theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-30 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-30 conversation_47

Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what is the proposed ringfenced capital budget funding allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive through the Northern Ireland block grant for each year of the Spending Review 2025 (CP1336). \p Lord Livermore: The Northern Ireland Executive’s control totals for 2024-25 and 2025-26 are included in the table below, broken down by budgeting category, including the ringfenced Resource DEL for depreciation and student loans, and the ringfenced Capital DEL for Financial Transactions.

For 2024-25, these reflect the control totals following the completion of Supplementary Estimates 2024-25 and additional funding allocated after Supplementary Estimates by Written Ministerial Statement: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-03-27/hcws561.

For 2025-26, these reflect the control totals following the completion of the Spending Review 2025 on 11 June 2025.

Budgeting category

2024-25

2025-26

Resource

16,541

17,294

o/w RDEL excluding depreciation

15,657

16,410

o/w RDEL depreciation

701

701

o/w RDEL Student Loans

183

183

Capital

2,050

2,222

o/w CDEL General

1,960

2,165

o/w CDEL Financial Transactions

91

57

TDEL

17,707

18,632

Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025 confirmed the Northern Ireland Executive’s Resource DEL excluding depreciation and Capital DEL control totals for 2026-27 to 2028-29. Capital DEL control totals were also confirmed for 2029-30. A table showing these allocations is available on page 101 of the Spending Review 2025 document: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6849171796e63bce58e4e705/E03349913_HMT_Spending_Review_June_2025_Elay.pdf
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Baroness Wolf of Dulwich:To ask His Majesty's Government what assumptions they use when calculating the budget for future apprenticeship training to estimate the number of employers that will pay the apprenticeship levy, and what estimate they have made of the number employers who will pay that levy in (1) 2024–25, and (2) 2025–26. \p Lord Livermore: In 2022-23, 34,200 employers paid the apprenticeship levy, and in 2023-24, 36,000 employers paid the apprenticeship levy.

In 2024-25, 36,900 employers paid the apprenticeship levy; this figure is based on outturn as the tax year has completed. No estimate has been made for the number of employers projected to pay the apprenticeship levy in 2025-26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-06-30 conversation_49

Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce in-donor refugee costs charged to the Overseas Development Assistance budget. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and has already acted. The government has taken measures to reduce the asylum backlog and reform the asylum accommodation system to end the use of expensive accommodation in the next Spending Review (SR) period to ensure more of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget is spent on our development priorities overseas. The aid spent in the UK on refugee and asylum costs fell by a third last year and the Home Office is working to bring it down further.

In addition to this, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability in our budgets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support upcoming replenishment cycles for the Global Fund, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other multilateral initiatives. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: We remain committed to supporting key global health institutions, including the Global Fund and Gavi, recognising their central role in the multilateral health architecture.  The UK announced our new investment in Gavi at the High-Level Summit on 25 June. Following the spending review, we are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used, including the decision regarding the UK's pledge to the Global Funds 8th replenishment, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Baroness Hodgson of Abinger:To ask His Majesty's Government how the rights and needs of older people will be specifically reflected in the work of the High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings (FCAS) is exploring why social protection remains neglected in the places that need it most. To support this, the Panel launched a public enquiry to gather evidence, structured around seven questions, chosen for their political and operational relevance. One question focuses on equitable access, with expected input on marginalised groups such as older people, women and girls, and displaced populations. The Panel Secretariat has engaged widely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), UN agencies, academia, and civil society about the public enquiry - including a major age-focused NGO - and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive approach throughout its work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Baroness Anelay of St Johns:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase humanitarian funding for food assistance programmes in the light of the increase in the number of people facing catastrophic hunger. \p Baroness Chapman of Darlington: The UK is deeply concerned by rising levels of acute food insecurity and catastrophic hunger. We are a key government donor to the World Food Programme (WFP); in 2024 we contributed over $600 million to WFP initiatives, including in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, South Sudan and Haiti.

We are also driving international action to scale-up Pre-Arranged Finance, making sure finance reaches the most vulnerable and hardest hit ahead of, or quickly after, a disaster strikes. This includes supporting vulnerable countries and humanitarian agencies to respond to harvest failures caused by drought. We recently supported anticipatory drought insurance for WFP in Syria, which paid out $7.7 million for emergency assistance.

