a UK–EU veterinary agreement to allow restrictions of imports on animal welfare grounds, such as fur products. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by seeking to negotiate an SPS agreement. We have been clear that an SPS agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits on both sides. We will not be providing a running commentary on discussions with the EU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Sikka:To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of acquiring control of England’s water companies. \p Baroness Hayman of Ullock: The Government has no intention to nationalise water companies.

Nationalisation would put a huge burden on the public purse at a time when public finances are already stretched and would not fix the root of the problem.

If the whole industry was nationalised, shareholders and debt holders would need to be compensated, which could cost over an estimated £90 billion [this is based on Ofwat’s Regulatory Capital Value 2024 estimates]

Instead, this government is focused on tackling the public’s immediate concerns to clean up the nation’s polluted waterways and turn around the sector’s performance, focusing on improving the privatised regulated model.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Viscount Hanworth:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ensure that the police return confiscated phones to individuals who have not been charged with any crime. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Sections 21 and 22 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and associated Codes of Practice, in particular, PACE Code B 2023, stipulate how the police should deal with the retention and return of seized property. Property seized as evidence may only be retained for so long as is necessary and the officer in charge is responsible for ensuring that the property is returned as soon as practicable.

A person who wishes to claim property seized by the police may also apply to a Magistrate's court under the Police (Property) Act 1897.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Murphy of Torfaen:To ask His Majesty's Government whether, under the Common Travel Area arrangements, British citizens are required to present passports when entering the Republic of Ireland, including when arriving at Irish airports. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The operation of the Common Travel Area arrangements for British Citizens travelling to Ireland from the UK, is a matter for the Irish Government.

When travelling from Ireland to the UK, an Irish citizen is not required to present their passport, but may be asked to show a document that confirms their identity and nationality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the protection of the energy sector from cyber attacks. \p Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero collaborates with regulators, the National Cyber Security Centre, and operators to strengthen energy infrastructure security. This includes threat intelligence sharing and alerts to the sector, ensuring incident management plans are in place and setting clear and robust regulatory standards through the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018.

The forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen our defences against current and future cyber threats by ensuring that more essential digital services are protected, expanding the remit of the existing regulations to protect supply chains and putting regulators on a stronger footing to ensure essential cyber safety measures are being implemented efficiently and effectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether individual subcontract awards made under 'neutral vendor frameworks', 'managed service provider frameworks', 'prime contractor procurement models' or similar intermediary procurement models are subject to the same transparency and reporting requirements as contracts directly procured by public bodies. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: Many intermediary procurement models are straightforward public contracts where there is no requirement to publish subcontracts under either the Procurement Act 2023 or the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Where contracting authorities are awarding contracts using frameworks awarded under the Procurement Act 2023, they will need to follow the Act’s noticing provisions. In the case of most Public Contracts this will normally include publication of both a Contract Award and then a Contract Details Notice on the Find a Tender platform, which is the publicly available portal for all transparency information on procurement. Furthermore, notices contain linking information that allows notices to be connected- enabling detailed data analysis on how frameworks are being used. All this information on public procurement is in the public domain and can be searched by the citizen, free of charge in an accessible way.

Where contracting authorities are awarding contracts using framework agreements awarded under the previous procurement regime, they are required to publish an Awarded Opportunity Notice on the Contracts Finder platform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4855), on what grounds they determined that the removal of the non-compete clause (Clause 65) from contract 2887470\5 did not constitute a material modification under regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and whether an assessment was conducted to ensure that this change did not distort competition or provide the incumbent contractor with an unfair advantage. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Cabinet Office concluded that the removal of the non-compete clause (Clause 65) from contract 2887470\5 did not constitute a material modification under regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations because it did not materially alter the nature of the contract or the obligations thereunder.

The Government recognises the value of competition in marketplaces and believes that removing the clause ensures that there is fair competition and supports equal treatment of market participants.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4855), given that the deed of variation amends Clause 1.1 of contract 2887470\5 to remove the UK-only restriction on training services, on what basis they consider that this modification does not materially change the contract’s scope; and if international training was already covered in the original tender, why it was necessary to amend Clause 1.1 to permit it. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The original Emergency Planning College Bidders’ Brief makes multiple references to international training and overseas markets and was subsequently covered within the initial contract.

The change within the deed of variation to amend the UK-only constraint was necessary to clarify that international training may require the delivery of face-to-face training at overseas locations, in order to fully meet the contractual requirements for international training.

The UK-only constraint continues to apply to services provided to the Authority under the contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Agnew of Oulton:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the remit of the Procurement Review Unit includes oversight of subcontract awards under 'neutral vendor frameworks', 'managed service provider frameworks' and similar intermediary procurement models. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: In accordance with section 10 of the Procurement Act 2023 ("the Act"), the Procurement Review Unit (“PRU”) only has oversight of the activities of contracting authorities under the Act.