However, simply responding to crises is not a long-term solution, and we are working with partners to improve early warning systems, to act ahead of shocks and invest in strengthening countries' resilience to food crises in the longer-term.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-30)

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Lord Mann:To ask His Majesty's Government how much overseas aid they provided to each country in Africa in 2024. \p Lord Collins of Highbury: "Statistics on International Development" is the official source of information on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend. Country-level data for 2024 will be published in Statistics on International Development (SID): Final UK ODA Spend 2024 in autumn 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_1

Lord Murray of Blidworth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 28 July (HL9433), how many engines for small boats have been seized prior to being used in crossings or attempted crossings of the English Channel since 4 July 2024. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: This information requested is not available in an accessible format and could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_2

Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for asylum are currently awaiting a decision; what is the average time taken to process an application; and what steps are being taken to reduce the time taken to process applications. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: We are restoring order to the asylum system so that every part – border security, case processing, appeals and returns – operate swiftly.

We are using a range of technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to improve staff productivity.

We doubled the rate of decision-making. The first half of this year saw the second and third highest quarters for decision-making since records began.

Statistics on the full asylum WIP is published in table ASY_03 on GOV.UK in the ‘Immigration and Protection data’, as part of the ‘Migration Transparency data’. The total number of cases in the asylum system relates to both those awaiting an initial decision and those who have appealed and are waiting a further outcome. The latest published data relates to the year ending June 2024.

As at 30 June 2025, there were 70,532 cases awaiting an initial decision.

The average time taken to process claims is not currently available from published statistics. Statistics regarding the age of asylum claims awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum claims awaiting a decision detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2025.We have increased the speed at which cases are processed, with 42% of claims received in 2024 Q4 being processed within 6 months, by comparison, 7% of claims received in 2023 Q4 were processed within 6 months.

By transforming the asylum system, we will clear the backlog of claims and appeals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to reduce the move-on period for newly recognised refugees to 28 days for most childless adults of working age on (1) refugee homelessness, (2) local authorities, and (3) civil society organisations helping refugees. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: On 1 September, the 56 day move on pilot implemented in December 2024 was paused for all single adults in receipt of a positive asylum decision, with the exception of individuals who are pregnant, over the age of 65 or have a known/evidenced disability. This action was taken to ensure that the asylum system continues to run efficiently, and to enable us to continue taking action both to reduce the overall number of asylum hotels in different communities, and the number of people staying in them.

This pause applies to all decisions made from 1 September, anyone in receipt of a positive decision made prior to the 1st September will receive a 56-day move on period as per the pilot.

We closely monitor the impact of all our policies, including the move on period, on the number and occupancy of asylum hotels, the overall costs of the asylum accommodation estate, the wider effect on local communities, and any pressures placed on local authorities and public amenities. We remain committed to working closely with our partners to identify improvements and make efficiencies in supporting newly recognised refugees move on from asylum accommodation.

The independent evaluation of the pilot continues and is due to conclude imminently. Evaluation outcomes will be used to inform longer term policy proposals and will be shared with parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they carried out with the local community before allocating the King's Gap Hotel in Hoylake as accommodation for single males seeking asylum. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office engaged with Wirral Borough council a number of times and remain committed to engaging with local authorities and key stakeholders to identify and mitigate potential risks and address community concerns regarding asylum accommodation.

The Home Office is committed to engaging with local authorities and other stakeholders to understand and mitigate any risks to and concerns of the wider community. This includes working closely with the police and other agencies in matters relating to the operation of the sites, safety, and security.’
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Empey:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost per day of accommodating asylum seekers. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Wider asylum accommodation costs other than hotels are not routinely published by the Home Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Campbell-Savours:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to compare the level of support for transport for people seeking asylum provided by EU member states, Norway and Switzerland. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Asylum Support provisions are reviewed regularly to ensure that we remain compliant in meeting our legal obligations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre disclosed in court which reportedly stated that Palestine Action does not advocate for violence against persons. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence and security matters and it would be inappropriate for the Government to provide a running commentary on documentation before the High Court in the Palestine Action judicial review proceedings

Palestine Action has conducted an escalating campaign involving not just sustained criminal damage, including to Britain’s national security infrastructure, but also intimidation and, more recently, alleged violence, including the use of weapons resulting in serious injuries to individuals. That kind of activity puts the safety and security of the public at risk.

Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for attacks which have seen those allegedly involved charged with criminal damage, violent disorder, aggravated burglary, grievous bodily harm with intent, and actual bodily harm. The gravity of these incidents is demonstrated by the Crown Prosecution Service’s independent decision to submit to the court that the offences allegedly committed by individuals in certain attacks had a terrorism connection.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_8

Lord Wasserman:To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude the due diligence exercise and compliance assessment initiated by Home Office officials to determine the appropriate sporting body to govern the endorsement processes for basketball in England, Scotland and Wales under the International Sportsperson visa route. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The due diligence exercise and compliance assessment to establish compliance under the International Sportsperson visa route are ongoing. Assessments and lines of enquiry may be revisited throughout. We are working closely with the bodies relevant to basketball, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sports, to ensure we have a full evidential basis prior to reaching a conclusion. All bodies included in the exercise will be notified when the exercises are completed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_9

Lord Murray of Blidworth:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 28 July (HL9433), how many of the 871 small boats (1) were seized during or after Channel crossings, and (2) were seized prior to being used in crossings or attempted crossings of the Channel. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Of the 871 small boat seizures referenced in the relevant Written Answer, all were seized during or after Channel crossings.

Border Force do not hold data on the number of seizures prior to use in Channel crossings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_10

Baroness Eaton:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with Canterbury City Council before allocating property on Herne Bay High Street as asylum accommodation. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Asylum Accommodation Services Contracts set out a number of principles in relation to working with local authorities, and other stakeholders including consultation and liaison regarding the location of accommodation and other issues, ranging from security controls to the impact on local amenities.

It is through this consultation and liaison that local authorities may raise any objection to specific properties being used as asylum accommodation, including on behalf of the local people they represent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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The Lord Bishop of Sheffield:To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to consult charities, faith groups, and frontline support services to deliver a more sustainable approach for procuring short-term accommodation for asylum seekers in line with the recommendations on the procurement of short term accommodation set out in the Office for Value for Money's policy paper UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government has already begun consultation with charities and frontline support services on future asylum accommodation plans. Officials met with voluntary and community sector stakeholders on the 5th August and plan to meet again in September. Minister Norris will be hosting engagement with faith groups later this year on future asylum accommodation plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-09-15 conversation_12

Lord Birt:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence presented by BBC Panorama that ketamine is openly advertised for sale on the internet, and delivered to the buyer speedily. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Government is committed to tackling the supply of illegal drugs, including online, and the harms associated with their misuse.

Our County Lines Programme is targeting exploitative drug-dealing gangs while breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade. Between July 2024 and March 2025, law enforcement activity delivered through the Programme has resulted in more than 1,200 drug dealing lines closed and 2,000 arrests. In parallel, law enforcement agencies continue to target those facilitating the online sale of drugs. The National Crime Agency is working with partners in the UK and internationally to target offenders operating on open and dark-net markets, and to take down UK-based sites committing offences.

In addition, the Government has strengthened the regulatory framework to address online harms. The unlawful sale of controlled drugs online is a priority offence under the illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act 2023 and internet companies are legally required to implement measures to protect their users and to remove illegal content from their platforms, including that related to the sale of illegal drugs. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is monitoring compliance with the regime.

Finally, the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in January 2025 to request an updated assessment about ketamine, including advice on reducing harms. The ACMD is also reviewing internet-facilitated drugs markets. The Government will consider their advice carefully once received.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Lister of Burtersett:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 16 June (HL7929), whether Home Office statistics on transnational marriage abandonment include data on the number of children affected as co-victims; and if not, whether they will consider collecting such data. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: Since 31 January 2024 those who find themselves a victim of domestic abuse in the form of transnational marriage abandonment (TMA) can apply for entry clearance (Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE)) under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse to the Immigration Rules.

Data on the number of applications under the TMA route is published each quarter on gov.uk under the category ‘Settlement VDA LTE’: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/682b151450dbd3ce8372abb4/visas-status-and-immigration-data-q1-2025.ods.

The data shows there were 9 cases in 2024 Q1, 17 in Q2, 34 in Q3, 23 in Q4. For 2025, the data shows there were 12 cases in Q1 and 17 cases in Q2.