Any procurement carried out under framework agreements managed under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 does not fall within the remit of the PRU.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Pidgeon:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to local authorities to ensure the continuation of concessionary transport fares. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26, including on local transport, are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Reid of Cardowan:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the housing needs of rural communities, particularly in regard to land availability and infrastructure. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: It is for local planning authorities, including those in rural areas, to assess the housing need of their communities. This should be informed by a local housing need assessment, conducted using the government’s revised standard method.

Local authorities should also make an assessment of the amount of new homes that can be provided in an area, which should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development, and any other relevant matters.

The revised NPPF is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances. This includes ensuring that housing is located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities and support local services.

In relation to infrastructure provision to support housing, I refer the noble Lord to the answer to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

PQ 26106 (pdf, 83.3KB)
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Lord Reid of Cardowan:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve infrastructure around new housing developments to support growing populations. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: I refer the noble Lord to the answer to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

PQ 26106 (pdf, 83.3KB)
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Lord Reid of Cardowan:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that new housing developments meet sustainability and energy efficiency standards set in the Environment Act 2021. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The Environment Act introduced a new mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement of 10% for new housing developments last year. This means new housing developments will result in more high quality natural habitat than there was before the development. The government is working closely with the sector to make BNG work effectively.

The government is also taking steps to ensure new housing developments meet ambitious energy efficiency standards through the Building Regulations. The Future Homes Standard is due to be implemented later this year, which will ensure that new homes are highly energy efficient and that they are “zero carbon ready”, meaning that they will become zero carbon over time as the electricity grid decarbonises, without the need for any retrofit work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Reid of Cardowan:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to streamline planning regulations to expedite house building. \p Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: The government is delivering on our Plan for Change commitment to deliver a pro-growth planning system. In December 2024 we published a revised national planning policy framework, which strengthened housing targets and allowed for development on poor quality ‘grey belt’ land. The government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also speed up and streamline the planning process to build more homes of all tenures and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects, aligning with our industrial, energy and transport strategies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Inglewood:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Khan of Burnley on 4 March (HL Deb cols 62GC–68GC), what is their estimate of the total cost of the construction of the Holocaust memorial; on exactly what basis was that estimate calculated; when was that estimate calculated; by how much they expect that estimate to have changed since it was calculated; and whether that estimate includes running costs. \p Lord Khan of Burnley: Forecast costs of £138.8m for completion of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre were published on 28 June 2023 in a Written Ministerial Statement UIN HLWS875. Within that total figure, as the Statement makes clear, £91.3m relates to construction costs.

The construction and exhibition cost estimates, including inflation rates in those sectors, are based on advice from cost consultants Aecom (construction) and Greenways (exhibition). The forecast also includes programme staff and contractors, design and operational set-up costs and the cost of the planning inquiry.

A revised estimate of construction costs will be prepared following the receipt of tenders for the Main Works contract.

Operating costs, which will be incurred after the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is built, are currently estimated to be between £6.5m and £8.5m per year.
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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of the members of the Independent Monitoring Panel for the UK internal market guarantee. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: I refer the Noble Lady to the Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS463) from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 24 February 2025.
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Baroness Hoey:To ask His Majesty's Government what were the compelling reasons for dealing with the consequences of the Dillon case in High Court and Court of Appeal on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 by way of remedial order under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998; and whether they will now consider responding to the judgments by primary legislation only. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: On 4 December, the Government laid a Draft Remedial Order under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to address all of the incompatibilities identified by the High Court in Northern Ireland and one of the incompatibilities found by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland in the Dillon case.

The Government considers a Remedial Order to be the most suitable legislative approach to swiftly address issues that were deemed by the Courts to be incompatible with Human Rights. The government is also committed to introducing legislation which addresses other issues which could not be included in the Remedial Order, when Parliamentary time allows.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has now published its report into the Remedial Order, and the Government will carefully consider the recommendations and respond in due course.
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Lord Murphy of Torfaen:To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Wales intends to meet Welsh Ministers to discuss the future of the Welsh National Opera. \p Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: My colleagues, the Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens MP and the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP, meet with Welsh Government colleagues frequently on a range of issues including culture. Our two governments are working in close partnership to deliver for the people of Wales.

In October, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP and DCMS Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP met with Welsh Government Minister for Culture Jack Sargeant MS to discuss the Welsh National Opera and to recognise the value of its work, not just for the people of Wales but also for the people of England.