This data includes partners and any dependent children as all individuals must be granted their own entry clearance to enter the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Rooker:To ask His Majesty's Government how many unexplained wealth orders have been made since July 2024. \p Lord Hanson of Flint: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2022 requires that the Home Office publish an annual report that sets out the number of unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) both applied for and obtained in a given period. The Act also sought to strengthen UWOs by enabling UWOs to be sought against property held in trust and other complex ownership structures, increasing the time available to law enforcement to review material provided in response to a UWO and reforming cost rules.

The previous report for the period May 2023-2024 can be found here. It states that two UWOs were applied for with one UWO obtained whilst the other had not received a judicial decision during the reporting period. A UWO applied for in the 2022-2023 reporting period was also obtained. The next report, covering May 2024 to May 2025 will be published shortly and, as per the Act, will set out the number of UWOs applied for in the period by relevant law enforcement agencies, as well as the number of orders made by the High Court.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Risby:To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the potential prosecution of British citizens returning to the UK after volunteering or enlisting in the armed forces of Ukraine. \p Lord Hermer: Travel advice for Ukraine, issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, makes clear that if a British national travels to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the war, their activities may amount to offences under UK legislation.

Anyone, regardless of their citizenship, who travels from the UK to take part in conflicts overseas may be investigated by the police on return to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

The Crown Prosecution Service will consider any information that is referred by the police and any decision to prosecute will be considered on a case-by case basis and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Strasburger:To ask His Majesty's Government what cases have been completed in court relating to alleged offences by Palestine Action activists; and for each case, when the court made its decision, what was the location of the alleged offence, what type of court heard the case, and what verdict and sentences were handed down. \p Baroness Levitt: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on completed court cases for a wide range of offences in England and Wales within the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

However, data centrally held does not identify whether offences were committed by Palestine Action activists. Whilst this information may be held in court records, examining individual records would be of disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Sharpe of Epsom:To ask His Majesty's Government how many additional judges and caseworks have been appointed to support employment tribunals in addressing the backlog of cases since July 2024. \p Baroness Levitt: We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of about 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements are determined by business need and judicial departures.

Since July 2024, 50 fee-paid Employment Judges (EJs) have been appointed, whilst 19 salaried EJs were appointed throughout 2024. Recruitment for up to 36 salaried EJs commenced in March 2025 and recruitment for 50 fee-paid EJs will commence in early 2026. As reported in the 2025 Judicial Diversity Statistics, there were 165 salaried and 143 fee-paid EJs in post in England and Wales as of 1 April 2025.

Since July 2024, we have also appointed an additional 6 caseworkers (legal officers) to support Employment Tribunals. There are currently just over 32 FTE legal officers in post.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with social media companies on the moderation of pro-eating disorder material and misinformation relating to diabetes and body image. \p Baroness Merron: Under the Government’s Online Safety Act, all in-scope services are now required to protect their users from illegal content, and platforms likely to be accessed by children need to prevent their users from accessing eating disorder content.

No discussions have been held with social media companies. However, we are working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom and others as the Online Safety Act takes effect. This includes exploring further opportunities to address harmful pro-eating disorder material and misinformation shared on social media and websites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Kamall:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood health centres on improving the diagnosis rate for dementia in rural communities. \p Baroness Merron: A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. Whilst no specific assessment has been made regarding dementia diagnosis rates, we expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the services will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and/or deprived inner cities.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Mott:To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of mental health practitioners employed in primary care through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. \p Baroness Merron: Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), Primary Care Networks (PCNs) recruit additional staff including mental health practitioners (MHPs), pharmacists, physiotherapists, and social prescribing link workers. There are a wide range of clinicians that are well suited to providing care in general practice as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and these roles are in place to assist doctors in general practice in reducing their workload, assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care.

As of 30 June 2025, there were 1,158 full time equivalent (FTE) MHPs working across practices and PCNs in England, an increase of 314 FTE compared with June 2023, when the time series in the collated data began.

While there are no specific plans to increase the number of MHPs employed through the ARRS, under changes to the GP contract announced earlier in the year the scheme will become more flexible to allow PCNs to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including mental health practitioners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Scriven:To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that learning disabilities mortality reviews are completed in a timely manner following notification, and what steps they are taking to address any delays in the process. \p Baroness Merron: Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) is a service improvement programme established and led by NHS England. NHS England is committed to ensuring that all deaths notified to LeDeR are reviewed in a timely manner. This commitment has been maintained since a pilot scheme was introduced in 2016, nationwide in 2017. There is a national, published LeDeR policy in place clearly setting out requirements and expectations across England.