Minister Bryant then held a series of meetings with Welsh National Opera and Arts Council England to understand the issue in more detail. This series of meetings was able to reassure everyone that all partners wanted to see a positive long-term future for Welsh National Opera.

My colleague, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales Dame Nia Griffith MP, looks forward to meeting with you at the end of this month to discuss this further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist:To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Wales Office 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 Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent: The Wales Office has not launched any policy reviews or consultations since the General Election on 4 July 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Earl Howe:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, British Thoracic Society and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network asthma guidelines, published in November 2024, and if so, whether they plan to make the data publicly available. \p Baroness Merron: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), on behalf of NHS England, commissions a national audit across respiratory care, which includes asthma. All data from the audit is published and available at the HQIP’s website, in an online only format.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the British Thoracic Society (BTS), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) published a new collaborative guideline for asthma in November 2024. The NICE is working with the BTS, the SIGN, NHS England, and others to review the resources available to support implementation of the guideline, and plans to publish a respiratory toolkit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Merron on 27 January (HL4224 and HL4225), whether they plan to launch a national public awareness campaign to raise awareness of peripheral arterial disease, its symptoms, and its risk factors. \p Baroness Merron: In 2022, NHS England commissioned the two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients who have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) and who undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.

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

Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics, including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR, working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.

There are no plans to launch a national public awareness campaign about peripheral arterial disease.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the level of functional impairment endured by patients suffering from long Covid. \p Baroness Merron: The Government recognises that long COVID is a complex condition, with a wide range of symptoms, which, in the worst case, can be substantially incapacitating. The term ‘long COVID’ is an umbrella term, coined by patients and widely used to describe a wide range of symptoms or clusters of symptoms, of differing duration and severity, and potentially a number of distinct syndromes. The clinical case definition produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence identifies three phases of post-COVID-19 infection, the latter two of which are commonly described as long COVID, which are as follows:

The most common symptoms of long COVID are extreme tiredness or fatigue, feeling short of breath, problems with your memory and concentration, sometimes referred to as brain fog, heart palpitations, dizziness, joint pain, and muscle aches.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Dodds of Duncairn:To ask His Majesty's Government what was the budget of the Department of Health and Social Care as a percentage of total government expenditure in each year since 2021. \p Baroness Merron: The Department has averaged 19% of total Government expenditure in each financial year since 2020/21: 20% in 2020/21, 26% in 2021/22, 14% in 2022/23, and 16% in 2023/24.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have conducted on the impact of the proposed NHS England 2025–26 Payment Scheme and Standard Contract on patient choice and the Government’s ambitions to reduce waiting lists. \p Baroness Merron: As part of its annual planning round for 2025/26, NHS England consulted on proposals for the NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS), a set of rules, prices, and guidance that governs transactions between providers and commissioners of National Health Service funded secondary care. It is not a change to the Right to Choose.

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, integrated care boards will be allocated the funding needed to deliver improvements to the 18-week referral-to-treatment performance standard for consultant-led care.

NHS England has conducted an assessment of the impact of the proposed NHSPS, as required by law, which is attached. This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice.

HL5406 - Additional Document (pdf, 652.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulation of artificial intelligence use; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce a regulatory body for artificial intelligence. \p Lord Vallance of Balham: Most AI systems should be regulated at point of use, and our expert regulators are best placed to do this. In response to the AI Action Plan, the Government has committed to supporting regulators in evaluating their AI capabilities and understanding how these can be strengthened.

The Government is also developing legislative proposals which will allow us to safely realise the enormous benefits of the most powerful AI systems.

We look forward to engaging further with the full range of stakeholders on our legislative proposals in due course including how we can best establish appropriate oversight where regulatory requirements apply.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

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Lord Cromwell:To ask His Majesty's Government how many times in the past 12 months National Highways or other body responsible for highway verges have been served a notice in respect of ragwort control; and how many times such a responsible body has been prosecuted for breaches of their legal obligation to control and remove ragwort as required by the Weeds Act 1959 and subsequent Code of Practice. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: In the past 12 months, no notices in relation to ragwort control have been served to National Highways, and there have been no prosecutions under the Weeds Act 1959 or the Code of Practice.

The Department does not hold data on notices or prosecutions relating to ragwort control by local highway authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

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The Lord Bishop of Lincoln:To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the recommendation from the Children’s Commissioner in the report Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published in July, that all school-age children in England and care leavers up to the age of 25 should have access to free bus travel. \p Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill: The Government knows how important affordable bus services are in enabling young people to get to education, work and access vital services.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as expanding the eligibility criteria to include school students and care leavers up to age 25, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. However, local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including to those aged 16 and under, and 17–18-year-olds in full-time education, as discretionary enhancements to the ENCTS. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the Government’s £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for school-age children and care leavers.