Integrated care systems are responsible for ensuring that LeDeR reviews are completed in their local area, and that actions are implemented to improve the quality of services and reduce health inequalities and premature mortality for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

The LeDeR policy sets the expectation that reviews are completed within six months of them being notified to LeDeR unless statutory processes prevent that being possible or family members of those bereaved have asked for the review to be delayed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Rennard:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ROSE model for research funding; and whether this model will be included the National Cancer Plan. \p Baroness Merron: The National Cancer Plan will seek to ensure equitable access to the benefits of health research, as set out by Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ROSE model. The Department invests in research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Welcoming applications on cancer to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for NIHR research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South East, including biomedical research centres, clinical research facilities, and HealthTech research centres.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Taylor of Warwick:To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure equal regional access to artificial intelligence diagnostic software for stroke patients. \p Baroness Merron: The 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan will help the National Health Service become the most artificial intelligence (AI)-ready healthcare system in the world. The Government is fully committed to the ‘scan-pilot-scale’ approach set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan published in January 2025, so that we can ensure AI is deployed in the critical areas where the technology can support better health outcomes. The action plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-opportunities-action-plan/ai-opportunities-action-plan

We have made particularly significant progress on the deployment of AI within the stroke pathway. Stroke AI tools have been trialled to support doctors to interpret acute stroke brain scans and make decisions about treatment. These are now in use across 100% of stroke units in England. Early data has shown patient "door in door out" time reduction from 140 to 79 minutes and triple the chance of independent living following a stroke when Acute Stroke Centers use these AI tools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Weir of Ballyholme:To ask His Majesty's Government what additional funding they will provide to each of the devolved administrations to cover the costs of specialist medical treatment for children from Gaza. \p Baroness Merron: The Government is working urgently to get some of the critically ill and injured children medically evacuated from Gaza.

The costs associated with this process will not be finalised until we know which patients will travel to the United Kingdom and how many patients will travel. UK Government departments will absorb the costs from within their existing budgets. Therefore, no additional funding will be provided to the devolved administrations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Stedman-Scott:To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to (1) NHS trusts, and (2) NHS England, regarding (a) recruiting additional, or (b) terminating existing, equality, diversity and inclusion roles. \p Baroness Merron: National Health Service trusts should be working to address inequalities to ensure the best possible outcomes for all patients, as well as tackling the abuse and discrimination that some NHS staff face in the workplace. Local NHS leaders are best placed to take an evidence-based approach to how they approach this challenge and resource this work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Redfern:To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research showing that the rate of suicides among male prisoners is higher than that in the male general population, and what steps they are taking to reduce the rate of suicide of male prisoners. \p Baroness Merron: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting MP) and the Lord Chancellor (David Lammy MP) have jointly commissioned the Chief Medical Officer to produce a report into the health and health care for those in prisons and on probation. The report, which will include a chapter on custodial prison mental health services, the impact of imprisonment on mental wellbeing and the increased risk of suicide, is due to be published later this year. We will consider the recommendations and what further action may be needed.

We are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, which aims to reduce suicide rates and address the risk factors contributing to suicide. The Strategy highlights the need to provide tailored, targeted support to priority groups, including those at higher risk such as people in contact with the justice system.

NHS England strives to learn from preventable deaths in prisons through the NHS England Health and Justice Delivery Oversight Group, a senior leadership forum which holds responsibility for the oversight of delivery and continuous improvement in health and justice commissioned services. All health and justice-related Prevention of Future Deaths reports are shared and discussed at the Oversight Group and assurance is sought from regions where learning and action is identified. All reports received are also discussed by the Regulation 28 Working Group, comprising Regional Medical Directors and other clinical and quality colleagues from across the regions. This ensures key learning and insight around preventable deaths are shared across the National Health Service at both a national and regional level. This helps NHS England pay close attention to any emerging trends that may require further review and action.

This learning has led to the creation of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Case Management Training workstream where commissioners work with prison healthcare provider organisations and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. This ensures all staff have timely access to all joint training necessary for them to undertake their role effectively within the prison environment. Additionally, the Mental Health Triggers workstream, engages providers to ensure prisoners are asked about any significant/trigger dates at the initial healthcare screen when they arrive at prison and again at their seven-day health check.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick:To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 April (HL6370), what progress have they made towards establishing a timeline for implementing the recommended shingles vaccination expansion; and, if a timeline is not yet in place, what factors are under review; and when a decision on the implementation timeline is expected. \p Baroness Merron: The Department continues to consider the advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme for adults aged 80 years old and over. Factors under review include, and are not limited to, supply, financial considerations including cost-effectiveness and affordability, and clinical considerations including vaccine effectiveness. Currently, there are no further updates to share on timelines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Baroness Finlay of Llandaff:To ask His Majesty's Government how many intensive care units are equipped with scavenging devices to allow for a decrease in the use of disposable plastics. \p Baroness Merron: The Department does not hold this information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he and the Commission will seek to ensure that heritage concerns do not prevent the immediate installation of automated access control systems for four designated doors to the Chamber of the House. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The planned works to install pass readers and door automation were not able to be completed during the summer recess due to previously unidentified void spaces and encaustic tiles under the doors. The hidden voids were not visible in the pre-installation surveys that were undertaken.

I am informed that the Strategic Estates project team is engaging with teams across the House of Lords to identify the appropriate resolution to ensure the appropriate balance of accessibility, security, heritage, and value for money considerations. The House of Lords Services Committee were last updated on the project on Tuesday 9 September, following a Paper on Tuesday 24 June, and an update on the Automated Doors will be given by the Clerk of the Parliaments at the next meeting of the Commission on Wednesday 17 September.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the new CCTV cameras will record all meetings in the Royal Gallery which peers may have with other peers and outside visitors. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The CCTV cameras are in operation and will record video activity in the areas covered. Control of the imagery will be in line with the agreed camera policy. Audio will not be captured by the CCTV cameras.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what suggestions and plans for changes to the Palace for the benefit of disabled members or visitors have been prevented from happening or were changed by the parliamentary Heritage Team. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Architecture and Conservation Team play an active and supporting role in assessing proposed interventions and advising on what can be achieved without Listed Building Consent (LBC), or where LBC is legally required.

The Architecture and Conservation team are responsible for ensuring that the Administration do not jeopardise Parliament’s adherence to the legal restrictions placed on it by the listing or the designation as a World Heritage site, and work collaboratively with teams across Parliament to ensure that all plans proposed by Strategic Estates to improve accessibility for disabled Members or visitors are compliant with the legal restrictions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker, with regard to the new CCTV cameras being installed around the Chamber of the House, whether the CCTV recordings will be watched in real time or saved for retrospective review; who will be watching or reviewing the images; when the captured recordings will be deleted; and whether the cameras will have the capacity to record sound even though there is no plan to do so at the moment. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Strict controls are in place for CCTV footage and reassurance regarding these is being provided to Member bodies, including the Services Committee and the Commission. Members from these bodies have also attended or have been invited to tours of Parliament’s Security Operations Centre, to witness some of the privacy controls in action.

Parliament’s Security Camera Policy is available publicly on the Parliament website. This provides some details of our security camera systems, including that:

I am advised that releasing the specific details of our security arrangements, including CCTV, would be useful for an adversary planning an attack on Parliament. For these reasons, releasing the requested details further to those outlined in the Policy would compromise the safety and security of those working on and visiting the Parliamentary Estate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the remit of the parliamentary Heritage Team; who it reports to and what powers it has to prevent or change plans for adaptations on the Estate with are designed to make access easier for disabled members or visitors. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The remit of the Parliament’s Architecture and Conservation team (Heritage Team), which reports to the Managing Director of Strategic Estates, is to advise officers of Parliament’s Administration on good practice when managing works to the historic buildings on the Parliamentary Estate. The Architecture and Conservation team are responsible for ensuring that the Administration does not jeopardise Parliament’s adherence to the legal restrictions placed on it by the Grade 1 listing or the designation as a World Heritage site. Working within these restrictions, the Heritage Team and Strategic Estates work collaboratively with teams across the House of Lords to ensure that all projects, including those to improve accessibility, meet the heritage requirements of the building.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Lord Blencathra:To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether any parts of the new CCTV cameras operating around the Chamber of the House have been made or supplied from China. \p Lord Gardiner of Kimble: No Chinese companies have supplied, installed, or maintained any of the CCTV cameras on the Parliamentary Estate. We follow the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA)’s guidance regarding the security equipment used on the Parliamentary Estate.